# Stands & Guilds

A **Stand** is a governed group of Holders that holds a [Vault](../shared/storage-pools.md)
in common (REQ-016). A **Guild** is a looser association of Holders that can
pass value among its members for free (REQ-017). Both are the organizational
layer a [Freeholder](index.md) joins after earning the four
[signals](signals.md).

## The nine Stand types

OpenYield defines exactly nine Stand types (REQ-016, vision §11), locked as a
const in `x/stand`:

1. **Household** — a family-scale group.
2. **Crew** — a working team.
3. **Entity** — a single legal actor.
4. **Co-op** — a cooperative.
5. **Circle** — an affinity group.
6. **Trust** — a trust arrangement.
7. **Foundation** — a purpose-bound entity.
8. **Confederation** — a federation of Stands.
9. **Shadow** — a privacy-preserving Stand.

A Stand's decision policy (threshold or weighted, mirroring the Cosmos SDK
`x/group` shape) governs how its Vault is used. A Stand can also issue
[Bonds](bonds.md) — the bond issuer is a Stand, referenced by stand-id.

## Guilds and Hand-Passes

A **Guild** is a looser association: it may affiliate with a Stand or stand
alone. Inside a Guild, a **Hand-Pass** moves [Bread](../shared/bread-scale.md)
between members at a **0% protocol fee** (REQ-017, locked `HandPassFeeBps = 0`
in `x/guild`). The 0% fee is mission-locked: the mesh does not tax the social
transfer of value among a self-organized group. See the
[Fee Covenant](../shared/six-principles.md) for the broader fee shape.

## How a Freeholder joins

A Freeholder joins a Stand by becoming a member (the Stand's policy admits
them) or forms a Guild as a founder. Membership is recorded in `x/stand`
and `x/guild` respectively, by stand-id / guild-id and the member's
[Reach](../nomads/reach.md). From a Stand a Freeholder gains Vault access and
the ability to issue [Bonds](bonds.md); from a Guild a Freeholder gains free
Hand-Passes with other members.

See [Councils & Voice](councils-voice.md) for how Stands and Guilds each get a
Council, and [Storage Pools](../shared/storage-pools.md) for the Vault layer.