# Post-judging QA (PJQA) {% hint style="info" %} These guidelines apply to competitions starting on or after January 9, 2026. For audits that started before this date, only [SR wardens](/roles/sr-wardens.md) are eligible to participate in PJQA. {% endhint %} After preliminary judging is complete, there is a 48-hour period during which the sponsor team and [certified](/roles/certification-id-verification.md) wardens who submitted at least one finding can raise questions or concerns for the judge's review. This phase of the judging process is called Post-Judging QA, or PJQA for short; you may be familiar with terms like "escalations" or "appeals," but at Code4rena the focus is on quality assurance for the judging process. PJQA's objectives are to: * ensure that Code4rena's [judging criteria](/competitions/judging-criteria.md) are implemented consistently, and * surface any errors regarding duplication (e.g. overlooked duplicates or mis-groupings). ## PJQA rules ### PJQA comment limits PJQA comment limits [vary according to `signal` score](/roles/signal.md#pjqa-comments-based-on-signal). Wardens/teams may only comment on their own submission(s), unless they have the [SR role](/roles/sr-wardens.md). ### Spam comments Spam comments — including, but not limited to, LLM-generated nonsense or other low-effort comments — slow down the judging process and impede the timely resolution of discussion threads. As such, wardens who submit spam comments may have their comments deleted without notice. Judges have discretion to request an account suspension on the basis of spam. ### Exclusions To respect judges' and sponsors' time, submissions that meet any of the following criteria are NOT open for PJQA comments: * QA reports Comments that break these rules may be deleted by staff. ### One submission per comment Each PJQA comment should focus on a single submission (or set of duplicate submissions). ### No new evidence All evidence should be presented in your original submission. * Elaborations of the already introduced information can be considered (e.g. tweaking a POC), but they will only count towards the validity of the issue, not its quality score. * Screenshots of private conversations with members of the project team, judge, etc. are **not** acceptable as evidence, and will be removed. ### Comments only via app All feedback for the judge should be provided in a comment on the relevant submission, via the C4 app interface. Ad hoc discussions about judging in the C4 Discord, DM-ing judges, etc. violate the [Good citizenship policy](/competitions/submission-guidelines.md#good-citizenship-is-a-requirement-for-compensation) and may result in disciplinary action. ### **48 hour comment window** Warden comments are only allowed during the 48-hour PJQA comment window. C4 staff will post a notice in the [⁠](https://discord.com/channels/810916927919620096/1166686843421593631)C4 Discord when the comment window opens. You can opt in to receive Discord notifications when post-judging QA opens. **🔔 To enable notifications:** 1. [Visit the #**⁠manage-notifs** channel](https://discord.com/channels/810916927919620096/1278401853008248842) 2. React to the post with a 🔔 3. You should now have the `pjqa-notifs` role, which will be tagged in future PJQA announcements. :no\_bell: **To disable notifications:** 1. [Visit the #**⁠manage-notifs** channel](https://discord.com/channels/810916927919620096/1278401853008248842) 2. De-select the 🔔 - this will remove the `pjqa-notifs` role. ### No solicitation of others to comment for you Wardens must not solicit other wardens, judges, or C4 staff to perform PJQA actions on their behalf; doing so is a violation of C4's [Good citizenship policy](/competitions/submission-guidelines.md#good-citizenship-is-a-requirement-for-compensation). If someone asks you to comment on their behalf, decline and report it to C4 staff if it persists. ### Fact-based and respectful dialogue Focus on technical facts, evidence, and analysis. Comments that are insulting, accusatory, or that question others' motives will be removed and may result in loss of PJQA privileges. {% hint style="warning" %} Violations of these guidelines may result in comment removal, suspension of PJQA privileges, or other disciplinary action at the discretion of C4 staff. {% endhint %} ## Logistics ### **Public vs private comments** The comment form includes a checkbox option for Private discussion. If this option is checked, only you, the judge, sponsor, and C4 staff will be able to see the comment and its child replies. If the `Private discussion` option is **not** checked, your comments will be: * **visible to all wardens, the sponsor team, judge, and staff** until the report is published, and * **public** once the audit report is published. ### **Judge replies** * Judges may respond during the comment window, but often they review all comments together afterward. * Judges cannot respond to every PJQA comment in detail. * If the judge replies to you during the comment window, you may reply to either a) answer their question, or b) correct a factual error in their response. * **Further back-and-forth will result in suspended commenting privileges.** --- # 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. 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