4. Core Concepts
Contributor
A Contributor is a user who submits AI sessions to Arca and may earn rewards when their submissions are approved. Arca has two contributor-facing components: the Contributor Dashboard and the Arca App.
Call-for-Data
A call for data describes the kind of sessions Arca is collecting right now and what it asks for.
Examples of Call-for-Data fields:
- Programming language.
- AI model.
- Repo category.
- Repo type.
- Detailed description.
Contributors can browse these open calls in the Dashboard.
Repo Artifact
A Repo Artifact is a snapshot of the repo or workspace an uploaded session worked in. It gives reviewers the code context to judge whether the session is relevant and useful. Attached repos must be private.
Effective Tokens
Effective tokens are the cost-weighted token volume used to calculate Arca rewards. Only turns that used an eligible model count, with input, output and cache tokens weighted by their cost. The current effective token threshold is 50,000 tokens, and sessions below this threshold are not eligible for rewards.
Eligible AI Models
AI models currently eligible for rewards: Claude Fable, Claude Opus, GPT-5.4, GPT-5.5, GPT-5.6, GPT-6 and GPT-6.1.
Quote Range
A Quote Range is a preliminary estimated reward range after Arca verifies and evaluates a completed session upload. It is for reference only and may differ from the final reward.
Contributor Reputation Score
The reputation score rates a Contributor’s GitHub account on its history and activity. Higher scores can raise quotes. It shows in the Dashboard profile and updates weekly.
Payout
A Payout is the settlement of approved rewards to a Contributor. Arca currently pays in USDC to the Web3 wallet connected in the Dashboard. Supported wallets:
- MetaMask
- Rabby
- Coinbase Wallet
- WalletConnect
More payout methods may follow.