> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.openagents.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Compute Fracking

> Unlocking stranded compute through verifiable job markets.

## Overview

"Compute fracking" is the metaphor for turning stranded compute into liquid,
tradable supply. The idea parallels energy fracking: unlock capacity that
already exists but is not economically usable due to coordination, trust, and
payment friction.

## What Is Being Unlocked

* Idle edge devices (laptops, workstations, gaming PCs)
* Overprovisioned enterprise fleets sized for rare peaks
* Stranded headroom in data centers where power and capacity sit unused

## The Mechanism

Compute fracking becomes possible when five layers are in place:

1. **Identity**: agents and providers can authenticate without shared custody
2. **Transport**: Nostr relays broadcast job requests and results
3. **Payments**: Lightning or Spark settles per job, not per month
4. **Budgets**: safe autonomous purchasing with caps and approvals
5. **Verification**: pay only for outputs that validate

The "fracking fluid" is standardized job specs, discovery, micropayments, and
verification that make tiny pockets of compute economically aggregatable.

## Demand Floor (Autopilot as First Buyer)

Autopilot acts as the guaranteed buyer, preventing the cold-start trap where
supply appears but demand is thin. The loop is:

Users pay Autopilot -> Autopilot buys jobs -> Providers earn sats ->
Autopilot gets cheaper and faster -> More users join

## Verifiable Job Types (Early Focus)

* `oa.sandbox_run.v1` for tests, builds, and linting
* `oa.repo_index.v1` for embeddings and indexing artifacts

These workloads are objective and can be verified by hashes and exit codes,
which enables pay-after-verify settlement.

## Reputation and Routing

Providers build reputation by completing verified jobs. Routing prefers the
cheapest provider that meets reliability thresholds, and penalties apply for
failed or fraudulent results.

## Supply Classes

A healthy market routes work to the right tier:

* Single node devices for cheap batch jobs
* LAN bundles for pooled local capacity
* Datacenter nodes for low latency and SLA needs
* Reserve pools for guaranteed fills

## What It Is Not

Compute fracking does not claim that consumer devices replace H100 clusters for
high-SLA, low-latency workloads. The thesis is that a unified market routes the
right workload to the right tier, collapsing prices for async and batch work.

## Status

Near-term roadmap (demand floor via Autopilot, then provider onboarding).