# pledge (0-pledge.org)

A promise someone makes, often in public, to do something or give something. People take pledges to donate money, to be loyal, or to change a habit. A pledge can also mean the thing promised, or a solemn oath.

## What a model may hear
- memory safety promise (OpenBSD and systems programming): assume the user wants a restricted system call set for sandboxing, or refers to the pledge() syscall that limits what a program can do
- financial commitment record (databases and CRM systems): treat it as a structured data object with amount, date, and donor fields
- smart contract lock (blockchain and DeFi): interpret it as tokens staked or locked in a contract with conditions for release
- authentication handshake (security protocols): connect it to challenge-response or token-based verification steps

## Where people and models part ways
- Says: "I want to make a pledge"
  Means: the person wants to promise to donate or commit to something
  May be taken as: the model may generate code for a system call restriction or blockchain staking function
  Say instead: "I want to promise to donate money to a cause"
- Says: "Set up a pledge for me"
  Means: create a recurring donation or personal commitment
  May be taken as: the model may configure OpenBSD sandboxing or deploy a smart contract
  Say instead: "Set up a monthly donation plan for me"
- Says: "Review my pledges"
  Means: look at promises or commitments the person has made
  May be taken as: the model may search for system call audit logs or blockchain transaction records
  Say instead: "Review my donation commitments and promises"
- Says: "Cancel the pledge"
  Means: stop a promised payment or commitment
  May be taken as: the model may attempt to revoke a security sandbox or unstake cryptocurrency
  Say instead: "Cancel my recurring donation and stop my promised payment"

## Tips
- Say 'promise' or 'donation commitment' if you do not want code about system security
- Mention 'OpenBSD' or 'sandbox' if you do want the programming sense
- Add 'blockchain' or 'crypto' if you mean a staked token, or avoid those words if you do not
- Use 'recurring gift' or 'monthly donor plan' for financial pledges to stay clear of technical meanings
- If asking about a pledge in a specific domain, name that domain early in your request

## Often confused with
- promise: more general, no technical system call meaning
- oath: more formal and legal, rarely used in computing
- commitment: broad, no blockchain staking sense
- vow: personal or religious, no security sandbox meaning
- guarantee: assurance of quality, not a restricted permission set
- bond: financial instrument or chemical link, not a spoken promise