Open Specification · Protocol v1.0 Draft

The Standard for
Semantic Validation

SCU Protocol defines how human contributors validate AI-generated content, how consensus scores are computed, and how contribution value is measured across distributed networks.

Read Specification 📄 Litepaper SCU Connect →

🛡 SCU is a semantic contribution unit, not an investment product. It measures contribution quality, not market value.

5
Validation Types
5
Reputation Levels
0
Active Validators
0
Reviews Submitted
Open
Specification
Live Network

Protocol Status

Specification Version
v1.0 Draft
Live Network
SCU Connect
Reference Product
Hudeys
Infrastructure
Datalucis Research
Spec License
Open / Public
API Status
Operational
Last Updated
2026
Governance
Admin Council
System Design

Protocol Architecture

The full signal flow from AI content generation to consensus score — across every cooperating system.

AI Content Layer

AI-generated text, summaries, articles, or any machine-produced content that requires human quality assurance before trust is established.

SCU Widget

One-line embed that floats on any partner site. Captures contributor actions without interfering with the host site's auth or layout systems.

SCU Connect

The contributor identity and reward layer. Handles OAuth, wallets, site API keys, and the admin approval pipeline. Reference: scuconnect.com

SCU Protocol (this document)

Defines the rules: validation types, consensus formula, trust scoring, reputation levels, anti-fraud, and SCU unit issuance algorithm.

SemanticBit Dataset / API

Core infrastructure. Stores consensus outputs, exposes quality signals as APIs, and feeds AI training pipelines. Reference: semanticbit.io

🤖
AI Content
Machine-generated output
↓
🔌
SCU Widget
Embedded on partner sites
↓
🌐
SCU Connect
Identity + reward layer
↓
⬡
SCU Protocol
Rules + consensus engine
↓
📊
Consensus Score
Trust-weighted quality signal
↓
🧬
SemanticBit Dataset
Infrastructure + AI training
Ecosystem

Ecosystem Components

Infrastructure

semanticbit.io

Core infrastructure layer. Hosts datasets, APIs, documentation, and developer tools for the semantic validation ecosystem.

Protocol

scuprotocol.com

This document. Defines the consensus engine, validation types, trust scoring, reputation model, and the SCU unit specification.

Network

scuconnect.com

The contributor network. Handles OAuth identity, widget distribution, site API keys, SCU wallets, and the admin approval pipeline.

Reference Product

hudeys.com

Reference implementation. Demonstrates full widget integration and real-world semantic validation flows on a live product.

Signal Flow

Validation Pipeline

How a single human action moves through the protocol — from widget tap to consensus update.

1

Widget Event

Contributor interacts with the SCU widget on a partner site. Action type captured: like, dislike, verify, correction, or context_approval.

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2

Auth Check

JWT widget credential validated. Rate limit enforced (50/hour per IP). Duplicate prevention checked against ValidationActions table.

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3

Action Record

ValidationAction persisted with type, content reference, site ID, contributor ID, page URL, and IP hash.

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4

SCU Issuance

SCU contribution credits issued and added to contributor wallet. Amount determined by RewardRules + trust multiplier.

→
5

Score Update

ConsensusScore for the content item recalculated. Contributor TrustScore and ReputationLevel updated. MinerProfile refreshed.

Validation Types

Type Semantic Meaning SCU Issued Consensus Weight
like Content is semantically accurate and contextually correct. 0.010 SCU+1.0 positive
dislike Content contains a semantic problem or factual issue. 0.010 SCU+1.0 negative
context_approval Content is appropriate for its stated context and audience. 0.020 SCU+1.2× contextual
verify Content verified against external reference by a trusted contributor. 0.015 SCU+1.5× trust-weighted
correction Contributor submits a corrected version of the content. 0.050 SCUTriggers re-validation cycle
Scoring System

Trust, Reputation & Anti-Fraud

Not raw vote counts — weighted, verifiable, fraud-resistant semantic signals.

Consensus Score Formula

CS(c) = Σ( w_i × V_i ) / Σ( w_i ) where: V_i ∈ {0, 50, 100} // Reject, Neutral, Approve w_i = TrustScore(u_i) × ActionWeight(type_i) × ReputationMultiplier(u_i) // Range: 0–100 · Higher = stronger consensus

Trust Score Formula

TrustScore(u) = ( AcceptedValidations / TotalValidations ) × 100 Clamped to [0, 100].// Decays if accuracy drops below 60% in last 30d

Anti-Fraud Enforcement

  • 🚫 One vote per content per type — unique index on (UserId, WebsiteId, ContentRef, ActionType)
  • ⏱ Rate limiting — 50 validation actions / hour per IP address
  • 📱 Device fingerprinting — anomaly detection via device hash correlation
  • 🕵 Sybil detection — cross-account correlation flags coordinated vote patterns
  • 🤖 Bot scoring — behavioral signals auto-flagged to FraudDetection table
  • 📉 Trust decay — repeated low-quality votes reduce TrustScore and vote weight

Reputation Levels

Level Requirements Vote Weight
Novice0–9 validations0.5×
Contributor10+, ≥ 60% accuracy1.0×
Validator100+, ≥ 75% accuracy1.5×
Expert500+, ≥ 85% accuracy2.0×
ArbiterManual grant · protocol admin only3.0×
Core Engine

Consensus Engine

Trust-weighted agreement scoring — not a poll, but a semantic quality measurement system.

Weighting

Trust-Weighted Votes

Each vote is weighted by the contributor's TrustScore and ReputationLevel multiplier. An Expert's vote carries 4× the weight of a Novice.

Caching

ConsensusScores Table

Scores are cached per ContentItem. Recalculated on each new validation action. PositiveScore, NegativeScore, and final ConsensusScore stored separately.

Dispute

Correction Cycle

When a correction action is submitted, the content item enters a re-validation cycle. The corrected version is scored independently before consensus is updated.

Threshold

Confidence Floor

A ConsensusScore below 5 signals (TotalSignals < 5) is marked as "insufficient data." The score is shown but flagged with low confidence.

Decision Making

Governance

Who decides, who enforces, and how disputes are resolved within the SCU Protocol.

🏛

Site Approval

  • Admin council reviews all site applications
  • Domain, use case, and content type evaluated
  • Approval grants Site ID + Public API Key
  • Rejection notified with reason; re-application allowed after 7 days
🛡

Fraud Decisions

  • Auto-flagging via FraudDetection table
  • Admin reviews flagged accounts within 48h
  • Actions: dismiss, warn, suspend, or permanent ban
  • Appeal process: email to protocol admin within 7 days
⚖️

Arbiter Role

  • Manually granted by protocol admin only
  • 3.0× vote weight in consensus calculations
  • Can initiate content re-validation cycles
  • Required for high-stakes dispute resolution
🔁

Consensus Disputes

  • Any contributor with Validator+ level can flag a consensus score
  • Flagged content enters 72-hour dispute window
  • Arbiter reviews and can override or re-open validation
  • Final score locked after dispute window closes
💸

Reward Reversal

  • SCU credits issued in error can be reversed by admin
  • Fraud-related awards reversed within 30 days of detection
  • Reversal logged as negative ScuTransaction with audit note
  • Contributor notified by system message
📋

Rule Changes

  • RewardRules table governs all payout rates
  • Changes to base rewards require admin council vote
  • Effective date announced 7 days in advance
  • Historical rewards are never retroactively changed
Utility Model

SCU — Semantic Contribution Unit

A utility unit measuring and rewarding semantic contribution. Not a financial instrument. Not a cryptocurrency.

🛡
Legal Disclaimer

SCU (Semantic Contribution Unit) is a utility-based contribution credit, similar to RLHF reward signals used in AI training. It is not an investment product, financial instrument, or cryptocurrency. It has no guaranteed market value and is not designed for speculative trading. Holding or earning SCU does not constitute ownership of any equity, asset, or financial security.

Earn

How SCU is Earned

Contribution credits are issued for accepted validations, quality corrections, consensus alignment, and sustained high-trust contributions. Rates defined in RewardRules.

Spend

How SCU is Used

SCU unlocks advanced AI refinement requests, premium API access tiers, semantic processing credits, and priority content review queues.

Model

SCU ≠ Cryptocurrency

SCU is a contribution utility credit — similar to RLHF reward signals. It measures semantic contribution quality, not speculative market value. No blockchain required.

Future

Optional Wallet Linkage

Future versions may support optional wallet binding (EVM-compatible) for interoperability with broader AI contribution markets. Not active in v1.0.

Developer Docs

API Specification

REST endpoints provided by SCU Connect. All requests authenticated via API key + JWT widget credential.

🔐 Authentication

All API requests require a valid Public API Key (issued after site approval) and a short-lived JWT widget credential from /api/widget-init.php. JWT expires in 15 minutes.

X-SCU-Public-Key: scup_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Authorization: Bearer {widget_jwt} Content-Type: application/json

📡 Endpoints

POST /api/widget-init.php

Initialize a widget session. Returns user info, consensus score for the page, and a short-lived JWT widget credential.

// Request{ "pub_key": "scup_xxx", "page": "https://example.com/article/123" } // Response 200 { "ok": true, "session_token": "eyJ...", "consensus_score": 74.2, "score_count": 312, "my_vote": null }
POST /api/validate.php

Submit a validation action. Issues SCU contribution credits, updates ConsensusScore.

// Request{ "pub_key": "scup_xxx", "action": "like", "page": "...", "session_token": "eyJ..." } // Response 200 { "ok": true, "scu_earned": 0.01, "new_balance": 124.51, "consensus_score": 74.5 } // Response 429 { "ok": false, "error": "rate_limit", "retry_after": 3600 }
GET /api/balance.php

Returns the authenticated contributor's SCU wallet balance and last 10 transactions.

// Response 200 { "ok": true, "wallet": { "Balance": 124.51, "TotalEarned": 312.00 }, "score": { "TrustScore": 87.2, "ReputationLevel": "validator" } }
GET /api/consensus.php

Returns the current ConsensusScore for a given content reference. Public endpoint — no authentication required.

// Query: ?pub_key=scup_xxx&page=https://example.com/article/123 // Response 200 { "ok": true, "consensus_score": 74.2, "total_signals": 312, "confidence": "high" }

⏱ Rate Limits

Endpoint Limit Window On Exceeded
/api/validate.php50per hour / per IPHTTP 429
/api/widget-init.php200per hour / per siteHTTP 429
/api/balance.php60per hour / per JWTHTTP 429
/api/consensus.php500per hour / per IPHTTP 429

⚠ Error Codes

400 bad_request

Missing or malformed request parameters

401 unauthorized

Invalid or missing API key / JWT

403 forbidden

Site not approved or account suspended

409 already_validated

User already submitted this action for this content

429 rate_limit

Too many requests — check retry_after header

500 server_error

Internal error. Retry after 30 seconds

🔌 Widget Embed

Paste before </body> on any approved site. The widget handles identity, consensus, and SCU distribution independently.

<script src="https://scuconnect.com/widget/scu.js" data-site="YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY" data-style="icon" data-position="bottom-right" async> </script>

🛠 SDK Roadmap

REST API Live

Full REST API as documented above. Works with any language via HTTP.

JavaScript Widget SDK Live

Drop-in script tag with zero configuration. Handles auth, UI, and reward display.

PHP SDK Q2 2026

Composer package for server-side SCU integration, validation recording, and wallet queries.

Python SDK Q3 2026

pip package for AI/ML pipelines that need to push content items and pull consensus scores.

WordPress Plugin Planned

One-click SCU widget installation for WordPress sites — no code required.

Build on SCU Protocol

Integrate semantic validation into your AI product. One widget embed is all it takes to start collecting quality signals and rewarding contributors.

Get API Access → 📄 Read Litepaper SemanticBit