Bonds Penalty
Bonds penalty is a per-subnet hyperparameter, listed in the documentation as BondsPenalty, that
sets the magnitude of the penalty applied when validator weights exceed the subnet consensus
benchmark in Yuma Consensus. The
hyperparameter reference describes it as the magnitude of the penalty subtracted from weights for
exceeding consensus and points readers to the out-of-consensus bond penalty section of the Yuma
Consensus documentation
(Subnet Hyperparameters).
How It Is Applied
Yuma Consensus documentation describes the stored bonds penalty value scaled to a fraction between zero and one by dividing by the type maximum. That fraction interpolates the weights used to form bonds between two endpoints. At zero the bonds use the validator’s raw weights, at one they use the fully consensus-clipped weights, and values in between mix the two linearly, so a higher bonds penalty forms bonds from weights pulled further toward the consensus-clipped benchmark (Yuma Consensus: Penalizing out-of-consensus bonds, Subnet Hyperparameters: BondsPenalty, Glossary: Consensus Score).
That interpolation sits on the bond path after clipping derives each miner’s consensus benchmark. Bonds penalty does not replace clipping itself; it adjusts how strongly out-of-consensus weights pull bond formation toward the clipped benchmark before smoothed validator-miner bonds update (Yuma Consensus: Clipping, Yuma Consensus: Bonding mechanics).
Documented Setter
The hyperparameter reference lists BondsPenalty as a u16 with default 0. It lists no btcli
setter alias for this parameter and names sudo_set_bonds_penalty as the setter extrinsic, with
subnet-owner permission required. That makes the setting an owner-controlled tuning value even
though it is not exposed through a simple btcli sudo set --param alias
(Subnet Hyperparameters: BondsPenalty).
Because each subnet carries its own hyperparameters, the bonds penalty magnitude on netuid 1 can differ from another subnet’s setting (Subnet Hyperparameters).
Chain Reads for netuid 1
Readers can verify live hyperparameter values for the documented example netuid with
btcli subnet hyperparameters --netuid 1 --network finney
(Subnet Hyperparameters: View hyperparameters).
That read path keeps live hyperparameter claims tied to a parseable netuid.
Per-Subnet Live Value Boundary
Bonds penalty is per-subnet chain state. The out-of-consensus bond penalty magnitude configured on one netuid applies only inside that subnet’s Yuma bonding path and can differ from the documented default of zero and from the value on another netuid (Subnet Hyperparameters, Yuma Consensus: Penalizing out-of-consensus bonds).
This article’s infobox uses netuid 1 as an example label when reading one subnet’s hyperparameter table on Finney mainnet. That example helps readers verify one row; it is not proof that every subnet exposes the same live penalty magnitude (Bittensor Networks).
Distinction from Clipping
Clipping removes validator weights above the stake-backed consensus benchmark so neither the miner nor the validator receives emissions for the excess portion. Bonds penalty adjusts bond-weight calculation when a validator’s submitted weight exceeds consensus, before smoothed validator-miner bonds are updated (Yuma Consensus).
- Clipping — caps excess weight so emissions are not paid on the clipped portion.
- Bonds penalty — pulls bond-weight toward consensus when a weight exceeds the benchmark.
Distinction from Kappa
Kappa sets how much stake-weighted validator support a weight level must reach before it becomes the clipping ceiling during Yuma Consensus. Bonds penalty names the out-of-consensus bond penalty magnitude, not the stake fraction used to compute the clipping benchmark (Subnet Hyperparameters).
- Kappa — stake fraction that sets the clipping ceiling benchmark.
- Bonds penalty — magnitude pulling bond-weight toward consensus when weights exceed it.
Distinction from Bonds Moving Average
Bonds penalty sets the magnitude of the penalty applied when validator weights exceed the subnet consensus benchmark, while bonds moving average sets the moving-average behavior applied to validator-miner bonds (Subnet Hyperparameters, Yuma Consensus).
- Bonds penalty — the penalty magnitude for out-of-consensus weights.
- Bonds moving average — the smoothing applied to validator-miner bonds over time.
Distinction from Liquid Alpha
Bonds penalty sets the magnitude of the penalty applied when validator weights exceed the subnet consensus benchmark, while liquid alpha varies the bond-smoothing factor by consensus alignment (Subnet Hyperparameters, Consensus-based Weights).
- Bonds penalty — the penalty magnitude applied to out-of-consensus weights.
- Liquid alpha — varies how quickly validator-miner bonds smooth, by consensus alignment.
Distinction from Validator Weights
Validator weights are the evaluation inputs a validator submits for miners on a subnet. Bonds penalty configures how strongly out-of-consensus weights are pulled toward the consensus benchmark before smoothed validator-miner bonds update (Glossary: Validator Weights, Yuma Consensus: Penalizing out-of-consensus bonds).
- Validator weights — the submitted evaluation signal for miners.
- Bonds penalty — the hyperparameter magnitude for out-of-consensus bond-path adjustment.
Distinction from Yuma Consensus
Bonds penalty sets how strongly out-of-consensus validator weights are pulled toward the consensus benchmark during bonding. That hyperparameter magnitude is an input inside settlement, not the full tempo pass that credits emission shares (Subnet Hyperparameters, Yuma Consensus: Penalizing out-of-consensus bonds).
Yuma Consensus reads the weight matrix, applies clipping and bonding, and credits miner incentives and validator dividends when the epoch closes (Yuma Consensus, Emission).
Clipping removes extreme outliers before bonding adjusts remaining signals. Bonds penalty names one tunable strength on that bond path; Yuma names the complete aggregation step on the netuid (Yuma Consensus: Clipping).
- Bonds penalty — hyperparameter magnitude for out-of-consensus bond-path adjustment.
- Yuma Consensus — epoch-boundary settlement from filtered weights to emission shares.
Distinction from Yuma Consensus 3
Yuma Consensus 3 refines bond scaling inside Yuma Consensus. Bonds penalty sets the hyperparameter magnitude applied when validator weights exceed the consensus benchmark (How Yuma Consensus 3 Makes Bittensor More Fair, Subnet Hyperparameters).
- Yuma Consensus 3 — bond-scaling refinement inside consensus aggregation.
- Bonds penalty — penalty magnitude on weights above the consensus benchmark.
Settlement-refinement vocabulary and hyperparameter vocabulary answer different configuration layers (Yuma Consensus).
Reader Boundary
Bonds penalty should not be read as clipping, liquid alpha, consensus score, or a live penalty outcome on a miner. It names only the subnet hyperparameter that sets how strongly out-of-consensus bond-weight is pulled toward the consensus benchmark on the selected netuid (Subnet Hyperparameters: BondsPenalty, Yuma Consensus: Penalizing out-of-consensus bonds, Glossary: Consensus Score).