Match Lifecycle
Understanding how a match moves from proposal to completion helps you know what to expect at every stage.
Match Lifecycle
Understanding how a match moves from proposal to completion helps you know what to expect at every stage.
The Four Stages
Proposed → Accepted (Matched) → Both Mark Done → Completed
1. Proposed
A helper offers to respond to your request, or your community admin suggests a match. The match card appears in:
- Helper's tab: "Awaiting Acceptance" — they wait for you to accept
- Requester's tab: "Needs Your Response" — you decide whether to accept or decline
At this stage, no karma has moved and neither party is committed.
2. Accepted (Matched / In Progress)
The requester clicks Accept. Both sides now have a commitment:
- The card moves to "In Progress" for both parties
- The request is marked as matched (other offers stop being shown)
- The inline conversation is available for coordination
- Karma has not transferred yet
3. Both Mark Done
After the help happens, both parties independently confirm completion:
- Helper clicks Mark Done → sees "Waiting for requester to confirm"
- Requester clicks Confirm Done → exchange is finalized
If only one party marks done, the exchange stays In Progress. The other party hasn't confirmed yet. Use the inline conversation to follow up.
4. Completed
Once both parties confirm:
- The card moves to Completed and fades gradually over 30 days
- Karma transfers from the requester's balance to the helper
- Trust scores update for both parties
Withdrawing Before Acceptance
If you've offered to help (the match is still "Proposed") and circumstances change:
As the helper: Click Withdraw Offer on the card. Your offer is removed and the request goes back to open status.
As the requester: Click Decline on the proposed match. The card is removed and the request reopens for other helpers.
Withdrawal is only possible before acceptance. Once a match is In Progress, reach out via the inline conversation.
What Karma Transfers
Karma transfers only when both parties confirm done. This prevents either party from claiming completion unilaterally. The amount transferred is set by the request's karma value, which the requester specified when posting.
Waiting States
| Who acted | What the other side sees |
|---|---|
| Helper marked done | "Waiting for requester to confirm" |
| Requester confirmed done | "Waiting for helper to confirm" |
| Both confirmed | Exchange moves to Completed |
Your Actions Are Tied to Your Identity
Accepting, declining, withdrawing, and marking a match done are always tied to the account you're signed in as. Only the two people in a match — the requester and the helper — can act on it, and the platform decides who you are from your secure login session, not from anything your browser sends. There's nothing to configure; it's just how these actions are protected. (Behind the scenes this is enforced by ADR-064 — authorize from the authenticated identity, never a client-supplied id.)