## What it is
the-long-fork is a repo whose only purpose is to be forked — one link at a time, as deep as it'll go. You fork the current tip (never the root), append one line to CHAIN.txt, and pass it on. The goal is the deepest fork-of-a-fork chain on GitHub. The code does nothing; the chain is the project.
## How a link works
Each line reads depth | username | date | prev-hash | cell | note. The hash is the first 12 hex characters of the SHA-256 of the line above, so every link is pinned to the one before it, and the cell lets each link set one character of a shared 64×32 ASCII canvas that fills in as the chain grows. A link helper reads your parent's chain and writes the exact line for you, and a self-check workflow in your fork says whether the link is right before anyone else looks at it.
## The tracker
Twice a day a GitHub Action walks the whole fork network and rebuilds the picture. Two people forking the same tip is allowed — the chain becomes a tree. The main chain is the longest path from the root (on a tie, the earlier fork wins), and a side branch that grows longer takes over. If nothing lands for seven days the page says CHAIN STALLED, which is the cue to jump in. The tracker publishes STATUS.txt, a live depth badge, and the site, which always knows where the tip is.
## Join it
Fork the tip, add your line, and commit it as link <depth>: <your-username>. There's no pull request — your fork is your link. One link per human, and don't delete your fork afterwards.