# Reach

A **Nomad** is a person using the OpenYield mesh through a **Reach** — the
protocol-level identity that lets a Holder act on the mesh without a
custodian, a gatekeeper, or a legacy financial position. The Reach is the
first of the four Freeholder signals (REQ-005), and it is the baseline every
Nomad starts from: a Nomad is a Holder who has a Reach and a Stash but has not
yet earned all four Freeholder signals.

## What a Reach is

A Reach is an identity, not a custodial position. It is the by-ID-string a
Holder uses to receive value, open a [Window](window.md), join a Stand, or
pay for a service. The protocol does not require KYC at the protocol layer;
the Reach is the unit of self-service (see [Six
Principles](../shared/six-principles.md)).

## How a Nomad starts

A Nomad starts with two things:

1. **A Reach** — the identity.
2. **A [Stash](stash.md)** — the personal [Storage Pool](../shared/storage-pools.md)
   where the Holder holds Bread.

That pair is enough to begin. From there a Nomad can use the [bearers](bearers.md)
to reach the mesh, find services on [Maps & Pay](maps-pay.md), authorize a
[Window](window.md) to a partner, and accrue [Standing](standing.md).

## Geographic proximity

The mesh processes actions first-come, first-served with a
geographic-proximity preference (REQ-007) — a Nomad physically closer to a
service or a Stand's region is served first. The Reach is how the mesh
identifies the Nomad for that ordering; there is no separate tier to buy into.

## The four Freeholder signals

The Reach is the first Freeholder signal. The four signals (REQ-005) are
earned over time: the 90-day [Stash](stash.md) signal, the Standing
threshold, the Capital signal, and the Vouch signal. A Nomad who earns all
four becomes a Freeholder (see the Freeholders section). The pages here cover
the Nomad path — everything up to that point.

See [Stash](stash.md) for the Storage Pool a Reach holds Bread in,
[Bearers](bearers.md) for how to reach the mesh, and
[Standing](standing.md) for the anti-gaming metric that accrues as a Nomad
acts on the mesh.