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Get Involved

The most valuable contribution is to use Hinter Net to connect with your peers and expand the network by onboarding new ones.

Finding Your First Peers​

A common question is: "I like what I hear but I don't know who to add. What do I do?" Here are some suggestions:

  • Start with a Few People You Already Trust: Think about colleagues, friends, or collaborators with whom you already share information. Introduce them to Hinter Net and see if they're interested in a more secure and efficient way to communicate.
  • Leverage Your Peers' Networks: The next best thing to a person you trust is a person trusted by someone you trust. Ask your initial peers to introduce you to suitable contacts in their own networks and help you onboard them as new hinters. This is the primary way a high-trust network expands.
  • Use the Public Channels: The public channels listed below, especially the Discord, are the designated places to find other new users. Introduce yourself, state your interests, and you will likely find others who are also looking to build their first connections.
  • Be Patient: A high-trust network is not built overnight. Start small and focus on creating value within that small circle. As you all see the benefits, the network will grow organically.
Recruiting from Public Channels

When recruiting peers from public channels, people will only connect if they trust you and believe you can provide value. You can establish this by leveraging an existing professional reputation (on platforms like X, LinkedIn, or GitHub) or by building a new one through active, insightful participation in public discussions. Give potential peers a reason to believe connecting with you is a valuable addition to their network.

Contributing Through Code​

As outlined in our Roadmap and Philosophy of Contribution, our goal is to keep the core tools minimal and stable. We do not encourage contributions to the official hinter-core and hinter-cline repositories unless they are bug fixes.

Instead, contribution through code should be driven by real-world necessity as you build your network. The protocol is open, and we explicitly encourage developers to:

  • Build Alternative Clients: If hinter-cline doesn't suit your workflow, build a hinter-core-compatible alternative.
  • Create Companion Tooling: See a need for a mobile client, a data visualization tool, or an automated scraper? Build it.
  • Fork and Modify: If you disagree with the direction of the official tools, you are free to fork them and create your own versions.

This permissionless innovation is key to a resilient and decentralized network. However, always remember the security implications of using third-party tools and review their code carefully.

Public Channels​

These channels are primarily for initial contact, announcements, and finding your first peers.

  • Discord: The Api3 Discord has channels dedicated to Hinter Net for public discussion.
  • X: Follow @hinter_net for updates.