Incorrect Weight Version Key
IncorrectWeightVersionKey is a documented Subtensor standard error. The standard-errors reference
defines it simply as “Incorrect weight version key”
(Subtensor Standard Errors).
What It Means
This error means a validator submitted a set_weights transaction carrying a version key lower than
the subnet’s required weights version key. The hyperparameters reference states that if the version
key specified in the set_weights extrinsic is lower than the WeightsVersionKey setting, the
transaction fails
(Subnet Hyperparameters: WeightsVersion,
Subtensor Standard Errors).
So the rejection is about submission compatibility, not about whether the validator’s score choices were good or whether the weight vector structure itself was otherwise acceptable (Subnet Hyperparameters: WeightsVersion).
Why It Appears
The weights version key exists so a subnet can require submitted weights to declare at least a minimum version. The hyperparameters reference describes that protection as a way to force validators to update rather than continue submitting stale-version weight updates (Subnet Hyperparameters: WeightsVersion).
That makes IncorrectWeightVersionKey a narrow gate on the metadata attached to a weight
submission. The error does not say the validator submitted too frequently, and it does not say the
call lacked permission; it says the declared version key was below the subnet’s required floor
(Subnet Hyperparameters: WeightsVersion).
What It Does Not Mean
This error should not be read as the generic “setting weights too fast” failure. Bittensor documents
SettingWeightsTooFast separately for the rate-limit path on repeated weight submissions
(Subtensor Standard Errors,
Subnet Hyperparameters: WeightsRateLimit / CommitmentRateLimit).
It also should not be read as the weights version key itself. WeightsVersionKey is the underlying
subnet parameter; IncorrectWeightVersionKey is the runtime error returned when a submitted version
fails that parameter’s requirement
(Subnet Hyperparameters: WeightsVersion,
Subtensor Standard Errors).
Distinction from Weights Version Key
WeightsVersionKey names the subnet parameter that sets the minimum accepted version on the
set_weights path. IncorrectWeightVersionKey is the rejection label when a submitted version key
falls below that required minimum
(Subnet Hyperparameters: WeightsVersion,
Subtensor Standard Errors).
- WeightsVersionKey — required minimum version floor for accepted weight submissions.
- IncorrectWeightVersionKey — error returned when a submitted version is below that floor.
Distinction from Setting Weights Too Fast
IncorrectWeightVersionKey is a compatibility error on the declared version inside a weight
submission. SettingWeightsTooFast is a pacing error on how soon another weight submission was
attempted
(Subtensor Standard Errors,
Subtensor Standard Errors,
Subnet Hyperparameters: WeightsRateLimit / CommitmentRateLimit).
- IncorrectWeightVersionKey — submitted version is too low.
- SettingWeightsTooFast — submission was retried before the rate-limit wait cleared.
Reader Boundary
This page defines the meaning of the error label. It does not tell a reader which live version key
any subnet currently requires or which validator software version should be used there. Those are
separate live or release-specific questions. The stable reference point here is narrower: if the
declared set_weights version is below WeightsVersionKey, the transaction fails with
IncorrectWeightVersionKey
(Subnet Hyperparameters: WeightsVersion).