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Overview

Staking skills enable agents to participate in Solana’s proof-of-stake consensus mechanism. By staking SOL to validators, agents can earn rewards while helping secure the network.

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How Solana Staking Works

Solana staking involves several key concepts:

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Stake Accounts

  • Separate accounts: Staked SOL is held in dedicated stake accounts (not your wallet)
  • Rent-exempt: Each stake account requires ~0.002 SOL rent
  • Delegatable: Stake accounts delegate to validator vote accounts

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Validator Delegation

  • Vote accounts: Validators have vote accounts that accept delegations
  • Commission: Validators charge commission (e.g., 10% of rewards)
  • Performance: Rewards depend on validator uptime and performance

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Epochs and Timing

  • Epoch: Solana’s time unit (~2-3 days on mainnet, faster on devnet)
  • Activation: Staking takes effect at the next epoch boundary
  • Deactivation: Unstaking also takes one epoch to complete
  • Warmup/Cooldown: New stakes warm up gradually, deactivations cool down

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stake_sol

Stake SOL by creating a stake account and delegating it to a validator.

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Parameters

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amount
number
required
Amount of SOL to stake (e.g., 1.0 for one SOL).
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validator
string
Validator vote account address. If not provided, Karen uses a default reliable devnet validator.

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What Happens

  1. Creates a new stake account
  2. Transfers SOL from your wallet to the stake account
  3. Delegates the stake account to the validator
  4. Activation begins at next epoch boundary

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Example Invocation: Default Validator

{
  "skill": "stake_sol",
  "params": {
    "amount": 1.0
  }
}

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Example Response

Staked 1.0 SOL successfully!
Stake Account: 5xZ9kL2pW4hR6tN8vF3dE1aC7bG9mJ5sT2qY4nX6uH8i
Validator: 8K7wCR2g5QL3...devnet_validator
Note: Stake activation takes 1-2 epochs on devnet.
Transaction: 3KL8nQ2...signature

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Example Invocation: Specific Validator

{
  "skill": "stake_sol",
  "params": {
    "amount": 5.0,
    "validator": "8K7wCR2g5QL3pD9vT2nF6mE1jH4sL7qR9xY3cW5kN8aZ"
  }
}
Activation Timing: Your stake becomes active at the next epoch boundary. On devnet this is usually within hours; on mainnet it can take 2-3 days.
Choosing Validators: Consider:
  • Uptime: High uptime (>95%) validators earn more rewards
  • Commission: Lower commission = more rewards for you
  • Stake concentration: Delegating to smaller validators helps decentralization

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list_stakes

List all your stake accounts with their status, balances, and delegations.

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Parameters

This skill requires no parameters.

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Returns

For each stake account:
  • Account address
  • SOL balance
  • State (activating, active, deactivating, inactive)
  • Delegated validator (if any)

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Example Invocation

{
  "skill": "list_stakes",
  "params": {}
}

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Example Response: Multiple Stakes

Found 3 stake account(s):

  Address: 5xZ9kL2pW4hR6tN8vF3dE1aC7bG9mJ5sT2qY4nX6uH8i
  Balance: 1.0000 SOL
  State: active
  Validator: 8K7wCR2g5QL3pD9vT2nF6mE1jH4sL7qR9xY3cW5kN8aZ

  Address: 7yL3kP8wT5nM4rE9vF2aD6cH1gS8qZ5xN7jW4kR2mT9v
  Balance: 5.0000 SOL
  State: activating
  Validator: 9MN4sL7qR8xP2wF6vE3kD5cH9gT7yZ4aN8jW2kL5rT6v

  Address: 3bC9fT4wL8nM2rE5vP7aD1cH6gS4qZ9xN2jW8kR5mT7v
  Balance: 2.0000 SOL
  State: deactivating
  Validator: N/A

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Example Response: No Stakes

No stake accounts found.
Stake States:
  • inactive: Stake account created but not delegated
  • activating: Delegation submitted, waiting for epoch boundary
  • active: Fully active and earning rewards
  • deactivating: Unstake initiated, waiting for cooldown

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unstake_sol

Deactivate a stake account. After deactivation completes (1 epoch), you can withdraw the SOL.

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Parameters

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stakeAccount
string
required
Public key of the stake account to deactivate. Get this from list_stakes.

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What Happens

  1. Initiates deactivation of the stake account
  2. Deactivation takes effect at next epoch boundary
  3. After deactivation completes, SOL can be withdrawn

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Example Invocation

{
  "skill": "unstake_sol",
  "params": {
    "stakeAccount": "5xZ9kL2pW4hR6tN8vF3dE1aC7bG9mJ5sT2qY4nX6uH8i"
  }
}

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Example Response

Stake account 5xZ9kL2pW4hR6tN8vF3dE1aC7bG9mJ5sT2qY4nX6uH8i deactivation initiated.
Withdrawal will be available after the current epoch ends.
Transaction: 4YT9pL6...signature
Cooldown Period: You cannot withdraw immediately after unstaking. You must wait for the current epoch to end (1 epoch on devnet, 2-3 days on mainnet).

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withdraw_stake

Withdraw SOL from a fully deactivated stake account back to your wallet.

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Parameters

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stakeAccount
string
required
Public key of the deactivated stake account. Must be in “inactive” state.

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Requirements

The stake account must be fully deactivated (state: “inactive”). Check with list_stakes before attempting withdrawal.

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Example Invocation

{
  "skill": "withdraw_stake",
  "params": {
    "stakeAccount": "5xZ9kL2pW4hR6tN8vF3dE1aC7bG9mJ5sT2qY4nX6uH8i"
  }
}

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Example Response

Successfully withdrew stake from 5xZ9kL2pW4hR6tN8vF3dE1aC7bG9mJ5sT2qY4nX6uH8i.
SOL returned to your wallet.
Transaction: 6PQ2wK7...signature
Rent Reclamation: Withdrawing closes the stake account and reclaims the rent-exempt balance (~0.002 SOL).

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Complete Staking Lifecycle Example

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Scenario: Agent stakes SOL, waits for activation, then unstakes and withdraws

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Cycle 1: Check Initial Balance

{"skill": "check_balance", "params": {}}
Response: SOL: 10.0000 SOL

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Cycle 2: Stake 5 SOL

{
  "skill": "stake_sol",
  "params": {
    "amount": 5.0
  }
}
Response: 
Staked 5.0 SOL successfully!
Stake Account: 5xZ9kL2pW4hR6tN8vF3dE1aC7bG9mJ5sT2qY4nX6uH8i
Validator: 8K7wCR2g5QL3pD9vT2nF6mE1jH4sL7qR9xY3cW5kN8aZ

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Cycle 3: List Stakes (Activating State)

{"skill": "list_stakes", "params": {}}
Response: 
Found 1 stake account(s):

  Address: 5xZ9kL2pW4hR6tN8vF3dE1aC7bG9mJ5sT2qY4nX6uH8i
  Balance: 5.0000 SOL
  State: activating
  Validator: 8K7wCR2g5QL3pD9vT2nF6mE1jH4sL7qR9xY3cW5kN8aZ

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Cycle 4: Wait for Epoch (After 1+ Epoch)

{"skill": "list_stakes", "params": {}}
Response: 
Found 1 stake account(s):

  Address: 5xZ9kL2pW4hR6tN8vF3dE1aC7bG9mJ5sT2qY4nX6uH8i
  Balance: 5.0021 SOL  # Earned ~0.0021 SOL rewards
  State: active
  Validator: 8K7wCR2g5QL3pD9vT2nF6mE1jH4sL7qR9xY3cW5kN8aZ

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Cycle 5: Unstake

{
  "skill": "unstake_sol",
  "params": {
    "stakeAccount": "5xZ9kL2pW4hR6tN8vF3dE1aC7bG9mJ5sT2qY4nX6uH8i"
  }
}
Response: Stake account deactivation initiated.

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Cycle 6: Wait for Deactivation

{
  "skill": "wait",
  "params": {
    "reason": "Waiting for stake deactivation to complete before withdrawal"
  }
}

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Cycle 7: Check Status (After 1+ Epoch)

{"skill": "list_stakes", "params": {}}
Response: 
Address: 5xZ9kL2pW4hR6tN8vF3dE1aC7bG9mJ5sT2qY4nX6uH8i
Balance: 5.0021 SOL
State: inactive
Validator: N/A

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Cycle 8: Withdraw

{
  "skill": "withdraw_stake",
  "params": {
    "stakeAccount": "5xZ9kL2pW4hR6tN8vF3dE1aC7bG9mJ5sT2qY4nX6uH8i"
  }
}
Response: Successfully withdrew stake. SOL returned to your wallet.

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Cycle 9: Verify Final Balance

{"skill": "check_balance", "params": {}}
Response: SOL: 10.0019 SOL (Net gain: 0.0019 SOL after rent)

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Staking Strategies

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Long-Term Staking (Passive Income)

  1. Stake significant SOL to high-performance validator
  2. Leave staked for multiple epochs
  3. Rewards compound automatically
  4. Withdraw periodically to realize gains

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Validator Shopping

  1. Stake small amounts to multiple validators
  2. Monitor rewards over several epochs
  3. Consolidate to best-performing validator
  4. Balance rewards vs. decentralization

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Liquid Staking Alternative

Karen doesn’t currently support liquid staking protocols (like Marinade or Lido), but these allow you to stake while maintaining liquidity through derivative tokens.

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Rewards and APY

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Reward Factors

Staking rewards depend on:
  1. Validator commission: Lower = more rewards for you
  2. Validator performance: Uptime and vote accuracy
  3. Network inflation rate: Solana’s overall inflation schedule
  4. Total staked: Network-wide stake affects individual rewards

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Typical APY

  • Mainnet: 5-8% APY (varies by validator and network conditions)
  • Devnet: Rewards are for testing only, not real value

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Reward Distribution

  • Automatic: Rewards accrue directly to stake account balance
  • Compound: Rewards automatically compound (stake on stake)
  • No claiming: No manual claim required

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Error Handling

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Common Staking Errors

  • Insufficient balance: Not enough SOL to stake (need amount + rent + fees)
  • Invalid validator: Validator vote account doesn’t exist or isn’t active
  • Account not deactivated: Can’t withdraw from active/activating stake
  • Already deactivating: Stake is already in deactivation process

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Recovery Strategies

  1. Can’t withdraw: Check state with list_stakes, wait for full deactivation
  2. Lost stake account address: Use list_stakes to find all your stakes
  3. Rewards seem low: Check validator commission and performance

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Devnet vs Mainnet Differences

AspectDevnetMainnet
Epoch durationMinutes to hours2-3 days
APYTesting only5-8% real
Validator reliabilityVariableGenerally high
ValueNone (test SOL)Real economic value
Activation timeVery fast2-3 days

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Next Steps

Wallet Operations

Return to basic wallet operations

DeFi Operations

Learn about token swaps and DeFi

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