FAQ
Straight answers about how Yubikiri works today.
Can I try it without signing up?
Yes. Open the demo commission room and the demo artist track record — both work without an account.
Is Yubikiri free?
Commission rooms, artist pages, sealing a solo piece, and checking a Keepsake or delivery are free. Artists keep 100% of everything they quote — stages, change orders, and extras. When a client pays through the room, a 5% room service fee is added as its own line at checkout. It is what keeps rooms free for artists. Stripe charges its own processing fee. That one is theirs, not ours.
Do you allow AI art?
No. Generative AI image output cannot be sold or delivered through Yubikiri. Artists also cannot pass AI-generated or generative-AI-assisted artwork off as human-made. Non-generative tools for file organization, color management, resizing, and spellcheck are allowed because they do not generate the artwork.
AI assists with Yubikiri's software and with parsing the commission terms you wrote yourself; it never touches artwork.
Artists must sign the human-made pledge to create or update a public profile. The mark records that pledge. Signed-in users can report a profile privately. A person reviews the report before any action. Confirmed violations can lead to mark removal, suspension, or permanent removal. What the mark does and does not mean is set out in Disclaimers.
Does Yubikiri hold my money?
No. When an artist connects Stripe and a stage is invoiced, the client pays through Stripe Checkout and the payout lands in the artist's own Stripe account. Artists who do not connect Stripe arrange payment their own way.
Does Yubikiri handle payment?
Optionally, yes — via Stripe. Artists who connect Stripe can request payment per milestone. When a client signs off a stage, the next stage amount is drafted for the artist — they tap Send to create the Checkout link; the client is not notified until Send. When Stripe confirms payment, the stage flips to Paid. Payouts go directly to the artist's Stripe. Artists can also turn on “Paid to continue” so the next WIP waits until that invoice is paid. Manual None / Invoiced / Paid tracking remains available without Stripe. Demo rooms cannot take payments.
How do Stripe payments work?
Connect a Stripe Express account from /dashboard/payments. In a room, send an invoice for a milestone — or set a stage amount so that when your client signs off, the next stage is drafted for you to send. Money goes directly to your Stripe, and Yubikiri takes no cut of your commission stages. Optional Paid to continue locks the next WIP upload until the prior invoice is paid. You can also skip Stripe and track None / Invoiced / Paid manually. Demo rooms cannot take payments.
What is approval-linked billing?
When a client signs off a milestone, Yubikiri prepares an invoice draft for the next stage if an amount is already set (or matches the approved stage’s amount). You send it when ready — the client is not asked to pay until you do. Artists who want a firmer gate can enable Paid to continue on their profile.
Is Yubikiri a marketplace?
A commission room starts when an artist sends you an invite link. The /artists directory lists public artist pages so you can browse track records, marks, and availability, and a menu shows starting prices with no checkout on profile pages. Optional Stripe checkout happens per milestone inside a room when the artist connects Stripe; it is never required.
Can clients request commissions?
Signed-in clients can request an invitefrom an artist's public page when commissions are open. That asks the artist to send a commission invite. The artist reviews the request and either accepts (creating a normal room and sending the invite) or declines. Rooms still start with the artist's invite.
What can I use today?
Today you can create an artist page, invite a client into a commission room, agree on terms, share and approve WIPs, manage revisions and changes, track optional Stripe payments, and deliver the final. Finished rooms include a downloadable archive and can create a Keepsake that is free to check. Artist pages can also show a menu, availability, reviews, and a track record. For every shipped detail, see the changelog.
What is a change order?
After terms are locked, the artist can propose mid-commission changes to the deadline, included revision limit, or room price. The client Accepts or Declines in the room (Accept confirms the deltas first). Accepted changes update the shared record and appear in the activity trail and agreement PDF. If the accepted price goes up, Yubikiri prepares a Change-order balance stage invoice for the difference via Stripe when Connect is ready — it does not rewrite prior stage invoices.
What is Rebook?
From a completed room, an artist can rebook the same client with title, price, revision limit, and milestones prefilled from that room. A new deadline is required. The invite is for that prior client account only. On the invite, the client may see brief defaults and pre-selected character references from last time — they can edit anything, and they must accept terms again before the room starts. The artist sends the invite when they are ready.
Can clients buy an extra revision?
Yes, when an extra revision price is set (profile default and/or a per-room override), Stripe is connected, and the room is at its revision limit. The client pays through Stripe Checkout; the payout goes directly to the artist's Stripe account. After payment, the included revision counter increases by one. Artists can still raise the limit with a mutual change order instead (or when Stripe is not set up).
What is a rush fee?
Artists can offer rush on a room by setting an earlier deadline and a fee (profile default and/or room override). The client is notified, then pays through Stripe Checkout; on payment the room deadline moves to the rush date. Payout goes to the artist. One paid rush per room. The rush date becomes the room's shared deadline record.
What is Studio triage?
On the dashboard, open work splits into Needs your action (sign off, pay, decide a change order, submit a brief, consent making-of, review inquiries) and Waiting on them (brief, sign-off, payment, change-order decision, WIP). Items deep-link into the room action.
What is an evidence export ZIP?
Authorized room participants can download a ZIP containing the frozen agreement, activity record, file hashes, delivered files, change orders, per-file records and Keepsake files when the room was sealed. It is a portable paper trail for disputes — evidence, not a chargeback guarantee. Plain how-to: Keepsake guide.
What is a Keepsake?
Provenance tools prove who exported a file. A Keepsake from a finished commission room proves what two people agreed to, approved, and paid for — and when. Sealed from solo work, it has one party: the steps that artist recorded and the final files they sealed, with no client sign-off. Anyone can check either for free at /verify (no account). Not AI detection or authorship proof. Step-by-step: Keepsake guide. What a record does and does not show: Disclaimers.
If something goes wrong — ghosting, chargebacks, disputes?
If a payment was made through Stripe Checkout to the artist's Connect account, refunds and chargebacks go through Stripe and the artist. Keep your agreement PDF and evidence export from the commission room; the activity trail and paid-stage timestamps are your receipts for what was agreed and delivered. Evidence is not a chargeback guarantee. For policy details see Terms. For human-made / fraud reports use the report form on an artist's public page.
What is solo work?
Artists can record process for personal or portfolio work without a client room. Start from Dashboard → Solo work, upload WIP steps, mark a final, and seal. Sealing a solo piece is free, with no monthly limit. Checking a Keepsake stays free. Guide: Keepsake guide.
Can I show a Keepsake on my portfolio?
Yes. Each final can get a small image you paste on Carrd, a bio, or a listing. It links to the free page where anyone can checkthat file's Keepsake. In a completed room, sealed solo piece, or making-of page, use Copy Keepsake Seal under the final. That image describes one finished work; Artist marks describe artists. How-to: Keepsake guide.
What is the year-end income summary?
From Payments, artists can export milestones marked Paid for a selected year as CSV or PDF, including paid Stripe +1 revision and rush add-ons. The export lists what Yubikiri recorded as paid.
What is the queue widget?
A live SVG at /api/embed/queue/your-handle shows slot availability on Carrd, a portfolio, or another site without client names, briefs, artwork, or prices. Copy the snippet from your profile settings.
What are timed slot openings?
Artists can schedule a window when signed-in clients may request an invite. The artist still accepts or declines every request.
How do bilingual room comments work?
A room can use English and Japanese. When DeepL is configured, each comment can include a convenience translation into the other room language. The original text always remains visible and authoritative.
How do collaborators and pipeline rooms work?
A lead artist can invite an illustrator, cutter, rigger, shader, or other collaborator into a room, or start a VTuber launch pipeline (illustration → cutting → rigging, optional shading) with stage handoff checklists and a cross-room status strip. When the whole chain is done, you can publish a public “Launch completed on Yubikiri” page with client consent. Collaborators work with files and discussion; the lead artist keeps terms and payouts.
How do I check one final file against a Keepsake?
Paste the id on the final (it looks like yk_cc_…) at /verify — no account. That check ties one exact file to its Yubikiri process record: the file passed through a commission room or solo piece. For the full sealed record, see Keepsake. How-to: Check a delivery.
What happens to my art files?
WIPs are shown to the commission participants as watermarked previews. Clean finals unlock for the client when the commission completes. Yubikiri does not sell your files or use your artwork to train generative AI models.
Who can see my saved references and commission queue?
Your character reference library is private to your account. References attached to a brief are available in that commission room. The public queue is intentionally anonymous: it shows slot availability, stage progress, and timing without client names, artwork, or commission details.
Can I use my own terms of service?
Yes. Your ToS lives on your artist profile and is snapshotted onto each commission when the client accepts. Changing your profile later won't rewrite an active agreement.
What if we need more revisions than planned?
The revision counter is visible to both sides. When included rounds run out, the client can buy a +1 revision through Stripe if the artist set a price, or the artist can propose a change order to raise the limit (client Accept required) — instead of silent scope creep. For the longer survival checklist, see The Fourth Revision.
How do public track records work?
Completed commissions feed your public page (/a/your-handle): completed count, on-time rate, average turnaround, and reviews. Those numbers are calculated from completed Yubikiri rooms rather than typed into the profile. You can also embed a live track-record badge from /api/badge/your-handle on Carrd, link pages, or bios — same stats, updated from completed rooms.
What soft client history do artists see on invite requests?
Artists see pace, not a score. The signals come from that client’s completed Yubikiri rooms: approval pace, revision pace, and client-started cancels. Thin history reads as New client. There is no public client page, and clients can turn the signals off under Notification settings → Invite-request privacy.
What is the track-record badge?
A live SVG badge at /api/badge/your-handle showing your completed count, on-time percentage, and rating — calculated from finished Yubikiri rooms, not typed in. Copy the embed snippet from your dashboard profile and paste it into Carrd, a bio link, or your own site.
What is a commission menu?
Reusable service definitions you set once — name, starting price, stages, revision limit, and turnaround. They pre-fill new commission rooms and can appear on your public artist page as informational pricing ("from $X"). Menu items have no checkout — they are starting points, not a purchase flow. In a commission room, the artist can optionally request per-stage payment through Stripe if they connect an account; otherwise payment is arranged between artist and client as usual.
What are delivery share pages?
When a commission completes, the artist can generate a public celebration page at /s/<token> with track-record stats and a shareable link. The finished artwork appears on that page only if the client explicitly opts in — and they can revoke that consent later. Without consent, the page shows the record without the art.
What are making-of process pages?
When a commission completes, the artist can publish a making-of page: the watermarked stage-by-stage progression, server-recorded timestamps, revision counts, and the final's file id — built from the room record rather than hand-picked screenshots. It requires the client's explicit, revocable consent, shows no briefs, prices, or client identity, and is a documented process record. If the room has a Keepsake, the page can link to that check as well.
Can I sign off on milestones from Discord?
Yes, if you linked Discord and enabled commission DMs in notification settings. When an artist submits a stage for review, you can tap Sign off or Request changes (with a note) directly in the DM. Artists can also use the /queue artist:<handle> slash command to show open slots and an anonymous queue without exposing client names or commission details.
How do web push notifications work?
Opt in per device from notification settings. When enabled, approval requests and new comments can arrive as native phone or desktop notifications — in addition to in-app alerts and optional Discord DMs. You can turn them off anytime.
How do delivery fingerprints and /verify work?
Every file delivered in a Yubikiri room gets a fingerprint — a unique code from the file's exact contents. Anyone can drop a file on /verify; the check happens in your browser and the file is never uploaded. A match means that exact file was delivered from a completed Yubikiri commission room. Lookups never reveal client details, briefs, or prices. Step-by-step: Check a delivery. What a match does and does not show: Disclaimers.
Is there an API?
Yes — a beta one. Artists can create API keys from the Developer page in the dashboard and read their own commissions, milestones, track record, and queue over JSON. You can also register webhook endpoints to get signed events when a commission or milestone changes — useful for Discord bots, Notion boards, or your own portfolio site. Keys only ever read your own data, and responses never include client identities or briefs. Docs live at /developers. It is a beta, and endpoints may evolve.
How does the feedback board work?
Anyone can read the public feedback board. Signed-in users can post suggestions or issues and vote. Each item shows whether it is open, planned, or shipped, so product decisions and follow-through stay visible. Developers can reply publicly under a post.
How do I know if my feedback was seen?
When a developer replies or changes the status of your post — Planned, Shipped, or Declined — you’ll get an in-app notification and an email if your account has one. Shipped items stay on the public board so everyone can see what landed.
How do I become a founding artist?
Founding is invite-only for the first 100 artists — not automatic when you sign up. Create an artist page anytime to use the product. To be considered for the Founding mark, join the Founding waitlistor ship real commissions and we'll reach out.
What is Yubi Verified?
Yubi Verified(“you be verified”) is a mint-colored mark shown next to an artist's name. It means their Yubikiri track record meets the rules below.
To earn it, an artist needs:
1. A verified account email, including email supplied through Discord sign-in
2. At least 3 completed commissions on Yubikiri
3. Reliability: no late deliveries while under 10 deadline-tracked rooms, then ≥ 90% on-time after that
The mark is computed live from real rooms. Fall below the bar and it pauses until the record recovers. See an example on /a/demo.
What is the gold Builder mark?
The amber Yubikiri Builder mark (bracket mark) is for the people who build and maintain Yubikiri. On their public page you will also see a clear Builds Yubikiri label. It is manually granted to staff — not earned from commissions and not for sale.
How accessible is Yubikiri?
Yubikiri is designed to support keyboard navigation, visible focus, screen-reader-friendly labels, and reduced-motion preferences. Accessibility is ongoing work, not a badge we award ourselves. If something blocks you from using the site, use the contact form and tell us what happened so we can fix it.