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Project Overview
tea Protocol is an open-source infrastructure project built on Base that rewards open-source software maintainers and contributors through a blockchain-based reputation and incentive system. Created by Max Howell (creator of macOS Homebrew), tea uses blockchain technology to create fair, transparent compensation for open-source contributors who maintain critical software infrastructure. The protocol allows developers to register their open-source projects and receive TEA tokens proportional to their project's rank, value, and impact. tea Protocol launched Mainnet v1 on Base in February 2025 after raising $19.9M from Binance Labs across multiple rounds. The system features a recurring epoch-based enrollment model where users register their wallets for TEA token reward cycles, with each epoch having a defined rewards pool distributed to qualifying participants. Beyond developers, any tea Protocol user can participate by creating accounts, earning points, and eventually staking TEA tokens to support projects while earning rewards.
What is tea Protocol and how does it work?
tea Protocol is a blockchain-based system on Base that rewards open-source software contributors. Created by Max Howell (Homebrew creator), it allows developers to register projects and receive $TEA tokens based on project impact and value, while any user can enroll for epoch-based reward distributions.
How do I participate in tea Protocol rewards?
Visit epoch-tea.com and connect your Base wallet (gasless, one signature). Enrollment registers you for the current epoch's rewards pool. When the epoch closes, enrolled addresses are snapshotted and qualifying wallets receive allocations. You must re-enroll each epoch.
Do I need to be a developer to participate?
No. While open-source developers can register projects for impact-based rewards, any tea Protocol user can enroll for epoch rewards. You can participate by staking (future), being active on tea.xyz, or simply enrolling your wallet before each epoch snapshot.
What is the current epoch and rewards pool?
Epoch 15 is currently active with a 2.4M $TEA rewards pool and 18,472+ enrolled wallets. The snapshot closes in approximately 5 days. Each epoch has different pool sizes and participant counts, so allocations vary per cycle.
Who funded tea Protocol?
tea Protocol raised $19.9M from Binance Labs across two rounds ($8M in March 2022, $8.9M in December 2022), along with Lattice, Woodstock Fund, and other investors. The project launched on Base in February 2025.
Guide
- Visit https://epoch-tea.com/ or https://tea.xyz/enroll to access enrollment
- Connect your EVM wallet on Base (MetaMask, Rainbow, or Coinbase Wallet)
- Hardware wallets are supported for security
- Sign one off-chain signature (gasless, no fees required)
- Confirm enrollment to register your wallet address
- Registration is added to tea Protocol enrollment registry
- Wait for snapshot deadline (check countdown on epoch-tea.com)
- When epoch closes, enrolled addresses are snapshotted
- Qualifying wallets receive allocations in next rewards cycle
- For developers: Register your open-source projects at tea.xyz
- Upload existing software projects to earn rewards proportional to impact
- Create tea account using new username or GitHub account
- Earn points by using and testing tea features
- Check your enrollment status anytime at tea.xyz
- Re-enroll for each new epoch to remain eligible
Maximize Potential
To maximize allocation:
- Enroll early in each epoch (currently 18,472+ wallets enrolled)
- Register ALL your open-source projects on tea Protocol for maximum impact scoring
- Connect GitHub account to link existing contributions and reputation
- Earn points actively by using and testing tea features regularly
- Use tea.xyz consistently to demonstrate genuine platform engagement
- For developers: Upload high-value, widely-used projects for better rankings
- Maintain and update your registered projects to show active development
- Participate in tea community discussions and governance
- Plan to stake $TEA tokens when staking feature launches (future rewards)
- Re-enroll for every epoch - each cycle requires new registration
- Don't miss snapshot deadlines - late enrollments excluded from that epoch
- Check enrollment status regularly at tea.xyz to verify registration
- One wallet per person rule - don't use multiple addresses (duplicate detection)
- Focus on quality contributions over quantity for ranking algorithms
Latest X Summary
tea Protocol: Base L2 platform rewarding open-source contributors. Created by Homebrew founder. $19.9M from Binance Labs. Epoch 15 live: 2.4M $TEA pool. Gasless enrollment.