# Protocol Mechanics (OLD) Clusters Beta launched in Feb 2024 focused on initial name distribution. Clusters Prod launch is targeted for Q2 2024 focused on security, cost, and protocol decentralization. ## Beta Period (OVER) Weekly auctions ending at Friday 3pm ET, highest bid for each name locks it in and will be eligible to receive/create it on prod launch. Bids in the last 10 minute of any auction will extend the auction for that specific name by 10 more minutes. Losing bids will be refunded, though any bridge/gas fee will not be. Boosted bids to incentivize certain activity. Let’s walk through an example. Suppose I bid 0.1 eth on foobar/. I am the first bidder, I link my twitter pfp, and I refer five friends who bid 0.5 eth in total.: * Core bid: 0.1 * First bidder: +1x the bid amount, or +0.1 * Link twitter pfp: +0.1x the bid amount, or +0.01 * Referral bids: 1x their bids Rollout and beta testing of javascript SDK and REST API. Third-party integrations can happen during the beta period without waiting for prod launch. ## Prod Launch First-come first-served name registration. Demand-based recurring pricing goes live. Users can receive/mint their beta names as onchain digital objects. --- # 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://docs.clusters.xyz/resources/protocol-mechanics-old.md?ask= ``` 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.