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💓 Pulse (Reputation System)

Pulse is the protocol's reputation engine in pallet-xp.

It decides when XP is earned and how much XP is granted

XP is not rewarded immediately through simple increments.

Instead, users must first build reputation over time.

This ensures XP reflects consistency, not short-term activity.

What is Pulse?​

Pulse is a discrete reputation score attached to each XP identity.

It represents:

  • consistency of activity
  • frequency of participation
  • long-term engagement
  • behavioral trust within the system

Pulse is not XP itself.

It determines how XP grows.

Why Pulse Exists​

Without Pulse:

  • ⚠️ XP could be farmed instantly
  • ⚠️ One-time actions would dominate rewards
  • ⚠️ New users and trusted contributors would be treated the same
  • ⚠️ Same-block abuse would be easy

With Pulse:

XP rewards consistent behavior, not bursts.

This creates a reputation-driven progression system instead of a simple balance counter.

Core Idea​

XP earning happens in two phases:

Warmup -> Active

Before users can earn meaningful XP, they must first establish reputation.

MinPulse​

MinPulse is the minimum reputation threshold required before XP rewards begin.

Below this threshold:

  • XP is not awarded
  • actions only build Pulse

Once this threshold is reached:

  • XP earning becomes active
  • rewards begin scaling with Pulse

This prevents instant farming by new identities.

🌱 Phase 1: Warmup (Reputation Building)​

When:

Pulse < MinPulse

then:

  • ❌ No XP is awarded
  • ✅ Pulse increases

Warmup Flow​

During this phase, the system is measuring consistency rather than rewarding output.

🚀 Phase 2: Active (XP Scaling)​

When:

Pulse >= MinPulse

then:

  • ✅ XP starts being awarded
  • 📈 rewards scale using Pulse

Scaling Formula​

XP += points * pulse

Higher reputation produces stronger rewards.

Active Flow​

XP growth becomes reputation-weighted rather than linear.

Same-Block Protection​

Same-block protection prevents abuse within a single block.

Rule​

current_block <= last_updated_block
AND pulse >= MinPulse

Then:

  • ➕ XP is added as raw points only
  • ❌ Pulse does NOT increase
  • ❌ No multiplicative scaling is applied

Flow​

Effect​

  • 🚫 Prevents pulse farming within a block
  • 🚫 Prevents artificial reward bursts
  • ⏳ Ensures progression remains time-based

Key Insight​

Same-block actions bypass reputation scaling and only grant base (raw) XP.

Why Pulse Uses Block Time​

Pulse progression depends on block progression, not transaction count.

This ensures reputation reflects sustained participation over time rather than rapid repeated actions inside a single block.

It is one of the main reasons XP cannot be rushed.

PulseFactor​

PulseFactor controls how quickly repeated actions convert into Pulse growth.

It defines how much internal progress is added for each eligible action.

Together with the accumulator threshold, it determines the speed of reputation growth.

Pulse Growth Mechanism​

Pulse grows using a discrete accumulator, not direct per-action increments.

Each XP identity maintains an internal step counter.

How It Works​

Every eligible action:

  • increments the step counter
  • uses PulseFactor as the increment size

When the accumulated step reaches a threshold:

  • Pulse increases by 1
  • the step counter resets
  • accumulation continues

Concept​

step += PulseFactor

if step >= threshold:
    pulse += 1
    step = 0

Flow​

Why This Design Exists​

  • ⏳ Time-weighted progression Pulse grows gradually, not instantly

  • 🚫 Prevents burst farming Multiple actions are required before reputation increases

  • ⚙️ Configurable growth rate PulseFactor and threshold define system difficulty

Key Insight​

Pulse is not incremented per action , it is earned through accumulated activity over time.

🔒 Lock-Based Acceleration​

If XP is locked:

  • additional Pulse accumulation can occur after XP earning

This accelerates future reputation growth.

More Precisely​

Locking does not directly grant extra XP.

Instead, it allows faster future Pulse progression, which increases future rewards.

Currently, it looks for lock exists, in the future we will integrate lock value based scaling

Flow​

Effect​

  • 🧠 Rewards commitment
  • 📈 Improves long-term progression
  • 🔒 Incentivizes stronger participation

Full Earning Flow​

This is the full reputation-driven lifecycle of XP earning.

Example: XP + Pulse in Action​

Initial State​

Free XP   = 10
Pulse     = 0
MinPulse  = 1
Points    = 5
Block     = 10

Step 1: Warmup​

Pulse < MinPulse -> build reputation

Result:

  • Pulse increases from 0 -> 1
  • XP remains unchanged
Free XP = 10
Pulse   = 1

Step 2: Active Phase​

Current Pulse = 1
XP += 5 × 1 = 5
Free XP = 15
Pulse   = 1

Step 3: Higher Reputation​

Current Pulse = 2
XP += 5 × 2 = 10
Free XP = 25
Pulse   = 2

Step 4: Same Block​

Current Pulse = 2
XP += 5

Only raw XP is added.

Free XP = 30
Pulse   = 2  ← unchanged

Step 5: High Reputation​

Current Pulse = 3
XP += 5 × 3 = 15
Free XP = 45
Pulse   = 3

Visual Progression​

Key Properties​

PropertyMeaning
Time-basedXP cannot be rushed inside one block
Reputation-weightedHigher Pulse -> stronger rewards
Anti-spamSame-block pulse farming is prevented
Commitment-drivenLocked XP improves future growth

What Pulse is NOT​

  • ❌ Not a balance
  • ❌ Not transferable
  • ❌ Not directly controlled
  • ❌ Not manually assigned

Pulse is earned behavior, not assigned value.

Final Insight​

⚡ XP = what you did, 💓 Pulse = how consistently you did it

XP reflects output.

Pulse reflects trust.

Together, they create progression that is difficult to fake.

🚀 Next Steps​

To understand how XP evolves from creation to reaping:

👉 Concepts -> Lifecycle