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Proposals

HPS-XXX: Transfer of NEAR DevHub to the House of Stake

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  1. DachaOP 2
    hsp: 012
title: Transfer of NEAR DevHub to the House of Stake
description: Proposal to transfer the governance, budget oversight, and operational management of NEAR DevHub into the House of Stake to enhance transparency, decentralisation, and ecosystem alignment.
author: Dacha
discussions-to: https://gov.near.org/t/hsp-012-transfer-of-near-devhub-to-house-of-stake/
status: Proposal
type: Decision
category: Governance Oversight
created: 2025-11-17

    Abstract

    This proposal initiates the transfer of NEAR DevHub’s operational, financial, and governance processes from the NEAR Foundation and associated structures into the House of Stake. The transition aims to integrate DevHub’s developer-ecosystem support, grant workflows, content production, and community infrastructure into a fully accountable HoS governance framework.

    Context & Alignment

    NEAR DevHub serves as the developer gateway for the NEAR ecosystem — providing resources, community groups, funding opportunities, and tooling. Currently DevHub operates under NEAR Foundation oversight with limited formal community governance accountability.

    The House of Stake is designed to provide transparent, community-rooted governance for ecosystem-critical functions. This proposal supports HoS principles of transparency, decentralised funding oversight, and community accountability.

    Situation

    The developer ecosystem on NEAR is growing rapidly and requires stronger governance alignment, clearer budget accountability, and formal processes for funding, content, tooling, and community engagement.

    DevHub currently spans multiple functions (grants, tooling, community groups) but is not integrated into HoS oversight. Without this integration, risks include opaque budgeting, misaligned incentives, and duplicated efforts across ecosystem actors.

    Mission

    Objectives

    • Integrate DevHub budget and operational oversight into HoS governance flows.

    • Establish clear KPIs, reporting, and transparency for DevHub activities.

    • Enable community participation in DevHub roadmap, funding decisions, and working groups.

    • Ensure continuity of DevHub operations during the transition without disruption for developers.

    Expected Outcomes

    • DevHub operates under HoS governance by Q2 2026.

    • All major DevHub funding and tooling programs become subject to HoS Screening Committee approval.

    • A public dashboard tracking DevHub KPIs is published within one quarter of the transfer.

    • Developer community reports increased clarity and satisfaction regarding DevHub processes.

    Approach

    Structure

    • Creation of a Joint Transition Taskforce (HoS + DevHub Leadership + NEAR Foundation).

    • Audit of DevHub assets, workflows, budgets, tooling, and community groups.

    • Snapshot of current operational state and baseline metrics.

    • Transfer of governance, budget, and staffing oversight to HoS bodies (Screening Committee, Security Council, Ombuds).

    • Implementation of HoS oversight: quarterly reporting, KPI dashboard, transparency portal.

    Eligibility & Assessment

    N/A — structural transfer, not a grants program.

    Rationale

    Moving DevHub under HoS ensures that core ecosystem functions — developer onboarding, grants, tooling, community coordination — are aligned with community governance principles and transparent funding oversight. It eliminates duplication between NF and HoS, strengthens accountability, and builds developer trust.

    Risks & Limitations

    • Transition complexity and potential disruption to developer programs.

    • Resistance from current DevHub/NF teams.

    • Temporary slowdown during the handover phase.

    • DevHub operations must remain functional throughout structural changes.

    Technical Specification

    Implementation Timeline

    Phase Duration Description
    Phase 1 — Audit 2 weeks Inventory of DevHub assets, programs, budget, community groups
    Phase 2 — Governance Mapping 3 weeks Map DevHub functions into HoS (Screening Committee, etc.)
    Phase 3 — Handover Execution 4 weeks Transfer budget control, staffing oversight, tooling ownership
    Phase 4 — Dashboard Launch 2 weeks KPI dashboard live; community feedback loop activated
    Phase 5 — Finalization & Announcement 1 week Public announcement, updated governance charter, briefing

    Backwards Compatibility

    This proposal does not alter the NEAR Protocol or core network parameters. It affects only organizational governance structures and funding flows.

    Milestones

    Milestone Target Date Deliverable Success Criteria
    Taskforce formed 2026-01-01 Transition Taskforce announced Membership defined, charter published
    Audit complete 2026-01-15 Audit report published Systems documented, gaps identified
    Handover executed 2026-02-15 Budget & operational control transferred DevHub functions operate under HoS
    Dashboard live 2026-03-01 KPI dashboard published Public availability, baseline metrics
    Transfer announced 2026-03-10 Public communication Community informed, FAQs available

    Budget & Resources

    A detailed budget will be defined jointly by DevHub and HoS.
    No additional NEAR tokens are requested at this stage.
    Funding will be re-allocated from existing DevHub resources.

    Reporting

    Quarterly reports will include:

    • Number of active developers engaged via DevHub

    • Number of funded or supported projects

    • Developer satisfaction metrics (NPS)

    • Tooling/SDK adoption metrics

    • Budget spend vs plan

    • Growth and activity of DevHub community groups

    Team & Accountability

    Responsible: DevHub Leadership & HoS Transition Taskforce
    Accountable to: House of Stake Security Council & Screening Committee
    Program Administration: Transition Taskforce (handover, dashboards, KPI tracking)
    Governance of Continuation: After transfer, DevHub operates under HoS; major changes require new proposals.

    Security Considerations

    Economic Security

    No new token issuance; minimal budget risk.
    Critical: avoid double-funding and ensure continuity of all programs.

    Gaming & Abuse

    Risk: leftover DevHub budgets being used without oversight.
    Mitigation: consolidate budgets under HoS treasury, mandatory audits.

    Decentralization Impact

    Positive — strengthens decentralized governance of the developer ecosystem.
    Requires monitoring to ensure governance overhead does not reduce efficiency.

    Conflict of Interest

    I’ve read and agree with the House of Stake Conflict of Interest policy.

    Copyright

    Copyright and related rights waived via CC0.

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