Fruit Haven

Layer 1 · Membership

Membership Agreement

  • Layer: 1 — Membership System
  • Status: Present
  • RCOS reference: §3.4, §3.5, §3.8

Signed (or explicitly acknowledged) by every member at the time of admission. Defines the rights and obligations of each membership state.

Membership State on Signing

RCOS definition3.1.2, 3.1.4
  • 3.1.2 At minimum, the following membership states MUST exist:
  • 3.1.4 No individual MAY hold multiple membership states simultaneously.

Read 3.1 Membership States in the RCOS spec ↗

Why declare state at signing?
Membership is not a single binary. A person joining must know exactly which state they are entering — Trial or Full — because the state determines what they can do and what is expected of them. Naming it at the moment of consent prevents ambiguity later about what they actually signed up for.

[Trial / Full — to be defined per state]

Member Rights

RCOS definition3.4.1, 3.4.3, 3.4.4
  • 3.4.1 The community MUST explicitly define member rights.
  • 3.4.3 Rights and obligations MUST be symmetrical and proportionate to membership state.
  • 3.4.4 No obligation MAY be enforced without a corresponding, documented right.

Read 3.4 Rights and Obligations in the RCOS spec ↗

Why enumerate rights explicitly?
Rights that are not written down are rights that can be quietly withdrawn. Enumerating them makes the community’s commitments legible, enforceable, and symmetrical with the obligations members are asked to carry. Without this list, obligations become open-ended demands with no reciprocal protection.
  1. The right to vote on all decisions as defined in the Decision Matrix
  2. The right to access all member-only channels, calls, and community records
  3. The right to hold roles as defined in the Role Registry (Layer 5)
  4. The right to earn XP and ECO through recognized contributions
  5. The right to propose changes through the governance process
  6. The right to raise a conflict through the Conflict Resolution Ladder without retaliation
  7. The right to exit the community voluntarily at any time
  8. The right to due process before any forced exit, suspension, or access restriction
  9. The right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, as far as is possible and practicable.
  10. The right to reasonable defense of one’s person, personal property, and others.
  11. The right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.
  12. The right to a free and fair decision-making process.

Member Obligations

RCOS definition3.4.2, 3.4.4, 3.4.5
  • 3.4.2 The community MUST explicitly define member obligations.
  • 3.4.4 No obligation MAY be enforced without a corresponding, documented right.
  • 3.4.5 Obligations MUST NOT be open-ended or undefined.

Read 3.4 Rights and Obligations in the RCOS spec ↗

Why bound obligations tightly?
Open-ended obligations are how communities slide into exploitation — “contribute more,” “be available,” “show up” with no defined limit. Listing obligations discretely, and tying each one to a corresponding right, keeps the ask bounded and contestable. A member must always be able to tell whether they are meeting the agreement or being asked for something beyond it.
  1. Adhere to all Layer 0 identity constraints and invariants at all times
  2. Contribute to the community in at least one recognized category per defined period (see Participation and Contribution Expectations below)
  3. Participate in conflict resolution processes when named as a party or requested as a witness
  4. Complete onboarding before exercising Full Member rights
  5. Notify the community before extended absence; initiate the exit process if unable to meet participation expectations for an extended period
  6. Not misrepresent the community, its members, or its governance externally
  7. Not exercise authority beyond what is explicitly assigned through the governance system

Participation and Contribution Expectations

RCOS definition3.5.1, 3.5.2, 3.5.3, 3.5.4
  • 3.5.1 Participation expectations MUST be explicitly defined.
  • 3.5.2 Acceptable forms of contribution MUST be listed.
  • 3.5.3 Substitution of participation (e.g., outsourcing labor) MUST be explicitly governed.
  • 3.5.4 Persistent non-participation MUST trigger an accountability process as defined in Layer 4.

Read 3.5 Participation and Contribution in the RCOS spec ↗

Why define participation in numbers?
“Active member” means nothing without a threshold. A defined minimum — in time, category, and cadence — turns participation from a feeling into a fact, so nobody has to guess whether they are in good standing, and nobody can be accused of drifting without evidence. It also makes the line between a genuine absence and quiet abandonment visible early enough to act on.
  • Responsiveness: “Active Members” must respond to at least 50% of formal proposals within the defined timeframe via approved communication channels (meetings, email or Telegram).
  • Contribution: “Active Members” must contribute to at least two (2) substantive discussions during the defined timeframe, by expressing perspectives, questions, agreements, or objections with reasoning.
  • Attendance: “Active Members” must either:
    • attend at least two (2) weekly community governance meetings within the defined timeframe, or
    • actively participate in one or more community governance work groups with comparable frequency and engagement. Attendance in either format must be in the context of community governance and documented through approved channels.
  • Accountability: In cases of disagreement, “Active Members” are expected to actively engage in follow-up dialogue (via email or meetings, online or in person) to support the process of reaching consensus. Additionally, no “Active Member” may remain inactive (no responses or engagement) for a continuous period exceeding 60 days.

Voting alone does not constitute sufficient participation. Participation requires active engagement in the deliberation and consensus-building process as defined above.

Due Process Reference

Why re-state due process here?
The Membership Agreement is the one document every member actually reads and consents to. Naming due process here — not only in Layer 4 — guarantees that no member can be removed or restricted under a rule they were not shown when they joined. It closes the gap between what the community promises and what it can do.

Any forced exit, suspension, or access restriction follows Layer 4 due process and the Exit & Separation Protocol.

[To be confirmed and linked]

Why require explicit consent?
Consent that is assumed is consent that can be denied later. Requiring an explicit act — signing, clicking, acknowledging — at a known moment binds the member to the specific artifact versions in force that day, and gives the community a defensible record that the agreement was entered freely and knowingly.

By entering the community through the defined onboarding process, the member explicitly consents to the terms of this agreement and the Layer 0 artifacts in force at the time of admission.

Requirement: All people residing in the community area for longer than 1 month must sign this agreement as a condition of their residency. Signing signifies full agreement with the community vision and mission, and agreement that the person will follow the by-laws to the best of their ability.

Ratification Record

  • Adopted: 2019-05-17 (Original Bylaws), 2026-05-19 (RCOS adaptation)
  • Decision type: Strategic
  • Version: v1.0.0
  • Decision record: proposals/passed/2019-05-17_fh1-bylaws.md

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