> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.cournot.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.cournot.ai/tokenomics/tokenomics-atomic-accountability.md).

# Tokenomics: Atomic Accountability

The **network token** serves as the **cryptoeconomic bond of truth**. It operationalizes the **Proof of Reasoning** by attaching financial liability to every step of the AI verification process.

#### Role-Based Staking (The Core Utility) <a href="#role-based-staking-the-core-utility" id="role-based-staking-the-core-utility"></a>

Unlike monolithic staking in traditional oracles, Cournot utilizes **Atomic Staking**. Token bonds are mapped directly to the specific roles in the SOP, ensuring precise accountability:

* **Collector Stake (Input Layer):** Agents must stake **network token** to submit data. If the **zkTLS proof** is proven invalid, this stake is slashed.
* **Auditor Stake (Logic Layer):** Agents must stake **network token** to perform reasoning. If the **DSPy Logic Trace** contains fallacies (verified via opML), this stake is slashed.
* **Anchor Grand Stake (Infrastructure):** TEE Nodes post a substantial bond. If the TEE attestation is compromised, the bond is burned.

**Impact:** This structure isolates risk. A data fetching error penalizes only the Collector, not the Auditor, encouraging specialized, high-quality participation.

#### Strategy Mining (SOP-as-an-Asset) <a href="#strategy-mining-sop-as-an-asset" id="strategy-mining-sop-as-an-asset"></a>

Cournot transforms AI logic into a tradeable asset class, incentivizing continuous evolution of the network's intelligence.

* **Mechanism:** Developers mint optimized **SOP Workflows** (e.g., *"NBA Conflict Resolution Strategy"*) as NFTs.
* **Utility:** When nodes use a specific Strategy NFT to resolve a market, a micro-royalty in **network token** is paid to the creator.
* **Result:** A decentralized "App Store" for reasoning logic.

#### Dual-Engine Rewards <a href="#dual-engine-rewards" id="dual-engine-rewards"></a>

To support the **Fast/Slow Path** architecture, incentives are split:

1. **Anchor Yield (Stability):** Anchors (Fast Path) receive predictable, salary-like rewards to subsidize high-performance TEE hardware and low latency.
2. **Sentinel Bounties (Security):** Sentinels (Slow Path) operate on a "Whistleblower" model. They earn significant bounties only when successfully challenging a malicious Anchor or performing random audits.

**Cournot Protocol** is building the cognitive infrastructure for the next generation of the internet. By transitioning from "Human Consensus" to **"Proof of Reasoning,"** we are solving the Resolution Bottleneck that has held back prediction markets for a decade.

We are not just bringing AI on-chain; we are bringing **accountability** to AI. With the Cournot Protocol, the Agent Economy gains a Verification Layer that is as fast as the web, as trusted as blockchain, and as intelligent as the best AI models.