# OpenMEV Council

The OpenMEV Council is the governance body for Toby's OpenMEV network. $TOBY token holders decide how Solana's blockspace marketplace operates.

Most MEV infrastructure on Solana is controlled by a single foundation or a small group of operators. They set the rules. They decide which strategies are allowed, how fees are distributed, and who gets access. Everyone else just lives with those decisions.

The OpenMEV Council replaces that model with community governance. The people who use the network, hold the token, and depend on the infrastructure are the same people who control how it works.

## What the Council Governs

$TOBY token holders vote on the parameters that define how OpenMEV operates. This isn't advisory governance or signaling polls. Council decisions directly shape the network.

### MEV Admission Rules

Which MEV strategies are allowed on the network and which are filtered. This is the most consequential governance power in the system. The Council decides whether sandwich attacks are blocked, which forms of arbitrage are permitted, and where the line falls between beneficial and harmful MEV.

### Validator Participation and Incentives

Requirements for validators to join the OpenMEV network and the incentive structures that reward them. This includes minimum performance thresholds, staking requirements, and how $TOBY emissions are distributed across the validator set.

### Auction Mechanics and Fee Distribution

How Block Chef auctions operate and where the fees go. The Council sets the parameters for bundle pricing, tip distribution between validators and stakers, and the protocol's fee take rate.

### Protocol Integration Approvals

Which Solana protocols and DeFi platforms integrate with OpenMEV. Every new integration expands the MEV surface area the network can capture, so these decisions directly impact the value flowing through the system and back to token holders.

### Network Upgrades

Future changes to the OpenMEV protocol itself: new features, architectural changes, and technical upgrades. The Council ensures that the network evolves based on the needs of its participants, not the preferences of a single development team.

## Why This Matters

The word "open" in OpenMEV isn't branding. It's a governance commitment.

MEV infrastructure touches every transaction on Solana. The rules governing that infrastructure affect validators, stakers, searchers, protocols, and every user who submits a trade. When a single entity sets those rules, the incentives inevitably skew toward that entity's interests.

Community governance changes the incentive structure. When $TOBY holders control the parameters, the network optimizes for what's best for the ecosystem as a whole, because the decision-makers are the ecosystem.

## How It Differs

| Dimension          | Typical MEV Infrastructure                  | OpenMEV Council                        |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| **Rule-setting**   | Foundation or operator unilaterally decides | $TOBY holders vote on all parameters   |
| **MEV policy**     | Fixed or opaque filtering rules             | Community-defined admission rules      |
| **Fee structure**  | Set by the operator                         | Governed by token holders              |
| **Upgrades**       | Shipped when the team decides               | Approved by community vote             |
| **Accountability** | Take it or leave it                         | Token holders can change any parameter |

## Governance Timeline

Detailed governance mechanics, including voting procedures and proposal processes, will be published as the network approaches mainnet launch. The Council's scope and authority are defined now. The implementation details will be finalized with community input.

***

**Learn more:**

* [$TOBY tokenomics and utility](/toby-token/tokenomics.md)


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://learn.toby.foundation/products-and-infrastructure/open-mev-council.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.