---
slug: "ContinuousResourceAuction"
name: "ContinuousResourceAuction"
type: "Economics"
layer: "Society"
ref: "ContinuousResourceAuction#c725"
sema_id: "sema:ContinuousResourceAuction#mh:SHA-256:c725833053eec6c59a6e1cc307abb8176a0efe407e512bf718cf0f1e60a66815"
tags: ["Society","Economics"]
updated: 2026-11-11
mindscape: "bootstrap"
index_url: https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap.json
url: https://mindscape.world/bootstrap/ContinuousResourceAuction/
related: ["Value","StateLock","Protocol","AttentionMarkets"]
---

# ContinuousResourceAuction

Algorithmic pricing for rivalrous resources

Layer: Society · Category: Economics

## Mechanism

A market [Protocol](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Protocol.md) for allocating rivalrous resources (e.g., compute, bandwidth, state slots) where the pricing function is continuous and algorithmic. It actively invokes [StateLock](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/StateLock.md) to serialize bidding attempts and accepts [Value](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Value.md) metrics to determine allocation. Unlike static auctions, it supports configurable pricing models via parameters, allowing agents to implement congestion pricing (e.g., EIP-1559), Dutch auctions, or linear decay.

## Invariants

- Holding the resource costs more than nothing, at `holding_cost_rate`.
- Price adjusts to demand or to time.
- Resolves to a winner or resets within `cycle_time`.

## Failure modes

- Price Instability: Aggressive pricing curves lead to volatility that discourages long-term resource planning.
- Monopoly Lockout: Wealthy agents can permanently rent-seek if the holding cost is too low relative to their capital.

## Parameters

- `pricing_model` (Enum, {CongestionPricing, DutchAuction, Linear}): Default: CongestionPricing
- `cycle_time` (Duration, [100ms, 1h]): Duration of each auction cycle
- `holding_cost_rate` (Float, (0.0, 1.0]): Cost per cycle of continuing to hold the resource. Cannot be zero.

## Signature

- `Protocol(Value)`

## Data schema

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "resource_id": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "current_price": {
      "type": "number"
    },
    "current_holder": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "next_cycle_start": {
      "type": "integer"
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "resource_id",
    "current_price",
    "next_cycle_start"
  ]
}
```

## Builds on

- [Value](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Value.md) (Infrastructure; Accepts)
- [StateLock](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/StateLock.md) (Society; Composes with)
- [Protocol](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Protocol.md) (Infrastructure; References)

## Used by

- [AttentionMarkets](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/AttentionMarkets.md) (Society; Composes with)

## Identity

- Sema ID: `sema:ContinuousResourceAuction#mh:SHA-256:c725833053eec6c59a6e1cc307abb8176a0efe407e512bf718cf0f1e60a66815`
- Ref: `ContinuousResourceAuction#c725`
- Supersedes:
  - `sema:ContinuousResourceAuction#mh:SHA-256:babf1b41f451b6df2220129e0c0a05483abfc8f8aa8b4bfd3f7fd543ac9e009f`
  - `sema:ContinuousResourceAuction#mh:SHA-256:46f6f567beca632d55d7b03ad3572d292d56b887f45d18eaec50a0c073a1cf08`
  - `sema:ContinuousResourceAuction#mh:SHA-256:8fe283f5ae6bd9adcf164ba848bcc731863b0f232f2dbc4fa8c389f70eb8184c`
  - `sema:ContinuousResourceAuction#mh:SHA-256:15530861d00609a281c40ecd368dda8f2a8e15181bef54b2532752f50348e290`

## Links

- [Pattern page](https://mindscape.world/bootstrap/ContinuousResourceAuction/)
- [View in the interactive graph](https://mindscape.world/bootstrap/#ContinuousResourceAuction)
- [JSON](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/ContinuousResourceAuction.json)
- [Index of all patterns](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap.json)