Vouching is how trust becomes visible on Ethos: you stake $WHUF in another person's profile as a public, costly signal that you believe they're trustworthy.
How a vouch works
1. Open the profile of someone you trust and choose Vouch.
2. Stake an amount of $WHUF. It stays yours, but it's locked in the vouch while it stands.
3. Your vouch is public: anyone can see who you vouch for and how much you've staked.
You can vouch for multiple people, add to an existing vouch, reduce $WHUF from an existing vouchor unvouch to reclaim your tokens at any time. (One important exception: token sale participants who unvouch permanently forfeit their price guarantee unless previously approved by the Ethos Foundation — see the Price Guarantee collection.)
Mutual vouches
When two people vouch for each other, the signal is stronger — mutual vouches carry more weight in the credibility graph, because both parties have capital at risk on the relationship.
Why staking matters
Anyone can claim to trust someone. A vouch is different: if the person you vouch for behaves badly, part of your stake can be slashed. That risk is what makes a vouch worth something — it's expensive to fake, so it's credible by default.
What you get
- Your vouches shape the credibility graph and the vouched person's score
- Active vouchers earn contributor rewards from a fixed pool (see "Contributor rewards: what vouchers earn")
- Your own reputation deepens: who you vouch for, and how well you choose, is part of your public track record