> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://dao-dao-docs.gitbook.io/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://dao-dao-docs.gitbook.io/docs/dao-governance/proposals/what.md).

# What are proposals?

Proposals are how DAOs take action. You can think of proposals as the nervous system of the DAO—members submit and vote on proposals, and if passed, the DAO *does something*.

## What can proposals do?

Proposals can contain actions, which is where things get really interesting.

### Actions

Actions are software instructions that get executed on the blockchain after a proposal is passed. This lets you do things like spend from the DAO's treasury, add or remove members, mint new governance tokens, and more.

An action could, for example, pay a contributor by transferring money from the DAO's treasury to their wallet. The purpose of the DAO DAO UI is to make it easy to do this by abstracting away the technicalities of the blockchain in an easy-to-use interface.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Examples**

A blockchain software instruction can do pretty much anything:

* Deploy a docker container on [Akash](https://akash.network).
* [Update the configuration](https://daodao.zone/dao/juno10h0hc64jv006rr8qy0zhlu4jsxct8qwa0vtaleayh0ujz0zynf2s2r7v8q/proposals/A7) of a smart contract, such as the DAO itself.
* Pay a [RPC node provider](https://daodao.zone/dao/juno1gpwekludv6vu8pkpnp2hwwf7f84a7mcvgm9t2cvp92hvpxk07kdq8z4xj2/proposals/A7).

Truly anything you can do on a blockchain is supported by DAO DAO DAOs, with the added benefits of sophisticated governance processes.
{% endhint %}

## Voting on proposals

When you create a proposal, the voting distribution of members at the time of proposal creation is snapshotted and used for the proposal. This means that if you were not a member when a proposal was created, you will not be able to vote on it.

This security measure prevents an attacker from purchasing a DAO's governance token if it's listed on an exchange, manipulating a vote, and then selling the tokens immediately afterward. Essentially, it ensures that a DAO member knows *to whom* they are making a proposal: the people who have voting power at the moment the proposal goes live.

## How do I create a proposal?

Check out the [How to create a proposal](/docs/dao-governance/proposals/how-to-create-a-proposal.md) guide to get started.


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## 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, and the optional `goal` query parameter:

```
GET https://dao-dao-docs.gitbook.io/docs/dao-governance/proposals/what.md?ask=<question>&goal=<endgoal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal.

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.