Claim Reward Criteria & Troubleshooting Guide
This guide outlines the complete process for claiming rewards and provides troubleshooting steps for developers working on the Lightning Bounties Platform.
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This guide outlines the complete process for claiming rewards and provides troubleshooting steps for developers working on the Lightning Bounties Platform.
Last updated
Was this helpful?
To successfully claim a reward for a bounty, follow these steps:
It’s essential to register and log in to Lightning Bounties using your GitHub account before submitting your PR and clicking "Claim Reward."
This ensures your reward is properly linked to your account and that you’re eligible to claim the bounty.
See FIRST TIME ONBORDING For Detailed Instructions.
Browse available bounties on the app.lightningbounties.com feed
Review the issue details, requirements, and reward amount
Check if the bounty is still available (not claimed by someone else)
See Finding Bounties to Solve For Detailed Instructions.
Fork the repository to your GitHub account
Clone your fork locally and create a branch for your work
Implement the fix according to the issue requirements
Test your changes thoroughly to ensure they meet all acceptance criteria
Push your changes to your fork
See Working on a Bounty For Detailed Instructions.
Go to the original repository on GitHub.
Click "Compare & pull request" for your branch.
In the PR description, include close #issue-number or closes #issue-number to link the PR to the issue.
GitHub only recognizes linked issues when the PR targets the repository's default branch (usually main or master).
Provide a clear explanation of your changes and how they address the issue.
You can include as much additional information as needed in your PR description.
Submit the PR for review
Screenshot Example:
The repository maintainer will review your PR.
Once it is approved and merged, the issue will be closed automatically if you used the correct closesyntax.
See Working on a Bounty For Detailed Instructions.
Manually claim your reward:
Visit app.lightningbounties.com and find the Bounty you solved
Click the "Claim Reward" button
Click the "Check" button to verify your eligibility
The reward process will not start automatically.
You must manually complete the claim steps on app.lightningbounties.com after your PR is merged.
Once your PR is merged and your eligibility is verified, the reward will be deposited directly into your Lightning Bounties balance.
If you encounter issues claiming your Lightning Bounty reward, use this guide to diagnose and resolve common problems.
For more details, see the Lightning Bounties Troubleshooting Guide and GitHub’s official documentation on linking pull requests to issues.
Problem Indicators:
The PR does not show the linked issue in the GitHub interface.
The issue remains open after your PR is merged.
The reward does not process automatically.
If your PR is still open, you can update the PR description to add the correct closing keyword (e.g., close #issue-number).
Navigate to your pull request on GitHub.
Near the top of the PR page, locate the description section (below the title).
Hover over the description area and click the "Edit" (... or pencil) icon.
Add the close #issue-numberkeyword at the top of the PR description (not in a comment or commit message, as only the PR body triggers the automation for Lightning Bounties and GitHub).
Contact the repository owner or maintainer
Ask them to edit the PR description to add the closing keyword
If your original PR has already been merged without the correct closing keyword: (see below)
Create a new PR with a minimal change (e.g., update documentation, add a comment, or fix a typo).
In the PR description, include the appropriate closing keyword (e.g., close #42).
Reference your original PR:
close #42
This PR references the work completed in #123 (original PR).Notify the repository owner about this follow-up PR and explain its purpose.
Once merged, return to Lightning Bounties and click "Claim Reward" and "Check."
If you are unable to resolve the issue through the above steps, join the Lightning Bounties Discord and request an override from the LB team.
Add a comment to the PR, tagging the maintainer (e.g., @maintainer) and include the Lightning Bounties issue URL.
Ask the maintainer to respond in the PR thread confirming that the PR qualifies for the bounty.
The maintainer must write a clear comment confirming the qualification (an emoji or reaction is not sufficient as proof).
For more details on linking PRs to issues, see GitHub’s guide on linking pull requests to issues.
Verification Steps:
Confirm the issue is marked as "closed" on GitHub
Verify the PR that closed it has been merged
Check that you clicked "Claim Reward" on Lightning Bounties
Solutions:
Check User Balance: Ensure your account balance is updated on app.lightningbounties.com
Verify Wallet Setup: Make sure your Lightning Network wallet is correctly configured
Contact Support: If issues persist, reach out to the Lightning Bounties Discord for assistance
Missing link syntax
PR doesn't include close #issue-number
Edit PR description or create follow-up PR
Wrong issue number
PR references incorrect issue
Edit PR or create new PR with correct number
Not claiming reward
Forgot to click "Claim Reward" button
Go to Lightning Bounties app and click button
Issue already claimed
Another dev claimed the bounty first
Check issue status before working on it
Always double-check the issue number when adding close #issue-number syntax
Communicate clearly with repository maintainers about your bounty claim
Keep PRs focused on addressing the specific issue
Don't forget to manually click "Claim Reward" on Lightning Bounties platform
The Lightning Bounties system requires both proper GitHub issue linking through the close #issue-number syntax AND manual claiming through the Lightning Bounties platform.
Both steps are essential for successful reward processing
For additional assistance, join the Lightning Bounties Discord community.
CRITICAL STEP
INFO
IMPORTANT
