01
Your action
Say what you will do in plain language, including scope and exclusions.
Make a promise. Get a promise you value.
A pledge swap is a simple two-way agreement: you commit to one action, another person commits to another, and both of you approve the same terms before anything starts.
No match, no obligation. Both sides confirm before the swap begins.
A pledge swap, in one line
“I’ll do this” if “you do that.”
One agreement. Four decisions.
Everything important is visible before anyone relies on the swap. The goal is not paperwork. It is a shared understanding of exactly what each person is agreeing to.
02
Their action
Name the reciprocal promise you want in return.
03
How to check
Choose a check-in, private artifact, or optional witness.
04
When it ends
Set the duration, start condition, and exit rule.
Different priorities can still make a good trade.
Each person takes on an action that matters more to the other person than it costs them to do. Both can prefer the swap to the no-deal default.
Person A cares most about
Animal welfare
Person A agrees toSupport Person B's global-health priority with a donation.
Person B cares most about
Global health
Person B agrees toSupport Person A's animal-welfare priority with a diet change.
The swap does not require either person to adopt the other's worldview. It only requires a voluntary exchange both prefer to no deal.
From idea to active swap.
At each step, the page should answer one question. Nothing becomes reliance-bearing until the exact proposal is frozen and both people confirm it again.
- 01
Write the two promises
Describe what you will do and what you want the other person to do.
- 02
Set the boundaries
Add duration, evidence, and an exit rule. Keep evidence proportional to the action.
- 03
Review the same proposal
A match candidate is still only a suggestion. Safety, privacy, and authenticity are checked before reliance.
- 04
Both confirm, then begin
The terms are frozen. Each person gives a fresh final confirmation before the start date.
Evidence should be as light as possible.
Use the least intrusive evidence that makes the promise reviewable. Evidence supports an action claim; it is not a moral score or a guarantee.
Simple check-in
A dated declaration or periodic progress note.
Private artifact
A redacted receipt, log, or photo visible only to authorized reviewers.
Trusted witness
An optional private statement from someone with direct knowledge.
A suggested match is not a deal.
The status should always tell people what they may safely rely on. Before final confirmation, either person can walk away without creating an obligation.
Candidate
Two pledges appear compatible.
No obligationReview
Terms, evidence, safety, and privacy are checked.
Still editableConfirm
The exact proposal is frozen and shown to both people.
Fresh approvalActive
The swap begins only after both confirmations.
Reliance begins
What does review check?
No threats, hidden leverage, vulnerable-person pressure, or hazardous asks.
Each person binds only their own actions and supplies proportionate evidence.
Only necessary information is shared. Material changes require a new proposal and renewed confirmation.
Trades, not pressure campaigns.
The design centers autonomy, narrow evidence, and explicit exit rules. A swap should create a voluntary gain, not a new way to coerce someone.
Voluntary
Either person may decline a proposal without an outside penalty.
No hidden leverage
No intimidation, private-information threats, or reputational pressure.
Privacy first
Share the minimum evidence needed, privately by default.
Review before trust
Published terms are not enough; reliance requires review and confirmation.