Helium Improvement Proposals
Helium Improvement Proposals ("HIPs") are the core unit of change in the Helium Network and for the Helium Community.
Best practice for new HIPs is to vet an idea with the Helium community [via Discord][discord] in the [hip-discussion][discord-hip] channel.
Discussion with other Community members is a great place to gather initial feedback for an idea and learn from previous discussions.
All HIPs are managed entirely from the [HIP GitHub repository][github-hip] and are discussed in the
Helium Improvement Proposal channels of [Helium Discord][discord]. All members of the Helium
Community are encouraged to create HIPs and participate in the governance process.
How an Idea Becomes a HIP
- Idea Stage: HIPs start as ideas for improving an aspect of economic, technical, or meta-governance.
- Drafting Stage: Generally, when enough community members believe the idea is worth formulating into a HIP, they do so and submit that HIP as a draft to the Helium HIP Repository.
- Editing Stage: HIP Editors assist HIP Authors in clarity, consistency, and completeness. HIP Editors work directly with authors, but everyone is able to provide feedback before the HIP moves forward. Sometimes, a HIP is never fully complete and in that case, does not move beyond the draft stage.
- Discussion Stage: A HIP becomes a full-fledged proposal and is made available for the community to discuss. HIPs last in the Discussion Stage for at least 2 weeks, but often more depending on the type of discussion and how critical the change is. Moderators help manage HIP discussions to keep them on topic.
- Rough Consensus Stage: After deliberate discussion, a HIP Editor seeks a point in time for Consensus, which is typically done through a Temperature Check vote in Discord. This vote is non-binding and gives HIP Editors a sense of HIP readiness.
- Voting Stage: After the community has come to a consensus on if a HIP is ready to go to a network-wide vote, the HIP Editor and Helium Foundation will execute the voting contract and communicate the vote out. All token holders are eligible to vote on the HIP at this time.
- Implementation Stage: After the HIP receives a vote, if it passes 2/3 majority vote, then the HIP is Approved and Helium Core Developers will go to work on implementing it. If the HIP is rejected, the Proposal is effectively closed.
Implemented Proposals
All HIPs that have passed and been implemented in the Helium Community are listed below. Not all HIPs pass super-majority voting, so you will see some changes in HIP numbers as you go down this list. Just like bills that become law, HIPs often amend each other. To get a full understanding of how HIPs have been implemented and how each impacts another, join the Helium Discord. Long-time Community Members are a wealth of knowledge and can help folks understand changes over time.
Note: the current status of all HIPs can be found at www.github.com/helium/hip
