The AIP Process for Authors
Together, we have begun building the foundations of a governance system to support the ApeCoin community and its ambitions. Key to this system of governance is the APE Improvement Proposals (AIPs)
In this post, we will recap the AIP process to bring greater clarity and, hopefully, to inspire all DAO members to come forward with their own ideas to improve our community. A more detailed visual of this process is also available here.
Step 1: I’ve Got an Idea
The first step for an AIP is for an author to introduce their idea, with as much or as little detail as you have, under the AIP Ideas category on Discourse. The best part about this first phase is that it provides the opportunity to incorporate helpful feedback from the community so that your idea can best meet the needs of the DAO.
- When you start a new proposal, you will encounter the AIP Draft Template automatically as you create a new topic.
- All Topics submitted in Discourse must be approved by a moderator. If it is rejected, you will be contacted by a moderator directly. If approved, it is open for 7 days.
- We strongly urge all AIP authors to make use of this Draft Template when crafting their AIP Ideas, even if certain sections are initially incomplete.
- If sufficient feedback has not yet been received, the author also has the option to request the discussion period to be extended.
- The DAO guidelines emphasize that authors must search past proposals to ensure any idea they intend to write a proposal for has not already been submitted
- A suggested proposal that directly conflicts with another approved proposal cannot go to vote for three months after the original proposal has been implemented to avoid wasting community assets.
- When the Topic is closed, a moderator will message the author of the Topic directly in Discourse to put together the AIP Draft.
If you’re currently drafting an AIP and looking for inspiration on how to best structure and build out your ideas, we’d recommend checking out Final AIPs and those that have previously been Returned for Reconstruction. These proposals have all gone through the AIP process.
Step 2: Time to Write Your Final Draft
Once an idea has received community feedback, the author has 30 days to respond with their complete AIP Draft by providing any of the required information specified under each section.
After the draft is complete, Facilitators will assign it with an AIP ID # and begin to prepare an AIP Draft Analysis Report (DAR) - the time frame of this analysis depends on the level of detail included in the draft, the extent to which any aspects of the proposal may be unclear, and the author’s response time in clarifying these uncertainties.
Draft Analysis depends on the proposal’s specifics but usually includes assessing:
- Alignment with the Community Guidelines
- Any potential conflict with Live or Approved AIPs
- Necessary steps to implement, including but not limited to the cost, use of the ApeCoin brand, key results, and any other implications for the DAO
- Third parties that may be implicated
- Expectations, or any requests, for the Ape Foundation or the DAO’s administration in the implementation of your proposal
Step 3: Administrative Review
The Draft Analysis Report (DAR) is shared with the DAO’s Special Council (the “Board”) for Administrative Review and has an average review time of approximately 30 days. The Special Council may choose to respond in one of three ways:
- Send the AIP to Snapshot for a DAO vote
- Return the draft to the author for minor clarifications (“Return for Clarification”)
- Return the draft to the author for more substantive reconstruction to better demonstrate how the proposal aligns with the DAO’s mission/values/wellbeing (“Return for Reconstruction”)
Step 4: Voting Time
After the Special Council approves an AIP for a DAO vote, it’s time for the DAO to decide if the proposal will be accepted. The community votes on Snapshot, where one ApeCoin is equal to one vote, and the options are either “For,” “Against,” or “Abstain.”
- Only the Abstract, Benefit to ApeCoin Ecosystem, and the Overall Cost sections from the AIP Draft Template will be visible on Snapshot.
- Additionally, Snapshot cannot display embedded videos; however, it does support images and hyperlinks.
- The voting period begins on the first and third Thursday of each month at 9PM ET, lasts for 13 days and concludes on Wednesday at 9PM ET.
- Results are viewable on Snapshot, our forum, and usually posted on the ApeCoin Twitter.
If the DAO does not accept the proposal, the author may initiate the Resubmission process and has the option to forego the 7-day community feedback period. (Click here to view the full Resubmission process)
To resubmit a proposal that did not pass Special Council review, was Returned for Reconstruction, or was rejected by Snapshot vote, the author should follow the regular DAO process for AIP Ideas and when submitting the Draft use the Resubmission Draft Template which also includes:
- A link to the original proposal
- Any Resubmission updates, including all improvements or concerns regarding the original AIP
If necessary, additional fields can be added to any template to fully communicate the changes made and the intentions, specifics, and implications of the resubmitted AIP Draft.
If the proposal is accepted, the Foundation would coordinate with the author to begin implementation. The time to implement an AIP depends on the specifics of the AIP:
- If you’re seeking funding, each team member set to receive funds directly from the Foundation must separately sign a grant agreement and undergo KYC verification before the funds are released.
- You would be added to a Group on the forum called “Accepted AIP Authors,” and you would have the ability to update your Title with this new status.
- You would be able to post and communicate with the community in the AIP Execution and Transparency category, a community resource intended to enhance authors’ productivity as well as improve transparency for DAO members.
- The Facilitator team would create a new topic under the AIP Execution and Transparency category, sub-category AIP Implementation Updates, and follow up with the author periodically to collect updates for the community.
- As an Accepted AIP Author, you would also have permission to use the “ApeCoin Powered” and “Powered by ApeCoin” logos. These logos can be downloaded in the body of AIP-274 in a variety of transparent PNG files. Privileges to use these logos may be revoked by the community if its usage is found to be inconsistent with the values and mission of the ApeCoin ecosystem.
- Additionally, as an accepted AIP author, you would have access to a Twitter/X Request Form.
Conclusion
Don’t forget that at the end of the day, the DAO’s governance is designed to be adaptable. If any parts of this process don’t sound right to you and there’s something you think we can improve upon, please submit a Process Proposal.
Best regards,
ApeCoin DAO Community Discourse Facilitators