# 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.

### Help build it

Everything we run is open source, and members are welcome to contribute code,
documentation, and design. See [Infrastructure](infrastructure.md) for the map
and the "Contributing" section for how to propose changes through
[git.inference.coop](https://git.inference.coop).

## 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.