| title | Working with Evaluations |
|---|---|
| description | Learn how to evaluate hypercerts and build trust in the ecosystem. |
Evaluations are third-party assessments of hypercerts. They live on the evaluator's own PDS — not embedded in the original claim — and accumulate over time as different parties provide their perspectives.
An evaluation references the claim it assesses via a strong reference (AT-URI + CID), includes the evaluator's DID, a summary, and optionally a numeric score and linked measurements. The collection is org.hypercerts.context.evaluation. Creating one follows the same createRecord pattern shown in the Quickstart.
Measurements provide quantitative data that can support an evaluation. A measurement records what was measured (the metric), the unit, the value, and optionally the methodology and evidence URIs. The collection is org.hypercerts.context.measurement.
You can link measurements to an evaluation via its measurements array (an array of strong references), creating a traceable chain from raw data to assessment.
Expert review. Domain experts assess technical quality, methodology, and impact. Their DID becomes a portable credential — other projects can discover and trust evaluations from recognized experts.
Community assessment. Multiple stakeholders provide independent evaluations. The diversity of evaluator DIDs creates a richer signal than any single assessment.
Automated evaluation. Scripts and bots can publish evaluations based on API metrics, external data sources, or other programmatic checks. The evaluator DID identifies the automation system and its operator.
Every evaluation is signed by its creator's DID. Unlike anonymous reviews, evaluators build portable reputation across the ecosystem — a DID with a history of rigorous, accurate evaluations becomes a trusted signal. Applications can filter evaluations by evaluator identity, weight them differently, or build custom trust graphs.
{% callout type="note" %} On ATProto, you control your own records but not anyone else's. You can't delete someone else's evaluation of your work, and they can't delete yours. This creates a multi-perspective record of how claims are assessed over time. {% /callout %}