Promise Protocol

Version 0.1.0 • Development Phase • September 2025

Current Status: Protocol development phase • Schema v0.1 in draft • Recruiting pilot cohort

The Problem

Coaching markets suffer from a "lemons problem" - clients cannot distinguish reliable coaches from unreliable ones until after they have paid and wasted time. Traditional reviews are gamed, credentials do not predict follow-through, and promises remain unverifiable.

The Promise Protocol solves this by making basic professional reliability objectively measurable using platform timestamps and structured evidence collection.

How It Works

Core Promise Object

{
  "promiseId": "pm_coach_punctual_001",
  "promiserId": "coach_sarah_m",
  "standardRef": "/coaching/session/punctualWithinMinutes",
  "params": { "minutes": 5 },
  "evidence": {
    "types": ["zoom.join_leave_ts", "calendar.event"],
    "required": ["zoom.join_leave_ts"]
  },
  "effectiveAt": "2025-10-01T09:00:00Z",
  "privacyMode": "public_pseudonymous",
  "status": "active"
}

Evidence & Assessment

{
  "assessmentId": "as_session_001",
  "promiseId": "pm_coach_punctual_001",
  "sessionId": "s_zoom_abc123",
  "result": "pass",
  "confidence": "objective_high",
  "evidence": {
    "coachJoinTime": "2025-10-01T09:02:15Z",
    "scheduledStart": "2025-10-01T09:00:00Z",
    "deltaSeconds": 135
  },
  "assessedAt": "2025-10-01T10:30:00Z"
}

Core Standards (v0.1)

Coach Punctuality

Coach joins session within promised timeframe (typically ≤5 minutes)

Evidence: Platform join timestamps • Confidence: Objective High

Session Duration

Actual session time meets minimum threshold (≥80% of scheduled + absolute minimum)

Evidence: Platform duration logs • Confidence: Objective High

Follow-up Delivery

Session recap/notes sent within promised timeframe (typically ≤24 hours)

Evidence: Email/message timestamps • Confidence: Objective Medium

Public Metrics Framework

Coach Reliability Index (cRI)

Percentage of core promises kept over the last 30 days, with Wilson confidence interval and sample size.

cRI: [X]% (LB: [Y]%, n=[Z], last 30d)

Components: Punctuality • Duration • Follow-up • Renegotiation handling

Transparency Rate (TR)

Percentage of eligible sessions with complete evidence collection over 90 days.

TR: [X]% (last 90d)

Badge: "Limited coverage" appears if TR < 80%

Privacy & Consent

Private by default: All promises start private. Public visibility requires explicit opt-in.
Selective disclosure: Coaches control what metrics are public vs. private.
Minimal public data: Only aggregate scores and promise counts, never session details.
Data retention: 12 months for operational logs, user-controlled for public profiles.
GDPR compliance: Full right to erasure, data portability, and correction.

Privacy Note: No session recordings. No personal information in public metrics. Individual session outcomes never published - only aggregate reliability scores.

Projected Results (Q2 2026)

Based on commitment device research and early modeling:

85-95%

Target cRI

vs 65-70% baseline

500+

Target Sessions

across 25-30 coaches

25-35%

Goal Completion

improvement target

Projections based on commitment device research and goal-setting psychology

Implementation Status

Current Phase: Development

🔄 Core standards specification (Q3 2025)
🔄 Privacy controls and consent flows (Q4 2025)
🔄 Basic platform integration (Q4 2025)
⏳ Pilot program launch (Q4 2025)
⏳ Multi-platform evidence collection (Q1 2026)
⏳ Public coach directory launch (Q1 2026)

Join the Development: We are recruiting coaches and technical contributors who want to help build verifiable reliability metrics. Early participants help shape the specification.

Technical Resources

Full Specification

Complete technical documentation including API endpoints, data models, and compliance requirements.

Request technical docs →

Reference Implementation

Open-source TypeScript/Next.js implementation for verification and local testing.

Access GitHub repo →

Questions about implementation or integration?
Send an email