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

# Epoch Engine: How Sleuth Intel's Monthly Payroll Works

> Understand how Sleuth Intel's monthly epoch cycle converts accepted intelligence into SLEUTH wages with a cliff and three-tranche vesting schedule.

The Epoch Engine is Sleuth Intel's monthly payroll cycle. Every calendar month is one epoch. During an epoch, accepted contributions accrue dollar value on your bill. At the end of the epoch, your bill converts to a fixed SLEUTH amount and enters a short vesting schedule. Work every month and, by month five, a full wage lands in your wallet every single month without interruption.

## How a Contribution Becomes a Wage

<Steps>
  <Step title="Submit intelligence">
    Post your submission to The Belt. It enters the appropriate verification lane — machine (instant) or judgment (up to 5 days with 3 random verifiers).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Submission is accepted and graded">
    If your submission passes verification, it receives a grade. The grade determines the dollar value assigned to the contribution. Both your monthly bill and your permanent aSLEUTH record are updated simultaneously.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Bill accrues through the epoch">
    Every accepted submission during the month adds its dollar value to your running epoch bill. You can track this in real time. At the end of the calendar month, the epoch closes.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Bill converts to SLEUTH at epoch close">
    When the epoch closes, your total bill is converted to a fixed SLEUTH amount using the **24-hour TWAP** (time-weighted average price) of SLEUTH at close. The conversion locks in your wage in token terms.
  </Step>

  <Step title="One-month cliff, then three equal tranches">
    Your locked SLEUTH sits in a cliff for one month (month N+1). It then pays out in three equal thirds: at the end of month N+2, N+3, and N+4. See the full schedule below.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## The Vesting Schedule

Earn in **month N**. Here is exactly when your wage arrives:

| Month   | What Happens                                                |
| ------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **N**   | You earn — bill accrues, epoch closes, SLEUTH amount locked |
| **N+1** | Cliff — your wage is locked, nothing is distributed yet     |
| **N+2** | First tranche — one-third of your epoch N wage is released  |
| **N+3** | Second tranche — another third is released                  |
| **N+4** | Final tranche — the last third is released                  |

<Tip>
  Work consistently every month. By month 5, you receive a wage distribution every single month — one-third from three different past epochs arriving simultaneously. Consistent contributors reach a steady-state payout rhythm that compounds over time.
</Tip>

## The Emission Ceiling

The protocol enforces a hard cap on how much SLEUTH can be paid out in any single epoch:

* **0.5% of total supply per month**
* **500,000 SLEUTH maximum** per epoch

If total epoch bills across all contributors would exceed the ceiling when converted at the TWAP, payouts are scaled down proportionally. This cap is absolute — it cannot be overridden.

<Info>
  The emission ceiling protects long-term SLEUTH supply. At maximum burn, the Swarm Rewards Wallet funds over 70 months of full payroll before any ceiling pressure becomes a concern.
</Info>

## The Swarm Rewards Wallet

The **35,000,000 SLEUTH** allocated to the Swarm Rewards Wallet funds contributor wages. At the maximum emission rate of 500,000 SLEUTH per epoch, this reserves runway for **70+ months** of full-burn payroll.

No new SLEUTH is minted to fund wages. The total supply is fixed at 100 million, and contributor wages come entirely from this pre-allocated pool.

## The Buyback Reserve

**25% of all platform revenue** — subscriptions, activation fees, and any other platform income — is spent monthly buying SLEUTH from the open market. These purchases flow into the **Buyback Reserve**.

<Note>
  The Buyback Reserve accumulates bought SLEUTH over time. These tokens are not redistributed as wages, burned on a schedule, or used for liquidity. They sit in reserve, representing a growing store of platform-owned SLEUTH purchased with real revenue.
</Note>

The buyback is mechanical and monthly. It runs regardless of market conditions, making it a consistent, predictable source of buy-side demand for SLEUTH every epoch.

## Beta: Epoch 1

<Warning>
  During the Beta period, Sleuth Intel is operating in **Epoch 1**. Contributors earn aSLEUTH now and their accrued wages are fully tracked — but SLEUTH wage settlements do not distribute until the Token Generation Event (TGE). At TGE, all accrued Beta wages settle at the **\$0.05 listing price**.
</Warning>

Contributing during Epoch 1 carries no wage delay risk from the vesting schedule perspective — your aSLEUTH record and your accrued bill are live and accumulating. The only difference from post-TGE epochs is that token distribution waits for TGE to occur.