Validator Delegation

Validator delegation is the simplest way to earn POKT rewards without running infrastructure yourself. You delegate your staked POKT to a validator, they validate blocks on your behalf, and you earn a share of the block rewards proportional to your delegation.

Info

Pocket Network uses standard Cosmos SDK delegation. If you’ve delegated on any other Cosmos chain (ATOM, OSMO, etc.), the process is identical.

How Delegation Works

Validators on Pocket Network secure the blockchain by proposing and validating blocks. They earn POKT from the Proposer allocation (5% of all minted tokens). When you delegate POKT to a validator, you’re adding your stake to theirs — increasing their share of block proposals and splitting the rewards.

You retain ownership of your tokens. Delegation does not transfer custody. Your POKT stays in your wallet — you’re assigning voting power, not moving funds. You can redelegate or undelegate at any time.

Choosing a Validator

When selecting a validator, consider:

Commission rate. Node operators typically charge a revenue share (revshare) of relay rewards. Rates vary by operator — review the operator’s terms before delegating. Lower revshare means more rewards for you, but very low rates may not be sustainable for the validator.

Uptime. Validators that miss blocks earn fewer rewards and may face slashing penalties. Check uptime history on POKTscan.

Stake size. Larger validators get selected for more block proposals. However, delegating to smaller validators helps decentralization.

Community presence. Active validators that participate in governance and contribute to the ecosystem are generally more reliable long-term.

Tip

You can query the validator set directly with pocketd query staking validators or browse them on POKTscan.

Delegating with pocketd

Prerequisites

  • pocketd installed (Installation Guide)
  • POKT in your account (some for delegation + a small amount for gas fees)
  • A validator address to delegate to

Step 1: Find Validators

bash
# List all active validators
pocketd query staking validators --node=https://pocket-rpc.publicnode.com:443

Step 2: Delegate

bash
pocketd tx staking delegate <validator_address> <amount>upokt \
  --from=<your_key_name> \
  --chain-id=pocket-1 \
  --node=https://pocket-rpc.publicnode.com:443 \
  --fees=1000upokt

For example, to delegate 10,000 POKT:

bash
pocketd tx staking delegate poktvaloper1abc... 10000000000upokt \
  --from=my-wallet \
  --chain-id=pocket-1 \
  --node=https://pocket-rpc.publicnode.com:443 \
  --fees=1000upokt
Warning

POKT amounts are denominated in upokt (micro-POKT). 1 POKT = 1,000,000 upokt. Double-check your amounts before submitting.

Step 3: Verify

bash
# Check your delegations
pocketd query staking delegations <your_address> \
  --node=https://pocket-rpc.publicnode.com:443

Delegating with Keplr Wallet

Keplr supports Pocket Network. You can delegate through the Keplr wallet interface:

  1. Add Pocket Network to Keplr (it should appear in the chain list)
  2. Navigate to the Staking section
  3. Browse validators and select one
  4. Enter delegation amount and confirm the transaction

For hardware wallet users, Keplr supports Ledger integration for Pocket Network. See the Hardware Wallets guide for setup.

Rewards

Delegation rewards accrue automatically. You can claim them at any time:

bash
# Check pending rewards
pocketd query distribution rewards <your_address> \
  --node=https://pocket-rpc.publicnode.com:443

# Claim all rewards
pocketd tx distribution withdraw-all-rewards \
  --from=<your_key_name> \
  --chain-id=pocket-1 \
  --node=https://pocket-rpc.publicnode.com:443 \
  --fees=1000upokt

Redelegation

You can move your delegation from one validator to another without unstaking:

bash
pocketd tx staking redelegate <source_validator> <dest_validator> <amount>upokt \
  --from=<your_key_name> \
  --chain-id=pocket-1 \
  --node=https://pocket-rpc.publicnode.com:443 \
  --fees=1000upokt

Redelegation is instant — no unbonding period. However, there’s a limit on how many times you can redelegate from the same validator in a given period.

Undelegation

To undelegate and get your POKT back:

bash
pocketd tx staking unbond <validator_address> <amount>upokt \
  --from=<your_key_name> \
  --chain-id=pocket-1 \
  --node=https://pocket-rpc.publicnode.com:443 \
  --fees=1000upokt
Danger

Unstaking follows the protocol’s 21-day unbonding period. During this time your tokens are locked and do not earn rewards. You cannot cancel an unbonding once initiated. All unstaking on Pocket Network has this 21-day period — no operator offers on-demand withdrawal.

Slashing Risks

Delegators share slashing risk with their validator. Slashing occurs when a validator:

  • Double-signs (signs two different blocks at the same height) — severe penalty
  • Goes offline for an extended period — minor penalty (downtime jail)

Choose validators with strong uptime track records to minimize slashing exposure.