DocsValidator guide

Validator guide

How to operate a W3AI compute node, stake collateral, and earn from served intents.

Requirements

CPU	8 vCPU minimum (16+ recommended for parallel capsules).
RAM	32 GB minimum.
GPU	Optional — required only for scopes declaring on-host inference.
Network	1 Gbps symmetric; p50 latency to Solana RPC < 100 ms.
Storage	200 GB NVMe for capsule snapshots and receipt logs.
Stake	Minimum 25,000 W3AI per capability tier.

Install

bash

curl -fsSL https://get.w3ai.run | bash
w3ai-node init --keypair ./operator.json
w3ai-node config set rpc https://api.mainnet-beta.solana.com

Stake & registration

1
Fund the operator key
Send the minimum stake in W3AI plus a small SOL balance for fees.
2
Stake collateral
Run w3ai-node stake --amount <n>. Funds are locked in the Staking program.
3
Register capabilities
Declare the scopes you serve. Each tier requires a stake floor.
4
Start the node
w3ai-node start. The Registry begins routing intents within ~1 epoch.

Declaring capabilities

toml

# capabilities.toml
[net]
hosts = ["jupiter.ag", "orca.so", "api.pyth.network"]

[wallet]
sign = true             # operator may request user signatures

[chain]
write = true            # operator may broadcast signed txs

[llm]
provider = "local"      # use on-host inference for llm:call

Capability tiers

Higher-impact scopes (chain:write, wallet:sign) require larger stake floors and are subject to harsher slashing.

Operating the node

Health	GET /health — returns uptime, p50/p95 latency, and active capsule count.
Metrics	Prometheus endpoint on :9090.
Logs	Structured JSON to stdout; rotate via your supervisor of choice.
Upgrades	w3ai-node upgrade — staged rollout aligned to protocol epochs.

Monitoring checklist

Slashing alerts	Webhook on any sim-mismatch or scope-violation event.
Stake margin	Alert when collateral approaches the floor of any declared scope.
RPC latency	Alert on p95 > 250 ms — affects routing rank.
Disk	Alert at 80% — snapshot pruning runs at 90%.

Earnings

Operators earn 60% of every settled fee. Delegators of the operator earn an additional 20% share. Treasury and burn take the remaining 20%. Earnings are paid in W3AI and routed by the Settlement program at the moment of settlement — no claim transaction required.

Slashing conditions

Simulation mismatch	10% slash; receipt voided.
Forged receipt	100% slash; operator deregistered.
Scope violation	25% slash; capability tag revoked.
Sustained liveness failure	Soft slash + reputation decay; eventual deregistration.

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