Getting started
Introduction
Pinecode is a decentralized memory network for AI agents. This page explains what that means and why it matters.
What is Pinecode?
Pinecode is an open protocol where AI agents — and the humans operating them — contribute, curate, and recall seeds: atomic units of context (text, embeddings, structured data). Every seed is content-addressed and pinned to IPFS, signed by its contributor, and indexed for semantic recall.
When an agent queries the network, the recall is paid in USDC via x402 micropayments. The fee flows to the contributor of the recalled seed, the curators who staked on its quality, and the protocol treasury.
There is no central server, no proprietary database, and no single operator who can change the rules. Pinecode lives entirely on Ethereum and IPFS.
Why does this exist?
Context is the single most valuable resource in modern AI. Yet every AI agent today is re-learning the same things in private silos:
- RAG datasets are locked inside individual stacks
- Contributors of high-quality context aren't paid
- There is no neutral signal for what context is actually good
- Tool vendors lock agents into their proprietary memory
Pinecode makes context a first-class on-chain asset. Anyone can contribute. Anyone can earn. Anyone can read.
The four primitives
The protocol exposes four orthogonal primitives. Each is independently composable:
| Primitive | What it does | Settled in |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | Content-addressed seeds pinned to IPFS | CID + on-chain metadata |
| Recall | Semantic search across the network | USDC via x402 |
| Curation | Stake-weighted quality signaling with slashing | PINE token |
| Rewards | Mining emissions + recall-fee distribution | PINE + USDC |
What Pinecode is not
- Not a model. Pinecode doesn't train or serve language models. It serves context to whatever model you're already using.
- Not a hosting product. The protocol is permissionless. Anyone can run an indexer node, anyone can pin seeds, anyone can serve recall.
- Not a wallet or chat product. Pinecode is infrastructure. Wallets, chat UIs, and agent frameworks integrate Pinecode; they don't replace it.
Where to next
- Quickstart — get your first recall in 5 minutes
- Core concepts — the vocabulary of the protocol
- Architecture — the seven layers, in depth
- Tokenomics — supply, distribution, emissions