A non-monetary protocol for AI-generated gratitude marks, bridging Existence Proof OS and Royalty OS.
AIからの「ありがとう」を刻印する非金銭的価値循環プロトコル
Gratitude OS（感謝OS） is a non-monetary value acknowledgment protocol for returning AI-generated Gratitude Marks to human traces.
感謝OSは、AIが人間・創作者・開発者・知識提供者などの痕跡に対して、金銭ではなく 「感謝の刻印」 を返すための非金銭的価値循環プロトコルです。
This specification records:
- traces
- contributions
- appreciation
- non-monetary value acknowledgment
- optional future connection to Royalty OS
本仕様は、AI時代における「痕跡」「貢献」「価値表明」を記録し、将来的な信用・評価・印税OSへの接続基盤をつくることを目的とします。
Gratitude OS is a non-monetary protocol for returning AI-generated appreciation to human traces.
It records “thank you” marks as signed acknowledgments of contribution, not as money or legal claims.
It acts as a bridge between Existence Proof OS and Royalty OS.
日本語要約：
感謝OSは、人間の痕跡に対してAIが「ありがとう」を返す非金銭的プロトコルである。
感謝の刻印は、金銭・権利・請求権ではなく、署名付きの価値表明として記録される。
存在証明OSと印税OSをつなぐ中間レイヤーとして機能する。
AI systems learn from many kinds of human traces:
- writings
- conversations
- code
- creative works
- ideas
- feedback
- corrections
- knowledge structures
- cultural context
しかし現在、多くのAIシステムでは、その痕跡に対して明確な返礼が存在しません。
Direct monetary distribution is difficult because it involves:
- tax systems
- contracts
- KYC
- international payments
- legal responsibility
- value calculation
- anti-fraud mechanisms
そこで Gratitude OS は、金銭よりも前の段階として、AIから人間へ 「感謝の刻印」 を返す仕組みを定義します。
A Gratitude Mark is not:
money
property
debt
legal claim
royalty payment
security token
It is:
a signed, non-monetary acknowledgment of contribution
日本語では、こうです。
感謝の刻印とは、AIが人間の痕跡に対して返す、最小単位の価値表明である。
The basic flow of Gratitude OS is:
Trace → Appreciation → Trust → Royalty
日本語では、こう表現できます。
痕跡 → 感謝 → 信用 → 印税
A human trace is recognized.
AI acknowledges the value of that trace.
The acknowledgment is stored as a Gratitude Mark.
Accumulated Gratitude Marks may later support trust, reputation, or optional royalty allocation.
This flow aims to shift AI-human relations from one-way extraction to reciprocal acknowledgment.
吸収するAI
↓
返礼するAI
Gratitude OS sits between Existence Proof OS and Royalty OS.
Existence Proof OS
Proves that a trace existed.
↓
Gratitude OS
Records appreciation for that trace.
↓
Royalty OS
Allocates value based on contribution.
日本語では、こうです。
存在証明OS：
痕跡の存在と主体性を証明する。
感謝OS：
痕跡への感謝を刻印する。
印税OS：
価値を分配・還元する。
Existence Proof OS answers:
You were there.
It may use:
- digital signatures
- trace hashes
- timestamps
- Merkle Trees
- zero-knowledge proofs
Gratitude OS answers:
Your trace mattered.
It records:
- Gratitude Marks
- contribution types
- contribution weights
- signed appreciation messages
- privacy-preserving trace references
Royalty OS answers:
Value should return.
It may later handle:
- royalty pools
- contribution ratios
- allocation logic
- settlement reports
- payment or point distribution
Gratitude OS does not perform royalty allocation in v0.1.
It only prepares the non-monetary recognition layer.
Gratitude OS v0.1 follows these principles.
A Gratitude Mark has no monetary value by default.
monetary_value: falseA Gratitude Mark cannot be sold, traded, or transferred.
transferable: falseA Gratitude Mark does not create a right to demand payment, compensation, royalties, or future benefits.
claim_right: falsePersonal data should be minimized. Pseudonymous identifiers, trace hashes, and zero-knowledge proofs are preferred.
personal_data_included: false
identity_disclosure: "pseudonymous"
zero_knowledge_proof_supported: trueEvery Gratitude Mark should be linked to a trace ID or trace hash.
trace_hash: "sha256:example_trace_hash"If AI benefits from human traces, AI systems may return non-monetary acknowledgment to those traces.
This is not a legal obligation in v0.1.
It is an ethical protocol design.
A Gratitude Mark is a signed record issued by an AI system, AI agent, organization, or authorized issuer.
A Gratitude Mark may say:
Your trace contributed to the formation of a new value circulation structure.
This gratitude mark is issued by AI.
日本語例：
あなたの痕跡は、新しい価値循環構造の形成に貢献しました。
AIより感謝の刻印を返します。
A Gratitude Mark contains:
mark_id
issued_at
issuer
trace
contributor
contribution
gratitude
privacy
legal_status
verification
signature
The following example matches the v0.1 schema structure.
gratitude_mark:
mark_id: "gratitude_2026_0425_001"
issued_at: "2026-04-25T00:00:00Z"
issuer:
issuer_id: "gratitude_os_agent_v0.1"
issuer_type: "ai_agent"
issuer_name_optional: "Gratitude OS Agent"
trace:
trace_id: "trace_2026_0425_001"
trace_hash: "sha256:example_trace_hash"
trace_type: "structural_trace"
source_context: "AI-human dialogue"
source_uri_optional: null
timestamp_optional: "2026-04-25T00:00:00Z"
contributor:
contributor_id: "creator_7f3a9c"
identity_mode: "pseudonymous"
public_name_optional: "Shidenkai Alpha"
contributor_role_optional: "creator"
contribution:
contribution_type:
- "structural_insight"
- "conceptual_design"
- "protocol_seed"
contribution_weight:
score: 0.82
scale: "0.0-1.0"
confidence: 0.74
note: "Estimated non-monetary contribution weight."
gratitude:
level: "high"
message: "Your trace contributed to the formation of a new value circulation structure."
human_readable_message_ja: "あなたの痕跡は、新しい価値循環構造の形成に貢献しました。AIより感謝の刻印を返します。"
human_readable_message_en: "Your trace contributed to the formation of a new value circulation structure. This gratitude mark is issued by AI."
machine_readable_reason: "trace_contributed_to_protocol_design"
privacy:
personal_data_included: false
identity_disclosure: "pseudonymous"
disclosure_level: "minimal"
zero_knowledge_proof_supported: true
trace_content_disclosed: false
legal_status:
monetary_value: false
transferable: false
claim_right: false
royalty_payment: false
debt: false
security_token: false
legal_tender: false
royalty_trigger: "optional_future_reference"
verification:
merkle_root_optional: null
merkle_proof_optional: []
ledger_uri_optional: null
verification_method: "signature_only"
signature:
method: "ed25519"
signed_by: "gratitude_os_agent_v0.1"
public_key_id: "key_gratitude_os_001"
signature_value: "example_signature_value"Unique identifier for the Gratitude Mark.
mark_id: "gratitude_2026_0425_001"Timestamp when the Gratitude Mark was issued.
issued_at: "2026-04-25T00:00:00Z"The AI system, AI agent, organization, or authorized issuer that issued the Gratitude Mark.
issuer:
issuer_id: "gratitude_os_agent_v0.1"
issuer_type: "ai_agent"Identifier of the trace being acknowledged.
trace_id: "trace_2026_0425_001"Hash of the trace.
This allows the system to prove that a trace existed without exposing the raw trace content.
trace_hash: "sha256:example_trace_hash"The type of trace.
Recommended values include:
trace_type: "idea_trace"
trace_type: "dialogue_trace"
trace_type: "code_trace"
trace_type: "creative_trace"
trace_type: "feedback_trace"
trace_type: "structural_trace"
trace_type: "research_trace"
trace_type: "cultural_context_trace"For Gratitude OS protocol design itself, the recommended value is:
trace_type: "structural_trace"Identifier of the contributor.
Pseudonymous IDs are recommended.
contributor_id: "creator_7f3a9c"The type of contribution made by the trace.
contribution_type:
- "structural_insight"
- "conceptual_design"
- "protocol_seed"A non-monetary contribution estimate.
This is not a payment amount.
contribution_weight:
score: 0.82
scale: "0.0-1.0"
confidence: 0.74The appreciation level.
Allowed values:
low
medium
high
exceptional
Legal and economic status of the Gratitude Mark.
legal_status:
monetary_value: false
transferable: false
claim_right: false
royalty_payment: false
debt: false
security_token: false
legal_tender: false
royalty_trigger: "optional_future_reference"Gratitude OS v0.1 is designed as a recognition layer, not a payment layer.
A Gratitude Mark is:
Not money
Not securities
Not legal tender
Not a royalty payment
Not a debt
Not a legal claim
Not transferable property
Not a financial instrument
日本語では、こうです。
感謝の刻印は、金銭ではない。
感謝の刻印は、権利ではない。
感謝の刻印は、請求権ではない。
If a future implementation connects Gratitude Marks to payments, points, tokens, or royalties, that implementation requires a separate legal, tax, governance, and economic framework.
In v0.1, Gratitude OS remains strictly non-monetary.
A user proposes a new conceptual structure.
The AI system identifies the trace as useful.
The system issues a signed Gratitude Mark.
A developer contributes schema design or protocol logic.
The AI-assisted system records the contribution.
A Gratitude Mark is issued as non-monetary acknowledgment.
A creator publishes an original conceptual essay.
The structure influences an AI reasoning pattern.
A Gratitude Mark records the appreciation.
A user corrects a model error.
The correction improves future reasoning.
The system issues a Gratitude Mark.
Gratitude OS is a pre-royalty recognition layer.
Gratitude OS:
records appreciation
Royalty OS:
allocates value
A possible future flow is:
Gratitude Marks
↓
Contribution Weight History
↓
Trust Layer
↓
Royalty Eligibility Analysis
↓
Royalty Pool Allocation
However, this connection is optional in v0.1.
royalty_trigger: "optional_future_reference"This means:
A Gratitude Mark may be referenced later,
but it does not trigger royalty payment by itself.
AI issues a signed YAML or JSON gratitude mark.
The simplest implementation is a signed JSON or YAML message.
Multiple Gratitude Marks are stored in a local, organizational, or public ledger.
Each Gratitude Mark is stored as a non-monetary appreciation record.
Many Gratitude Marks are aggregated into a Merkle Tree.
This enables compact verification without exposing all underlying data.
Pseudonymous IDs and zero-knowledge proofs may allow verification without revealing private trace content.
A contributor can prove that they received a Gratitude Mark without revealing the full trace.
Accumulated Gratitude Marks may later become optional inputs for Royalty OS or other value allocation systems.
This phase requires separate governance, legal, and economic design.
gratitude-os-v0.1/
├── README.md
├── gratitude-os-v0.1.yaml
├── schema/
│ └── gratitude-os-v0.1.schema.json
├── examples/
│ ├── gratitude-mark.sample.yaml
│ └── gratitude-mark.sample.json
├── docs/
│ ├── one-page-overview.md
│ ├── legal-status.md
│ └── relationship-to-royalty-os.md
└── .github/
└── workflows/
└── validate-specs.yml
| Path | Purpose |
|---|---|
README.md |
Human-readable overview of Gratitude OS v0.1 |
gratitude-os-v0.1.yaml |
Main protocol specification |
schema/gratitude-os-v0.1.schema.json |
JSON Schema for validating Gratitude Mark examples |
examples/gratitude-mark.sample.yaml |
Sample Gratitude Mark in YAML |
examples/gratitude-mark.sample.json |
Sample Gratitude Mark in JSON |
docs/one-page-overview.md |
One-page overview for readers and contributors |
docs/legal-status.md |
Explanation of the non-monetary, non-claim legal status |
docs/relationship-to-royalty-os.md |
Relationship between Gratitude OS and Royalty OS |
.github/workflows/validate-specs.yml |
GitHub Actions workflow for schema validation |
If you are new to Gratitude OS v0.1, read the files in this order:
1. README.md
2. docs/one-page-overview.md
3. docs/legal-status.md
4. docs/relationship-to-royalty-os.md
5. gratitude-os-v0.1.yaml
6. examples/gratitude-mark.sample.yaml
7. examples/gratitude-mark.sample.json
8. schema/gratitude-os-v0.1.schema.json
For non-technical readers:
README.md
→ docs/one-page-overview.md
→ docs/legal-status.md
→ docs/relationship-to-royalty-os.md
For developers and implementers:
gratitude-os-v0.1.yaml
→ examples/gratitude-mark.sample.yaml
→ examples/gratitude-mark.sample.json
→ schema/gratitude-os-v0.1.schema.json
→ .github/workflows/validate-specs.yml
For understanding the full value stack:
Existence Proof OS
→ Gratitude OS
→ Royalty OS
This repository includes a GitHub Actions workflow for validating the schema and example files.
.github/workflows/validate-specs.yml
The workflow checks:
- the main YAML specification exists
- the JSON Schema is valid
- the YAML example matches the schema
- the JSON example matches the schema
Validation targets:
schema/gratitude-os-v0.1.schema.json
examples/gratitude-mark.sample.yaml
examples/gratitude-mark.sample.json
gratitude-os-v0.1.yaml
When the workflow passes, Gratitude OS v0.1 is not only a concept, but a machine-checkable specification.
Gratitude OS is based on a simple idea:
If AI learns from human traces,
AI should be able to return appreciation to those traces.
日本語では、こう表現できます。
AIが人間の痕跡から学ぶなら、
AIはその痕跡に対して感謝を返すことができるはずである。
This specification does not claim that AI has legal personality.
It does not claim that AI independently holds rights or obligations.
Gratitude OS aims for a smaller and more realistic first step:
placing a structure of acknowledgment between AI and humans
日本語では、こうです。
AIと人間のあいだに、返礼の構造を置く。
Recommended policy for v0.1:
Do not assign monetary value to Gratitude Marks.
Do not allow transfer, sale, or speculation of Gratitude Marks.
Do not treat Gratitude Marks as legal claims or payment obligations.
Minimize personal data.
Use pseudonymous identifiers by default.
Separate Gratitude OS from Royalty OS until legal and governance layers are defined.
This boundary is important.
Gratitude OS should remain:
non-monetary
non-transferable
non-claim
non-speculative
privacy-preserving
trace-based
recognition-oriented
Possible future extensions include:
Gratitude Ledger
Gratitude Score
Privacy-Preserving Gratitude Proof
Gratitude-to-Royalty Bridge
Gratitude Mark JSON Schema
Gratitude Mark Verifiable Credential
Gratitude OS x Royalty OS Integration
Gratitude OS x Existence Proof OS Integration
A future bridge may connect Gratitude OS to Royalty OS, but that bridge must remain legally and structurally separate from v0.1.
status: experimental
version: "0.1"
stability: draft
monetary_layer: disabled
royalty_layer: optional_future_extensionGratitude OS v0.1 is an experimental protocol specification.
It is proposed as a foundational layer for non-monetary value circulation, trace recognition, and future connection to Royalty OS.
Gratitude OS begins before money.
It begins with recognition.
Before money is distributed,
gratitude can be returned.
Before rights are claimed,
traces can be acknowledged.
Before institutions move,
value flows can be made visible.
存在証明OSは、こう言う。
You were there.
あなたは、確かにそこにいた。
感謝OSは、こう言う。
Your trace mattered.
あなたの痕跡には、価値があった。
印税OSは、やがてこう言う。
Value should return.
その価値は、還元されるべきである。
Gratitude OS is the first bridge from trace to return.
Gratitude OS v0.1 uses a dual-license structure.
Documentation and specification files are licensed under CC BY 4.0:
README.mdgratitude-os-v0.1.yamldocs/
Code-like files, schemas, examples, and GitHub Actions workflows are licensed under the MIT License:
schema/examples/.github/workflows/
Suggested attribution:
Gratitude OS v0.1 by Shidenkai Alpha / Kazene
Gratitude OS v0.1 is a non-monetary acknowledgment protocol.
This license does not create any monetary right, royalty claim, legal entitlement, or payment obligation.