# How Ante works

The core pieces of the Ante protocol are:

* **Ante Tests** = on-chain logic that verifies some condition is true/false
* **Ante Pools** = 2-sided capital pools that people stake or challenge assets in, whose payout is determined by the result of the Ante Test

#### Pool mechanics

Pools can be **staked** or **challenged**.

Challengers pay decay fees to stakers and test authors over time if the test continues to pass, but can claim staker funds as a reward if the test fails.

<figure><img src="https://3703626754-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FYcWJGD2fAVyIUH34sMhH%2Fuploads%2FuymueiYLBQPMij7Wxsce%2Fstake-challenge.png?alt=media&#x26;token=d65e3501-1fea-4697-bcba-010e76e4fa52" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Pool activity reveals community trust in the tested conditions and can be used to impute a decentralized trust score.