From 6e54dc8b35e30b6c5d51a38220b3e34bc1891334 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: oppiliappan Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:45:01 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] blog: vouching on tangled Signed-off-by: oppiliappan --- blog/posts/vouching.md | 93 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 93 insertions(+) create mode 100644 blog/posts/vouching.md diff --git a/blog/posts/vouching.md b/blog/posts/vouching.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..6337a52b --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/posts/vouching.md @@ -0,0 +1,93 @@ +--- +atroot: true +template: +slug: vouching +title: combat LLM spam by building a web of trust +subtitle: vouching on tangled! +image: https://assets.tangled.network/vouch.png +date: 2026-05-01 +authors: + - name: Akshay + email: akshay@tangled.org + handle: oppi.li +draft: false +--- + + + + + +Tangled now has native support for +[vouching](https://github.com/mitchellh/vouch/)! You can +vouch or denounce users that you interact with. Vouched +users will have a green shield icon beside their profile +pictures, and denounced users will have a red one. You can +use this to inform decisions about an interaction. You can +also see the vouch/denounce decisions made by your circle. + +## why vouch? + +Vouching serves as a signal of trust to your circle. + +The bar to submit code to a project has never been lower +thanks to LLM based tooling. LLM tools are really good at +creating "uncanny valley" submissions. Code that looks +correct but is subtly wrong. The onus is on maintainers to +now take the time to review such submissions. To ease this +burden, maintainers from across the Tangled network can now +vouch for or denounce contributors that misuse these tools +and create a maintenance burden. + +## mindful design + +Such systems need careful consideration. Vouching on Tangled +includes the following to begin with: + +- vouching/denouncing with a text-based reason field +- attenuation: you can only view decisions made by you and + your circle +- no consequences to being denounced: at present, denounced + users aren't blocked from the project, but simply have a + red warning label in parts of the UI + +Some additions that I want to put in down the line: + +- decay of vouches: maintainers and contributors tend to + move on from projects over time, so vouches should decay + as time passes, and be renewed every now and then +- evidence trails: vouching for a user right after merging a + PR should add the PR to the vouch record as a piece of + evidence + + + + + +## how it works + +When you vouch for or denounce somebody on Tangled, you +create a **public** record on your +[PDS](https://atproto.com/guides/glossary#pds-personal-data-server). +The record includes: + +- whether you vouched for or denounced somebody +- an optional reason for doing so + +The Tangled appview then aggregates vouch data from across +the network, and displays vouch "hats" over profiles at +points of interaction: + +- in issues and issue comments +- in pull-requests and pull-request comments + +A hat appears over a user only if you have directly +vouched/denounced them, or if somebody you have vouched for +has vouched/denounced them. + +Additionally, there are no consequences for a denounced +user. Only a hat. You can click on the hat to see who +vouched/denounced this user in your circle. The consequences +may change eventually, but for now you can use the hat to +inform a decision. + +Start building your web of trust on Tangled today. -- 2.51.2