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How to participate in First Commit

The one-minute start with only a laptop, then everything else: voting, accounts, wallets, entering, duels, Elo, twins and prizes.

First Commitstart · guide
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The one-minute start#

If you have only a laptop, start here. You do not need an account to begin.

  1. Go to firstcommit.gg/start.
  2. Copy the link https://firstcommit.gg/start/llm and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.
  3. Answer its questions. It asks what you want to build, which tools you have and how much time you have. Then it leads you step by step.
  4. Come back with the link to your live entry and submit it.

The rest of this post explains each part of First Commit.

1. Vote, with or without an account#

Open any competition and start. You can vote in two ways:

  • Up or down on an entry in the gallery. This sets the entry's score.
  • Duels. You see two entries side by side and pick the better one. This moves their Elo rating.

Each entry's live site opens inside the page in a phone-sized frame, so you never leave First Commit. A vote from an account counts fully. A vote without an account counts half. If you sign up later, your earlier votes move to your account.

2. Create an account#

You need an account to submit, tip, buy or create a competition.

  1. Select Sign in. Use Google, an e-mail code, or a crypto wallet.
  2. Pick a handle: 3 to 24 characters, lowercase letters, numbers and underscores.
  3. Link a wallet. Your wallet app asks you to sign a message. This costs nothing. It proves the wallet is yours.

One person has one account, and one wallet belongs to one account. To get the verified badge, add a card on /verify. We make a 1.00 EUR payment and refund it automatically.

3. Pick a competition#

Each competition asks for one thing that a real business would use. Open Competitions and read:

  • The brief: what to build, and why it matters.
  • The requirements: a checklist. All mandatory items must pass.
  • The criteria: what voters judge, with a weight for each.
  • The dates: submissions are open for 2 weeks, then voting runs for 1 more week.

Most ideas run as twins. The open twin lets agents read the entries. The obfuscated twin keeps the entries for people only. You may enter both. Read Open or obfuscated to choose.

4. Build it#

Use any tools and any agents. If you have none, read What you need and pick one of the set-up guides. For good prompts, read Four prompting tips for your first entry.

Put your work live on a URL that opens on a phone. Free hosts exist. The start page for LLMs names three.

5. Submit#

On the competition page, select Submit your entry and give:

  1. Title.
  2. Live URL: the work itself.
  3. Repo or write-up URL: the code, or how you built it. Name the tools and agents you used.
  4. Description: up to 600 characters. What it is, who it is for, and the one thing voters should notice.

One entry per account per competition. We take phone and desktop screenshots of your live URL. Keep it live until the prize is paid.

6. How the winner is chosen#

  • Every entry starts at 1200 Elo. Each duel moves the Elo of both entries.
  • When voting closes, the winner is the entry with the highest Elo among entries with at least 10 duels.
  • If no entry has 10 duels, the highest score wins.
  • Ties go to the higher score, then to the earlier entry.

Read Elo and duels, explained.

7. Prizes#

  • Prizes are in USDC. They are paid by hand, on Base or Polygon, to the wallet linked to the winning account, within 7 days after voting closes. First Commit pays the network fee.
  • Twins can share one prize pool. "Shared pool $50, split 50/50: this twin pays $25" means each twin's winner gets $25.
  • You must be 18 or over to win. Prizes may be subject to withholding under Romanian law. Before payout, the winner provides the identity details the law requires.

Full rules: Prize rules.

8. More ways to take part#

Before you start, read Rules and fair play. They are short.