How it works

The full protocol flow.

PULSE has two players: a creator publishing content, and a buyer paying for access. Everything between them runs on a Move smart contract that anyone can read, and on Shelby's decentralized storage network. Here is what each transaction actually does.

Before you start — get test ShelbyUSD

Every action on PULSE — publishing, buying, voting, reselling — is a signed Shelbynet transaction, and each one costs a tiny amount of ShelbyUSD for gas. On testnet, that ShelbyUSD is free. There's no website to visit; you fund your wallet through one of these two paths.

Option A — From Petra (easiest)
  1. 1. Open the Petra extension.
  2. 2. Switch network to Shelbynet (Settings → Network).
  3. 3. Tap the Faucet button on your account screen — you'll receive 10 ShelbyUSD instantly.
Option B — From the Aptos CLI

If you have the CLI installed and your account configured for Shelbynet:

aptos account fund-with-faucet \ --account <your-address> \ --faucet-url https://faucet.shelbynet.shelby.xyz

The faucet endpoint itself is an API only — opening faucet.shelbynet.shelby.xyz in a browser shows nothing useful. Always go through Petra or the CLI.

Publishing
01
Creator uploads to Shelby
The creator picks a file (article, video or course bundle), the browser sends it to Shelby. Shelby returns a permanent blob ID — a permanent pointer that no central server can revoke.
02
Creator signs publish_content
A single Move transaction registers the blob ID, title, type, price (in ShelbyUSD) and royalty percentage on Shelbynet. The creator pays gas. The content enters the pending queue.
03
Admin approves
An admin wallet calls set_content_active. The content flips from pending to live, and shows up in the Ledger and homepage. This is the only gatekeeping moment.
Buying
04
Buyer signs purchase_access
Buyer's wallet pays the asking price in ShelbyUSD. The contract splits it: 99% to the creator, 1% to the platform — atomically, in a single transaction. The buyer's address is added to the content's access list.
05
Content streams from Shelby
On the next page load, the browser asks Shelby for the blob. Shelby checks the contract; the contract confirms the buyer's address is on the access list; the file streams down. No login, no API key, no platform server in between.
Voting
06
Verified buyer signs cast_vote
Only wallets holding access can vote. The transaction costs 0.1 ShelbyUSD. Upvote? The 0.1 ShelbyUSD goes to the creator as a tip. Downvote? It goes to a community pool. The vote count updates instantly on chain.
Reselling
07
Resale with automatic royalty
A buyer who owns access can resell it to a new buyer. The contract enforces the split: creator gets the royalty (default 5%), platform gets 1%, original seller gets the rest. The access token transfers; the original seller loses it. No middleman.
Why this matters

Everything described above is a Move function in the contract at platform.move. You don't take our word for it — you can read the code, simulate any transaction and verify every payment split before signing. The platform's only privilege is approving content. Funds never sit in a custodial wallet — they move directly from buyer to creator.