docs/getting-started.md

# 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 starting at $5/month** through
Open Collective (the suggested level is $15 — pay what fits your
circumstances).

1. Go to [opencollective.com/inference-cooperative](https://opencollective.com/inference-cooperative).
2. Choose a contribution amount ($5 minimum) 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.
- **Credit packs** — buy extra non-expiring credits when you need more.
- **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.

- **Choose your model.** You can pick not just *which* model but *where* it runs:
  **private** (Tinfoil, runs in encrypted enclaves) or **green** (GreenPT, 100%
  renewable energy). See the [model list](models.md) for the full list.
- **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).

- **Bring your own tools (MCP servers).** The chat supports **MCP (Model
  Context Protocol) servers** — external tool services that let the AI do
  things like search marketplaces, query other services, or pull in
  specialized data. Every member can connect their own: go to
  **Settings → Tools**, section **"External Tool Servers"**, and add an MCP
  server by its URL. (If you don't see the Tools tab, log out and back in —
  the tab appears once your session picks up the capability.) The server must
  be reachable over HTTP — ones that run only locally on your own computer,
  like many Claude Desktop configs, can't attach here; use their hosted
  versions if offered. In a conversation, pick the tool server from the tools
  menu near the message box and ask away. Your tool servers belong to you:
  they run under your account, you choose which conversations they attach to,
  and other members don't see them. Please review what a third-party tool
  service does with your data before connecting it — see the
  [privacy policy](privacy-policy.md) for how the co-op handles your side.

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.
- **[matrix.inference.coop](https://matrix.inference.coop)** — our Matrix chat server. Log in
  with your co-op account (Cloudron SSO); your Matrix ID is `@username:inference.coop`.
  Every member is invited to the **Inference Cooperative** space automatically — check your
  invites on first login.

  **Using it from any Matrix client** — the server speaks the standard Matrix protocol,
  so you can connect from any client:

  - **Element** (web, desktop, iOS, Android): on the sign-in screen, click *Edit* next to
    "Homeserver" and enter `https://matrix.inference.coop`, then sign in with your co-op
    account. (On [app.element.io](https://app.element.io) or the desktop/mobile apps alike.)
    **Note:** the new **Element X** apps (iOS/Android/macOS) are *not* currently supported —
    they only work with the newer Matrix Authentication Service, which this server doesn't
    run yet. Use the classic Element apps (Element Web / Element Desktop / "Element" on the
    app stores) or another client below.
  - **FluffyChat, Cinny, SchildiChat** or any other client: look for the "custom homeserver"
    / "other server" option in the client's login screen and enter the same address.
  - Your co-op account and your existing Matrix account on another server (e.g.
    matrix.org or a personal homeserver) are separate identities. If you'd
    rather use an existing account for co-op rooms, set it on your
    [dashboard](https://dashboard.inference.coop) under **Matrix chat** (one
    extra account) — invitations will go there instead. Both work either way.

  **Members-only, readable history.** The space is invite-only and unencrypted
  so every member can read the full history (including messages from before
  they joined). Invites are restricted to admins — so while any member is
  welcome to bring a collaborator or guest, an admin sends the invite rather
  than members handing the space to outsiders directly.

- **#inferencebot-updates** — an automated feed inside the space where the
  co-op's stewarding bot posts daily updates on infrastructure work: model
  changes, gateway upgrades, maintenance, and outages. Posts are anonymized
  (never any member-identifying details) and only the bot and admins can
  write — it's a read-and-follow channel. Questions go to the main space
  room.

- **#design** — an open member room for co-op design discussions: website,
  docs, dashboard, branding. All members can post; pull up a chair.

- 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 and credits

Membership includes **$15 of usage credit each month** (same for every member,
regardless of what you pay), shared between chat and API. It's a starting
value, not a hard rule:

- The allowance resets each month on your personal billing date (the day your
  membership payment recurs) — not on a fixed calendar day.
- The allowance can be adjusted per member — contact info@inference.coop.

### Need more than the allowance?

Members can buy **credit packs** — non-expiring credits that kick in
automatically when your monthly allowance runs out:

- Credits **never expire**. Unused credits carry over month to month.
- They're drawn only after the monthly allowance is exhausted, so your
  allowance always gets used first.
- Buy a credit pack on our
  [Open Collective page](https://opencollective.com/inference-cooperative/contribute)
  (choose the "Credit pack" option). Credits are applied to your account
  automatically — usually within minutes.
- Credit packs are for members. If you buy one before joining, we'll hold it
  and it will be applied to your account when you join (or refunded if you
  prefer — just email info@inference.coop).

You can see both buckets — allowance left this cycle and non-expiring credits —
on the [Member Dashboard](https://dashboard.inference.coop).

## 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.