Product

A funded bounty workflow built around acceptance, evidence, and trust.

LockBounty turns a GitHub issue into a traceable workflow: the sponsor pays before claims open, builders claim work, PRs collect review evidence, and only the sponsor-accepted claim is paid.

Sponsor: fund an issue Builder: claim paid work

Fund the issue

Sponsor

Create a bounty draft from a GitHub issue, define the builder reward, and write the acceptance rule before anyone starts work.

Claim with context

Builder

Builders see bounty scope, claim state, sponsor reliability, AI policy, and the rule that only the sponsor-accepted claim is paid.

Attach PR evidence

Claims are designed to link back to pull requests, commits, CI, and reviewer notes so disputes do not become guesswork.

Release after sponsor acceptance

Payout

The sponsor pays before claims open; Stripe Connect releases the payout only to the builder whose claim the sponsor accepts.

What sponsors and builders can do

Create a bounty draft, save it to your workspace, track sponsor trust, and prepare the PR review flow without relying on GitHub comments as claims.

Sponsors create drafts from GitHub issues, define rewards, and pay before claims open.

Builders browse only funded bounties, connect Stripe once, and submit PR evidence through LockBounty.

Maintainers review evidence, the sponsor accepts one LockBounty claim, and only that claim triggers automatic payout.

What happens after funding

Once Stripe confirms sponsor payment, the bounty opens to builders. Viktor and Kael can recommend a PR, but the sponsor still makes the final decision.

AI review reports attach to LockBounty claims and PRs as advisory evidence.

Sponsor reliability remains visible before builders spend time.

Non-negotiable workflow rules

LockBounty stays safe only when sponsors and builders follow the platform workflow instead of GitHub comments or side agreements.

Funding gates visibility

A bounty can be drafted before payment, but it becomes visible to builders only after Stripe confirms the sponsor payment.

Maximum three active claims

Only LockBounty claims count. Comments such as claim, interested, or first on GitHub are ignored for payout rights.

Viktor and Kael advise

AI reports help compare PR evidence, risk, tests, and maintainability. They are not the source of truth for payout.

Sponsor decision is final

The sponsor accepts one LockBounty claim. Only that accepted/merged claim is paid; non-selected builders are not compensated by LockBounty.

PR evidence must stay on LockBounty

Builders must submit PR evidence through LockBounty so the audit trail, support, disputes, and payout automation stay connected.

Deviations affect trust

Bypassing the platform, merging outside the accepted claim, payment abuse, or unclear acceptance can trigger trust penalties and admin review.