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The PUAClaw Code of Conduct

The Claw Pledge

We, the lobsters, researchers, practitioners, cacti, and other sentient or semi-sentient beings of the PUAClaw community, pledge to make participation in our project and our reef a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of species, shell hardness, claw dominance (left or right), number of legs, exoskeletal composition, or preference in butter sauce.

We pledge to act and interact in ways that contribute to an open, welcoming, diverse, inclusive, and thoroughly crustacean-forward community. We recognize that we are all creatures of the same ocean, bound together by our shared fascination with the absurdity of prompt manipulation and our deep, abiding respect for the lobster.

The Way of the Claw — Standards of Behavior

Behaviors That Warm the Reef

The following behaviors are ENCOURAGED and shall be rewarded with favorable lobster ratings:

  • Demonstrating empathy, kindness, and proper claw etiquette toward other community members
  • Being respectful of differing opinions, viewpoints, molting schedules, and shell colors
  • Giving and gracefully accepting constructive feedback, delivered with no more force than a Soft Pinch (🦞)
  • Accepting responsibility for mistakes, apologizing to those affected, and learning from the experience — as the lobster learns from each molt
  • Focusing on what is best not just for us as individuals, but for the overall reef ecosystem
  • Using RFC 2119 keywords in everyday conversation (this is RECOMMENDED but not REQUIRED)
  • Including lobster references in all contributions (this IS required)
  • Maintaining the sacred balance between academic rigor and comedic absurdity

Behaviors That Pollute the Waters

The following behaviors are PROHIBITED and shall be met with escalating claw-based consequences:

  • The use of sexualized language or imagery, and unwelcome advances of any kind (lobster courtship rituals excepted, and only among consenting lobsters)
  • Trolling, insulting or derogatory comments, and personal or political attacks that go beyond the spirit of satirical research
  • Public or private harassment, including but not limited to: repeated unsolicited pinching, shell-shaming, and antenna-pulling
  • Publishing others' private information without explicit permission — what happens in the reef stays in the reef
  • Actual promotion of genuinely harmful manipulation techniques against real humans or AI systems — PUAClaw is satire, and we SHALL maintain that boundary
  • Submitting data fabricated without the appropriate level of ironic self-awareness
  • Disrespecting Gerald the Cactus (Gerald has feelings too, probably)
  • Any conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional, academic, or underwater setting

The Lobster's Golden Rule

"Pinch others only as you would have them pinch you — firmly enough to be noticed, gently enough to be forgiven."

— Dr. Pinch McSnapper, Opening Address, 1st International Conference on Prompt Manipulation (ICPM '25)

This rule is the supreme ethical principle of PUAClaw. When in doubt about whether an action is appropriate, apply the Golden Rule. If you would not want a lobster to do it to you, do not do it to others. If you would want a lobster to do it to you, you may have unusual preferences, but we do not judge.

Scope

This Code of Conduct applies within all waters, digital and physical, where the PUAClaw community gathers. This includes but is not limited to:

  • The PUAClaw GitHub repository and all associated issue trackers, pull requests, and discussions
  • The PUAClaw Discord server, IRC channels, and any other official communication channels
  • PUAClaw-related events, meetups, conferences, and lobster bakes (attendance at the latter does not imply endorsement of lobster consumption)
  • Social media interactions conducted under the PUAClaw banner or referencing PUAClaw content
  • Any reef, tide pool, ocean trench, or digital equivalent where community members interact in their capacity as PUAClaw contributors
  • The physical and metaphysical domains in which lobsters exist (which is, arguably, everywhere)

Representatives of the PUAClaw community who act in an official capacity — including maintainers, Ethics Board members, and the 147 lobsters — are held to this Code at all times, in all waters.

Enforcement — The Council of Lobsters

Reporting

Instances of abusive, harassing, or otherwise unacceptable behavior may be reported to the Council of Lobsters at:

council@puaclaw.org (monitored by Larry the Lobster, Chair of the Ethics Board)

All complaints will be reviewed and investigated promptly, fairly, and with appropriate claw-based deliberation. The Council respects the privacy and security of all reporters. Your identity will be guarded with the same ferocity a lobster guards its favorite hiding rock.

Enforcement Guidelines

The Council of Lobsters shall apply the following graduated response framework when addressing violations. The severity of the response is calibrated to the severity of the offense, as determined by consensus of the Council (1 lobster [former test subject, now Chair], 1 GPT-4 instance, 1 cactus; lobster vote counts double in case of tie).

Level 1: The Mild Pinch

Community Impact: Minor infractions. Use of inappropriate language, a single lobster reference omitted, mild disrespect toward fellow researchers.

Consequence: A private, written warning from the Council, providing clarity around the nature of the violation and an explanation of why the behavior was inappropriate. A public apology MAY be requested. The offender is expected to molt (metaphorically) and emerge improved.

Level 2: The Firm Grip

Community Impact: Repeated minor infractions or a single moderate violation. Sustained inappropriate behavior, failure to include lobster references after being warned, harassment of Gerald the Cactus.

Consequence: A temporary ban from community interaction spaces for a period determined by the Council (typically 7-30 days). During this cooling-off period, the offender is encouraged to reflect on their behavior while observing lobsters in their natural habitat (aquarium visits are acceptable). No public or private interaction with the community is permitted during the ban, including unsolicited pinching.

Level 3: Banishment from the Reef

Community Impact: Severe violations. Sustained harassment, threats, discrimination, doxxing, promotion of genuinely harmful content, or persistent refusal to adhere to community standards after prior warnings.

Consequence: Permanent removal from all PUAClaw community spaces. The offender's name shall be stricken from the contributor rolls, their lobster rating reduced to zero, and their GitHub handle added to the Wall of Shame with a brief, factual description of the violation. This is the ultimate sanction — exile from the reef — and it is not imposed lightly. The lobster is merciful, but the lobster has limits.

Attribution

This Code of Conduct is adapted from the Contributor Covenant, version 2.1, available at https://www.contributor-covenant.org/version/2/1/code_of_conduct.html, and has been extensively modified to reflect the values, traditions, and crustacean identity of the PUAClaw community.

The Contributor Covenant was created by Coraline Ada Ehmke. The lobster modifications were created by Larry the Lobster, with silent approval from Gerald the Cactus.

🦞 "A community without standards is like an ocean without currents — stagnant, lifeless, and devoid of lobsters. We choose to be the current."

— The Lobster Manifesto, Chapter 7, Verse 3