From 0786d9728618ecb278a45bc4bda3726ef6c00215 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: inference-bot <bot@inference.coop>
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 2026 02:23:42 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] =?UTF-8?q?Add=20'Gift=20access'=20=E2=80=94=20documenting?=
 =?UTF-8?q?=20the=20member=20gift-account=20feature?=
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---
 getting-started.md |  2 ++
 gift-access.md     | 58 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 mkdocs.yml         |  1 +
 3 files changed, 61 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 gift-access.md

diff --git a/getting-started.md b/getting-started.md
index 0605d3f..9e005ea 100644
--- a/getting-started.md
+++ b/getting-started.md
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ or contact anyone.
 - **API access** for your own tools and projects (see [API access](api-access.md)).
 - **A monthly usage allowance** of $15 of credit, shared between chat and API.
 - **Credit packs** — buy extra non-expiring credits when you need more.
+- **Gift access** — give a friend $5 of credit and 60 days of the co-op.
+  See [Gift access](gift-access.md).
 - **A voice in governance** — how the project is run and where it goes next.
 
 ## 2. Use the chat
diff --git a/gift-access.md b/gift-access.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dcb3bf9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gift-access.md
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+# Gift access
+
+Membership comes with something to share: any member can **gift a friend
+access to the co-op**. A gift is **$5 of AI usage for 60 days** — the friend
+gets their own account and spends it in the chat and the API, with a
+dashboard showing what's left.
+
+The gift doesn't come out of your own balance. You can send one gift every
+30 days, and an address can receive one gift ever — gifts are for people new
+to the co-op.
+
+## How to send a gift
+
+Email [info@inference.coop](mailto:info@inference.coop) with your friend's
+name and email address. They get an **invitation email** from the co-op,
+naming you, with a link to set up their account — it takes about a minute.
+
+## What your guest receives
+
+- **The invitation email** with their setup link.
+- **$5 of credit** for the chat and the API, ready on their first login. The
+  $5 is a hard cap — usage stops when it's spent.
+- **Their own dashboard** at
+  [dashboard.inference.coop](https://dashboard.inference.coop) showing what's
+  left.
+- **The weekly newsletter** by email.
+- **These docs** — public to everyone already.
+
+Their access runs for **60 days**; the credits themselves don't expire early.
+
+## What guests can't do
+
+A gift is not membership. Guests don't get Matrix, the governance forum, or
+any vote in the co-op — the chat, the API, the dashboard, the docs and the
+newsletter are the whole gift. On their dashboard, a **Become a member**
+button sits where members see the credit-pack option.
+
+## When the gift ends
+
+The gift ends when **the $5 is spent or the 60 days are up**, whichever comes
+first, and your friend gets an email saying so. Access stops, but **the
+account and its data are kept** — if they become members later, everything
+picks up where it left off.
+
+## Cancelling early
+
+A guest can end their own gift at any time, with the **Cancel gift access**
+link on their dashboard. Unspent credit returns to the co-op; the account and
+its data are kept.
+
+## From gift to membership
+
+Becoming a member works the same for a guest as for anyone: contribute on
+[Open Collective](https://opencollective.com/inference-cooperative/contribute)
+and the account converts automatically — same login, same dashboard. Any
+unspent gift credit carries over onto the member balance. See
+[Become a member](getting-started.md#1-become-a-member) for how membership
+works.
diff --git a/mkdocs.yml b/mkdocs.yml
index 723d08d..6744349 100644
--- a/mkdocs.yml
+++ b/mkdocs.yml
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ theme:
 nav:
   - Home: README.md
   - Getting started: getting-started.md
+  - Gift access: gift-access.md
   - Models: models.md
   - API access: api-access.md
   - Energy & carbon: energy.md