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Developer fellowship guidelines

Get paid to build Bitcoin or Nostr open source for 6 months, with a mentor and a clear weekly rhythm. Everything you need to know, before and during.

$512a month, in bitcoin
6 monthsextendable
15–20 ha week, part-time ok
1 projectBitcoin or Nostr
Check if you're ready Read it on GitHub

The deal

You show up every week and tell us honestly how it's going. We pay you, unblock you and help you to your next step.

It's not a course. You're an open-source contributor on a real project, with a mentor, other fellows, a dashboard and a public track record that builds itself.

Who can apply

We pick people who have already started

✅ Must have

  • Done the learning: Decoding Bitcoin, Chaincode, Summer of Bitcoin, Btrust or serious self-study
  • One PR or real review on your project (small is fine)
  • Build and tests running on your machine
  • 15–20 hours a week for 6 months
  • A goal for each month
  • OK with working in public (payments stay private)
  • Commit to Code Review Club and the Privacy Track, including presenting your work

⭐ Stands out

  • A maintainer who will vouch for you
  • A Privacy Track project
  • Reviews of other people's PRs
  • Showing up: Code Review Club, BitDevs, Discord
  • Helping others learn
  • Based in Southeast Asia or a region with few Bitcoin devs

Not there yet? Join Decoding Bitcoin or the Privacy Track, open your first PR, and apply next round. The readiness check shows what's missing.

Selection

How we choose

30Proof of work: PRs, reviews, how well you read code
25Project fit and value to users (privacy and wallets score high)
20A realistic plan with monthly goals
15Mentor and maintainer fit
10Giving back to the community

Shortlisted? Expect a 20-minute call where you walk us through one of your own PRs: why you made each change and what the reviewers asked. We also contact one reference from your project. Then an offer, once your mentor is confirmed.

What you build

Any Bitcoin or Nostr open-source project

🛡️ Privacy is our focus. Privacy Track projects (in orange) get priority, and every fellow joins the Privacy Track sessions, whatever they build.

PayjoinSilent PaymentsFlorestaJoinMarketOpenSwapFedimintCashu / ecashKyotoBDKLDKBTCPay Serverrust-bitcoinBitcoin CoreCore LightningLNDrust-nostrNDKnostr-toolsNIPsNostr Wallet Connect

Orange = Privacy Track, a big plus. Full list with difficulty ratings: project menu.

What counts as work: PRs, code review, tests, benchmarks, bug reports with a reproduction, docs and design discussion. Bitcoin merges are slow, so we never judge a month by merges alone, and we don't want PRs opened just to look busy.

Milestones

Your 6-month plan

One goal per month, agreed with your mentor in month 1. The defaults:

  1. Get set upBuild and tests pass, first small PR, plan agreed
  2. Find your groove2+ PRs, one with real functionality; review weekly
  3. Check inMonth-3 review: what's working, what to change
  4. Go deepA feature, a refactor or a hard bug
  5. Finish the big pieceLand it and start planning what's next
  6. Land it, show itWrap up, document, demo, next step lined up

Weekly rhythm

Small habits, every week

🗓️Monday2-minute standup on your dashboard: did, next, blocked
📞Weekly30–60 min call with your mentor
🔍FridayReview a PR by someone else (at least 2 real reviews a month)
🎤Code Review ClubJoin every session. Present what you're building at least once every 2 months (months 2, 4 and 6). How it works
🧾By the 5thMonthly report on your dashboard: it's your invoice
🛡️Privacy TrackJoin the sessions every 1st & 3rd Tuesday, 07:00 UTC · 15:00 UTC+8. See the track

Plus review calls with your mentor at month 3 (45 min) and month 6 (1 hour). No timesheets: if it helps the project and you can link to it, it counts.

Money, clearly

Getting paid

  • $512 a month in bitcoin, at the Coinbase BTC-USD price when we send it
  • Report by the 5th → paid by the 10th, once your report is approved
  • Your choice: Lightning, on-chain or ecash, and you can switch any month
  • Private: amounts and addresses are never shown publicly
More on payments

The price reference never changes mid-fellowship. If you change your payout address, we confirm it with you on a second channel first, so a hacked account can't redirect your pay. This is a fellowship, not a job, so any tax where you live is yours to handle. If anything about money is unclear, ask right away.

Accountability with support

If you fall behind

An honest bad month is fine. Silence isn't, because we can't help someone we can't see.

GreenStandups and reports coming in
YellowA call, then a 30-day plan together
RedPause or end, with a respectful handoff
Step by step, and pausing
  1. Miss a Monday standup: a friendly ping.
  2. Two weeks without a word: a call with your mentor or the organisers.
  3. A month off track: we name the concern and write a 30-day plan together.
  4. Still off track: we pause or end the fellowship. The last month you worked is always paid.

Pausing: up to 2 months, no reason needed. No pay during the pause, and the fellowship gets longer by the same amount. Report late? Tell us before the 5th and it's a non-event.

Your track record

Public vs private

Every fellow gets a public proof-of-work page that fills itself as they work. It's a portfolio for maintainers, funding programs and employers.

🌍 Public

  • Name or nym, GitHub, project
  • Your 6 milestones
  • PRs opened and reviewed
  • Monthly highlights
  • Number of weekly standups

🔒 Private

  • Your application
  • Standups and blockers
  • Help requests
  • Payments, amounts, addresses
  • Your email

If being public about Bitcoin work is risky where you live, tell us. Your page stays private, no questions asked.

Professionalism

How we work

  • Respect maintainers' time: small focused PRs, good descriptions, answer every review comment
  • Review before you ask for review
  • AI tools yes, AI slop no: understand and be able to explain every line; never open a PR you haven't tested yourself
  • Security first: found a vulnerability? Follow the project's security policy and report it privately, never in a public issue
  • Stay safe: don't share your address, location or holdings publicly; use a nym if you prefer
  • Learn in public: share one thing a month (a thread, a Nostr note or a session)
  • Pay it forward: help one newer learner during your fellowship
  • Be kind: our code of conduct applies everywhere

Month 6 and after

Graduation

🎤DemoYour final presentation at Code Review Club, with the community and invited guests
🎓CertificateA verifiable certificate linked to your proof-of-work page
🚀Next stepIntros, references and help applying for long-term open-source support or a role
🔁Extend or mentorStrong fellows can extend, or come back to mentor the next round

Questions

FAQ

Can I keep my job or studies?

Yes. It's 15–20 hours a week, so part-time is the norm. Just be honest about your time.

Can I use a nym?

Yes. Your public page can show a nym. We need a working email for your dashboard and payments.

Can I work on two projects?

Pick one main project. Reviews and small fixes elsewhere are welcome and count.

What if my PRs don't get merged?

That's normal in Bitcoin. Reviews, tests and steady, honest progress count. Your mentor helps you get reviews moving.

Do I need to live in Southeast Asia?

No. Builders from Southeast Asia and regions with few Bitcoin developers get priority, but anyone can apply.

Who mentors me?

A contributor to your project or a close one, matched before you start. If you already know a maintainer, tell us in your application.

How to apply

Five steps

  1. Readiness check2 minutes
  2. ApplicationPRs, project, monthly goals
  3. We replywithin 2 weeks
  4. PR walkthrough call20 minutes
  5. Start on the 1stonce your mentor is confirmed
Check if you're ready & apply Ask in #fellowships

Full rules (rubric, payments, FAQ) live in the fellowships repository (CC0).

Check if you're ready & apply