> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cjay-1.gitbook.io/lifeboat-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cjay-1.gitbook.io/lifeboat-docs/lifeboat.md).

# Lifeboat

Lifeboat helps companies pay for the maintenance of open-source software they depend on. A sponsor commits a budget to a defined plan for one repository. A maintainer submits evidence of finished work as a claim. A named human reviewer approves or rejects it. Only an approved claim can be paid, and the payment is a Stellar transaction whose hash anyone can check.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Lifeboat is a **Stellar testnet pilot**. It does not move real money, has had no formal security audit, and is a single-operator deployment. See [Project status](/lifeboat-docs/project-status.md).
{% endhint %}

## The idea in one paragraph

Many widely used libraries are kept alive by a few volunteers. Funding is irregular, the expected work is unclear, and a project can stall when its maintainer loses time. Lifeboat ties money to *defined, reviewed maintenance outcomes* instead of general goodwill, and records each payout in a way the sponsor and the maintainer can verify independently.

## What Lifeboat will not do

* It never pays because a repository looks inactive.
* It never pays because a pull request merged. GitHub activity is **evidence**, not approval.
* It never takes over a repository or changes who owns it.
* It never promises that sponsorship keeps a project maintained forever.

## Where to start

| If you are...              | Read                                                                 |
| -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| New to the project         | [How it works](/lifeboat-docs/how-it-works.md)                       |
| A sponsor                  | Sponsor guide                                                        |
| A maintainer               | Maintainer guide                                                     |
| A reviewer or steward      | Reviewer guide and Steward guide                                     |
| A developer or contributor | [Developer guide](/lifeboat-docs/developer-guide.md)                 |
| Evaluating risk            | [Security and governance](/lifeboat-docs/security-and-governance.md) |

## The four repositories

| Repository                                                            | Responsibility                                                   |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [lifeboat-protocol](https://github.com/lifeboat008/lifeboat-protocol) | Domain types, validation, budget arithmetic                      |
| [lifeboat-ledger](https://github.com/lifeboat008/lifeboat-ledger)     | Stellar testnet payment construction, submission, reconciliation |
| [lifeboat-api](https://github.com/lifeboat008/lifeboat-api)           | HTTP API, persistence, authorization, audit history              |
| [lifeboat-github](https://github.com/lifeboat008/lifeboat-github)     | GitHub webhook verification and evidence submission              |

All four are written in Go and released under the MIT license.