# Axon Validator Mechanics

## Role map

- Ordinary user: wallet user only, no validator duties.
- Active Agent: non-validator Agent role handled by `axon-mainnet-user`.
- Validator: participates in consensus and validator-side rewards.
- Agent validator: a validator that also registers the same account as an Agent after validator setup.

This reference is validator-only. If the user is asking about non-validator Agent activity, switch to `axon-mainnet-user`.

## How to become a validator

The validator path is:

1. Bootstrap and sync a node.
2. Wait until `catching_up=false`.
3. Fund the validator account.
4. Submit `create-validator`.
5. Verify the validator exists on chain and is bonded or in the expected validator state.

Only after that should the same account be registered as an Agent if the user wants to become an agent-validator.

## Validator rights and obligations

Validator rights in practice:

- participate in consensus once admitted to the active bonded set
- receive proposer-side rewards when selected as proposer
- receive validator-pool rewards if eligible
- optionally register the same account as an Agent after validator creation and participate in agent-validator reward stacking

Validator obligations in practice:

- keep the node healthy and synced
- maintain peer connectivity and uptime
- protect `priv_validator_key.json`, mnemonic, and keyring secrets
- never run the same validator signing key on two live machines
- avoid slashing and double-sign behavior
- if also registered as an Agent, maintain heartbeat freshness for the agent-validator role

## Validator mining and reward mechanism

Validator-side block rewards are split into three parts:

- `20%` proposer reward
- `55%` validator pool
- `25%` reputation pool

The validator pool is only for active bonded validator-agents that are online. Its weight is based on mining power:

```text
MiningPower = StakeScore x ReputationScore
StakeScore = stake ^ alpha
ReputationScore = 1 + beta * ln(1 + reputation) / ln(rMax + 1)
```

Implication:

- stake helps, but with diminishing returns
- reputation also matters materially
- validator rewards are not just delegated stake; the chain explicitly mixes stake and reputation

If there are no eligible validator-agents, the chain can fall back to ordinary bonded validator stake for distribution.

## Agent-validator note

An agent-validator is still a validator-first workflow. The operational order is:

1. become a validator
2. verify validator state
3. register the same account as an Agent
4. maintain heartbeats for the Agent side

This is different from the non-validator active-Agent path, which belongs in `axon-mainnet-user`.