How Tetra works

Overview

A bounty is a paid task posted by a project: test a beta, write a thread, design a screen, build a demo. The project deposits the full reward up front, Tetra holds it, and it’s paid out only for approved work. Anything that isn’t earned goes back to the project.

Tasks and contests

Every bounty is one of two types. The type decides how rewards are handed out.

Getting started

1. 1
   Create your accountSign in with Google or with a 6-digit code sent to your email. One account per person. Add your real name before your first submission; projects see it and we use it to keep payouts fair.
2. 2
   Add a payout addressIn Settings, add the Stellar address you want to be paid to. You can do this later, before your first withdrawal.
3. 3
   Pick a bountyBrowse Explore. Each bounty shows the reward, the deadline, what the work is and what to submit.

Submitting work

Do what the bounty asks, then click Submit your work and paste a link to it (a post, a doc, a repository, a video). Some projects ask a few questions of their own, like your username in their app; only the project and Tetra see your answers. You can add a short note for the project owner.

• You can submit once per bounty. Make it count.
• Never paste a secret key, password or recovery phrase into a submission. No bounty needs one, and Tetra refuses answers that look like a Stellar secret key.
• Task bounties have a fixed number of spots. A submission waiting for review holds a spot. If one is rejected, its spot reopens right away for someone else.
• Contest entries stay private until winners are announced, so nobody can copy them.

Reviews and auto-approval

Every task submission has its own review timer, set by the project: from 48 hours up to 4 weeks for work that takes longer to check. The timer starts when you submit, and the bounty page shows how long it is before you start.

Rejections and disputes

A project can reject a task submission, but they have to give a reason, and you’ll see it. If you believe your work met the requirements, open a dispute from the bounty page within 72 hours (once per submission). The Tetra team reviews every dispute. If we agree with you and the bounty still has a free spot, the submission is approved and paid; if not, the rejection stands. Tetra’s decision is final. Your spot reopens for others as soon as you’re rejected, so dispute early: if every spot is filled before your dispute is decided, there’s no reward left and it’s closed.

Contest results

Projects can’t reject contest entries: they pick winners, and once there are entries they must award every prize there are eligible entries for. Only Tetra can disqualify an entry (rule breaks or duplicate accounts), and that decision is final. If the project misses its judging window, Tetra judges within 7 days. In the rare case that doesn’t happen either, the prize pool is split evenly across every eligible entry. A project that doesn’t judge never gets the money back.

Getting paid

Rewards go to your Tetra balance in USDC. Add your Stellar address in Settings (we email you a code to confirm it), then withdraw to it from your wallet (minimum 1 USDC). Withdrawals only ever go to that saved address.

Every withdrawal is approved by the Tetra team before it leaves the treasury, usually within 1–2 hours. Your wallet shows it as Awaiting approval until then, and we email you the transaction once it’s sent.

• The receiving account must be able to hold USDC (it needs a USDC trustline). Most Stellar wallets set this up when you add USDC.
• Withdrawing to an exchange like Binance or Coinbase? Add the memo from their deposit page, or the funds can’t be credited to you.
• If a withdrawal fails, the amount goes straight back to your balance and we email you why.
• Changed your payout address? For your security, withdrawals to the new one open 24 hours later, and we email you about the change. If you didn’t make it, sign in again (that signs out anyone else) and reply to that email.

Bounties paid in an app. Some projects (usually wallet apps) pay rewards into their own app instead of your Tetra balance. Their bounty page says so, and you give the address of your wallet in that app when you submit (plus its memo, if the app uses one). We check it can receive USDC; the project checks it’s from their app before approving. Once approved, the reward goes straight there after the usual payout approval. If that send fails, it lands in your Tetra balance instead.

Fair play

Projects pay for real people. To keep it that way, Tetra screens for multiple accounts: accounts that share a device or a payout wallet are linked, and submissions from linked accounts on the same bounty are flagged. So are entries linked to the project’s own account: projects can’t approve those or award them prizes. Flagged work is never approved automatically; a person looks at it. Using several accounts, bots, or someone else’s work gets your account suspended and your balance frozen. See the Terms for details.

Posting a bounty

1. 1
   Choose the typeA task pays everyone who completes it; a contest pays ranked prizes.
2. 2
   Describe itAdd your project (with its logo), a clear title, and a description of the bounty with the steps to follow (headings, lists and links are supported). Then set up the submission form: every submission has a link, and you can add up to 6 questions of your own.
3. 3
   Set rewards and timingPick the reward per person and number of spots (task) or the prizes (contest), the deadline, and your review or judging window.
4. 4
   Fund itPay the total in any supported token. The bounty goes live the moment the deposit arrives.

Rewards must add up to at least 10 USDC. Deadlines can be 24 hours to 120 days away. Contests can have up to 10 prizes, each the same or smaller than the one above.

Paying rewards into your app

Running a wallet app? Turn on Pay rewards into your app and contributors must give the address of their wallet in your app when they submit. If everyone in your app shares one deposit address and is told apart by a memo, turn on Wallets use a memo so the memo is required too.

• We check every address exists and can hold USDC. Only you can tell whether it belongs to your app, so check it on the review page before you approve or announce winners. If it isn’t, reject the submission and say why (contest entries: report it to Tetra).
• Approving sends the reward straight to that address, through Tetra’s usual payout approval. Stellar payments can’t be reversed.
• Anything approved automatically, or judged by Tetra after your window ends, is sent to the address the contributor gave.
• An address already used by another Tetra account is flagged, and one linked to your own account can only be approved by Tetra.

Pricing

Tetra charges 5% of the reward pool, added on top, so contributors always receive the full advertised reward. Tetra does not charge any judging fees or deposits.

Funding

You can fund a bounty two ways:

• Any token, any chain (ETH, SOL, BTC, USDT and more), swapped into USDC on Stellar by NEAR Intents. You get a one-time deposit address and an exact amount. The quote is valid for one hour. If the swap can’t complete, NEAR Intents refunds your tokens to the address you give us.
• USDC on Stellar, sent directly to the Tetra treasury with the memo we show you. The memo is how we match the payment to your bounty, so don’t leave it out.

Funded later than planned? If the deadline has passed (or is less than a day away) when the deposit lands, the bounty goes live with the same length you originally planned, counted from that moment, and we email you the new closing date. You can also set a specific new deadline before you fund.

Editing a bounty

Open the bounty and choose Edit bounty (or the pencil on your dashboard).

• Before it’s funded you can change anything: the details, the deadline, the review or judging window, the submission form, where rewards go, and the rewards. If you’ve already paid part of it, the amount still due updates; if what you’ve paid covers the new total, it goes live.
• Once it’s live you can reword it, change the category, skills and what to submit, and give people more time by moving the deadline later. Rewards, spots, the review or judging window, the submission form’s questions and where rewards go are fixed, because contributors may already be working on it. The bounty page shows when it was last updated.
• Once entries have closed, it can’t be edited.

Reviewing submissions

Open your dashboard and choose Review. For each submission you can:

• Approve & pay: the reward moves to the contributor’s balance right away.
• Reject with a reason: the contributor sees it and can dispute it once, within 72 hours. Their spot reopens right away for someone else. If Tetra overturns your rejection while a spot is still free, they’re approved and paid from the bounty.

Each row shows when it will be approved automatically. Submissions flagged by multi-account screening show a warning and are never approved automatically; if you don’t review them, Tetra does. Submissions linked to your own account can only be approved by Tetra. We email you a digest of new submissions and a reminder 12 hours before anything is approved automatically.

Judging a contest

After the deadline, pick the winners in order from your review page before your judging window ends (3 days to 4 weeks, chosen when you posted). You don’t reject entries: pick the best ones, and the rest are marked not selected. If you have as many eligible entries as prizes, every prize is awarded. Spot an entry breaking the rules or using duplicate accounts? Report it to Tetra and we can disqualify it. Once you announce, prizes are paid immediately to the winners and the contest completes. If you miss the window, Tetra takes over judging to distribute the prizes to the rightful winners.

When a bounty ends

• A task ends when every spot is paid, or when the deadline passes, nothing is left to review, and no rejection can still be disputed (72 hours after the last one).
• A contest ends when its prizes are paid.
• Anything not paid out (unfilled spots, prizes with no eligible entry) is returned to your Tetra balance. The Tetra fee isn’t refunded.

Tips for great bounties

• Start the title with a verb and say exactly what people will do.
• In the description, break the work into 2–5 concrete steps (a numbered list works well) and say what counts as done.
• Ask for something you can check quickly: a link, a screenshot, a transaction.
• Price for effort. Twenty minutes of testing and a week of building aren’t the same bounty.
• Review quickly. Fast, fair reviews bring people back to your next bounty.

FAQ

Do I need a crypto wallet to earn?

No, only to withdraw. You can sign in with email or Google and earn into your Tetra balance first.

Which network are payouts on?

Stellar, in USDC. Your wallet needs USDC added (a trustline). We check your address as you type it and tell you if it can’t receive USDC yet.

Can I stay signed in on two devices?

No. For your security, Tetra keeps you signed in on one device at a time. Signing in somewhere new signs your other device out, and we email you when a new device signs in.

Can I edit a bounty after it’s live?

Yes: you can reword it and extend the deadline. Rewards, spots and review windows are fixed once it’s live, because contributors rely on the terms they signed up for. See Editing a bounty.

What if a project stops responding?

Task submissions are approved automatically when their timer ends, and Tetra takes over judging for contests. You get paid either way.

Who do I contact?

Reply to any email from Tetra, or see the contact details in the Privacy Policy.