Staking and Delegation (TAO)
Staking and delegation describe how TAO holders attach support to validators in Bittensor. Delegation is the holder-to-validator path, staking is the action of attaching support, and stake is the amount associated with the resulting validator position (Staking and delegation overview, Glossary: Staking, Glossary: Stake).
What It Represents
Readers should separate four staking terms that sound similar:
- Staking — the act of attaching TAO support to a validator hotkey.
- Delegation — the holder-to-validator support relationship; a nominator delegates without becoming the validator.
- Stake — the TAO amount tied to the resulting validator position.
- Stake weight — the downstream consensus measure derived from that staking context.
Readers should also separate four stake-management operations:
- Staking — adds new TAO support to a validator hotkey on a subnet.
- Unstaking — withdraws delegated stake back toward the coldkey.
- Moving stake — reassigns support to another validator or subnet without first returning TAO to the coldkey.
- Transferring stake — changes which coldkey owns a staked position while keeping it delegated.
The staking and delegation overview documents a minimum required stake for nominators of 0.1 TAO. That is a lower bound for creating delegated validator support, separate from smaller transaction or claim thresholds that can appear elsewhere in staking documentation (Staking and Delegation Overview).
On an alpha subnet, unstaking withdraws delegated stake and converts subnet alpha back toward TAO through the subnet pool on the way to the coldkey. Root Subnet positions are already held in TAO, so that conversion step does not apply there. A holder who wants TAO back in unstaked form is describing unstaking. A holder who keeps support committed but attached to a different validator is describing moving stake instead (Glossary: Unstaking, Staking and delegation overview).
Delegate stake is TAO the validator stakes from its own balance. Effective stake combines self-stake and nominated support. Staking does not promise a fixed return; validator dividends and nominator returns depend on emission mechanics, validator behavior, and the stake relationship around a validator (Emission, Glossary: Validator Take %).
Staking paths differ by network venue. Root Subnet, also called Subnet Zero, is the subnet-agnostic staking venue for root validators and TAO holders. Alpha-subnet staking keeps support in subnet-local alpha rather than on the Root Subnet side. On an alpha subnet such as netuid 1, delegated TAO passes through subnet pool reserves when it is converted into subnet alpha for the validator position (Glossary: Root Subnet, Glossary: Protocol Alpha, Understanding Slippage).
Root claims are downstream of Root Subnet staking. Alpha dividends earned through root stake can be swapped into TAO or kept as subnet alpha; that claim-handling step is separate from the initial act of staking to a validator.
Staking assigns where support sits. Yuma Consensus settles validator weights into emission shares on a subnet; validator take and delegation rewards sit downstream of that settlement path.
Autostaking routes a miner’s own emission proceeds to a validator position automatically. Staking and delegation begins with a TAO holder choosing to commit support.
Staking actions require wallet authority. The validator receives support, while the holder controls the coldkey authority used to add, move, or remove that support (Wallets, Coldkeys and Hotkeys, Managing Your Stakes).
Staking examples should be read against the network boundary. Localnet and testnet flows exercise validator support without representing production stake outcomes on mainnet (Bittensor Networks).
Distinction from Stake
- Staking and delegation — how TAO holders attach support to validators.
- Stake — the TAO amount tied to the resulting validator position.
Distinction from Stake Weight
- Staking and delegation — holder-to-validator support actions.
- Stake weight — computed influence used in consensus and emission context.
Distinction from Validator Take
- Staking and delegation — attaching support to a validator.
- Validator take — the validator’s commission on delegated-stake emissions.
Distinction from Autostaking
- Staking and delegation — a holder committing TAO to a validator.
- Autostaking — automatic routing of a miner’s emissions to a validator.
Distinction from Yuma Consensus
- Staking and delegation — attaching TAO support to validators.
- Yuma Consensus — on-chain settlement that turns validator weights into emission shares.
Reader Boundary
Staking and delegation describe how TAO holders attach support to validators. The terms are not fixed-return promises, validator rankings, or complete operator guides (Staking and delegation overview, Glossary: Delegation).