BitSongdocs
Delegators

Delegator FAQ

Commonly asked questions from BTSG delegators about staking, validators, revenue, and risks.

Delegating is the easiest way for any BTSG holder to participate in securing the BitSong network and earn staking rewards. This page covers everything you need to know — from choosing a validator to understanding risks and revenue.

Looking for a step-by-step staking tutorial? See the How to Stake BTSG guide.

What is a Delegator?

A delegator stakes their BTSG tokens to one or more validators, helping secure the network without running infrastructure. In return, delegators earn a share of block rewards and transaction fees.

Delegators play a critical governance role by selecting validators who act in the network's best interest. Staking to high-performing validators yields better rewards, while backing a misbehaving validator can result in slashing penalties that affect your stake.

The reward structure differs slightly between validators and delegators due to the validator commission — a percentage the validator takes before distributing the rest to their delegators.

How Delegation Works

Send a Delegate Transaction

Specify how many BTSG you want to bond and to which validator. Browse the validator set on the BitSong Explorer.

Earn Rewards

Your bonded BTSG earns block rewards and transaction fees, distributed proportionally to your stake (minus the validator's commission).

Unbond or Redelegate

To unbond, send an "Unbond transaction" — there is a 21-day unbonding period before your BTSG are released. To switch validators, use a "Redelegate transaction" which takes effect immediately.

Choosing a Validator

When selecting a validator on the BitSong Explorer, you can review the following information:

Moniker
string
The validator's chosen display name.
Description
string
A description provided by the validator operator.
Website
string
Link to the validator's website, if available.
Initial Commission Rate
percentage
The commission charged on revenues before distribution to delegators.
Commission Max Change Rate
percentage
The maximum daily increase of the validator's commission. Cannot be changed by the operator.
Maximum Commission
percentage
The highest commission this validator can ever charge. Cannot be changed by the operator.
Minimum Self-Bond Amount
BTSG
The minimum BTSG the validator must keep self-bonded at all times. If their self-bond drops below this threshold, their entire staking pool (including all delegations) unbonds automatically. This acts as a safeguard — a higher self-bond signals more "skin in the game." Validators can only increase this amount, never decrease it.

Delegator Responsibilities

Becoming a delegator is technically easier than running a validator, but it is not a passive role.

Due Diligence

Research validators before delegating. A misbehaving validator puts your stake at risk of slashing — careful selection minimizes that risk.

Active Monitoring

Monitor your validators for uptime, double-sign events, governance participation, and commission rate changes. If unsatisfied, redelegate immediately — no need to wait the 21-day unbonding period.

Governance Participation

Your bonded stake determines your voting power. If you don't vote, you inherit your validator's vote. If you do vote, you override it. Delegators play a vital role in balancing governance.

Revenue

Validators and delegators earn rewards from two sources:

Block Rewards

Newly minted BTSG created with each block via the inflation algorithm. The inflation rate adjusts dynamically — when less BTSG is bonded, inflation increases to incentivize staking and strengthen network security.

Transaction Fees

Fees paid in BTSG for every transaction on the BitSong network, distributed to validators and delegators proportionally to their stake.
View the current inflation rate and percentage of bonded BTSG in real time on the BitSong Explorer.

Commission Example

To understand how commission works, consider this scenario:

ParameterValue
Validator's share of total stake10%
Validator self-delegation20%
Validator commission rate10%
Total block revenue1,000 BTSG

The validator's pool receives 100 BTSG (10% of total). Here's how it breaks down:

Revenue Breakdown
Commission         = 10% × 80% × 100 BTSG  =   8 BTSG
Validator revenue  = 20% × 100 BTSG + 8     =  28 BTSG
Delegator revenue  = 80% × 100 BTSG - 8     =  72 BTSG

Each delegator in the pool then claims their proportional share of the 72 BTSG delegator revenue.

Compare commission rates across validators before delegating. You can browse all rates on the BitSong Explorer.

Risks

While staked, your BTSG are locked. Unbonding takes 21 days — during this period, your tokens cannot be transferred or traded.

Slashing

If a validator misbehaves, their stake — including all delegated funds — can be slashed. The primary slashing offense is double-signing: when a validator signs two different blocks at the same height with the same chain ID.

Slashing penalties apply to delegators too. If your validator double-signs, you lose a portion of your staked BTSG.

Mitigating Risk

Liquidity Provider

Learn how to become a BTSG liquidity provider on Osmosis and understand the associated risks.

Delegator Security

Essential security practices for BTSG delegators, including key management, validator due diligence, and protection against social engineering.

Copyright © 2026