Split docs into README TOC + getting-started, api-access, infrastructure guides

getting-started.md

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+# Getting started
+
+Welcome. You're joining a **member-governed** AI cooperative — not signing up
+for a service from a vendor. You'll help direct the project while getting
+private AI chat and API access in return.
+
+This guide covers the three things most new members want: becoming a member,
+using the chat, and getting involved in governance.
+
+## 1. Become a member
+
+Membership is a **sliding-scale contribution of $10–20/month** through Open
+Collective. What you pay is up to you.
+
+1. Go to [opencollective.com/inference-cooperative](https://opencollective.com/inference-cooperative).
+2. Choose a contribution amount in the $10–20 range and subscribe.
+3. After you contribute, you'll land on a "check your inbox" page.
+
+**Within a few minutes, you'll get a welcome email** with a link to set up your
+account. Click it and create your login.
+
+> **One thing that matters:** the email address you use on Open Collective and
+> the email address you use to set up your account **must match**. Membership is
+> verified by matching those two emails. If they differ, you won't be recognized
+> as a member. (Contributed without an Open Collective account? You're recognized
+> by the email you entered at checkout.)
+
+### Your membership includes
+
+- **Private AI chat** through the co-op's shared gateway.
+- **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.
+- **A voice in governance** — how the project is run and where it goes next.
+
+## 2. Use the chat
+
+The chat lives at **[chat.inference.coop](https://chat.inference.coop)**. Log in
+with the account you created in step 1.
+
+- **Web search** is enabled by default (self-hosted, no external dependency).
+- **File uploads** work out of the box — ask the chat about a document you attach.
+- Your usage draws from your monthly allowance; you can see it on the
+  [Member Dashboard](https://dashboard.inference.coop).
+
+If the chat ever says your balance is out, that's the allowance, not an error —
+see "Your allowance" below.
+
+## 3. Get involved in governance
+
+You don't just use the co-op; you help run it. Decisions about models, pricing,
+privacy, and direction happen on our **Loomio forum**:
+
+- **[forum.inference.coop](https://forum.inference.coop)** — where members discuss and decide.
+- See the [Charter](charter.md) for how governance is structured.
+- See [Open questions](open-questions.md) for the decisions currently on the table.
+
+During the pilot phase, Nathan Schneider serves as General Manager and holds
+final discretion — but members deliberate now, and full member governance is the
+goal as the co-op grows.
+
+## Your allowance
+
+Membership includes **$15 of usage credit each month**, shared between chat and
+API. It's a starting value, not a hard rule:
+
+- The allowance can be adjusted per member — contact info@inference.coop.
+- When it's exhausted, requests pause until the next cycle.
+
+## Need help?
+
+- **Questions about the service or your account:** info@inference.coop
+- **Governance and decisions:** the [forum](https://forum.inference.coop)
+- **Building on the API:** [API access](api-access.md)
+- **Leaving:** cancel your subscription on Open Collective; your account is
+  deactivated and your data preserved for reactivation. You may request full
+  deletion.