Validator Quickstart

Five steps from an empty machine to a validator that is staked, connected, and working. Nobody has to approve you: you stake, and the network starts counting you automatically.

This is the testnet path, and on testnet everything is free: the XCHAIN you stake is minted from a faucet token, and the coins that pay fees come from test faucets.

You need: a machine that runs Docker, a public IP or DNS name, TCP port 10002 open inbound, Node 22, and git.

Pick what you want to support

Your stake is what qualifies you. One number to remember: a single stake of 25,000 XCHAIN qualifies you for everything at once, and the setup below stakes exactly that. But each level has its own bar, so you can also start small:

There is no application and no registration: any stake that clears a bar qualifies for that level automatically.

Step 1: install the CLI

git clone https://github.com/XChain-Platform/xchain-node.git ~/xchain-node
cd ~/xchain-node
npm install
npm link

The clone lands on the latest release. From then on xchain-node update all keeps both the CLI and your validator current.

Run all the commands below from ~/xchain-node.

Step 2: create your validator identity

xchain-node validator init --network testnet --p2p-addr YOUR_PUBLIC_HOST:10002

One second, fully offline. It generates your keys and prints two addresses to fund: a Bitcoin testnet address (pays transaction fees) and a Dogecoin testnet address (pays for publishing).

Back up config/validator/signing.key and config/validator/wallets.env somewhere off this machine now. There is no recovery if they are lost.

Step 3: fund the two addresses

• Send 50,000 sats of testnet bitcoin to the first address, from any testnet4 faucet. Setting up costs about 27,000 sats; the rest is headroom.
• Send 0.02 testnet DOGE to the second address, from any Dogecoin testnet faucet.

Step 4: stake

xchain-node validator stake              # dry run: shows the plan, sends nothing
xchain-node validator stake --broadcast  # do it

That one command mints the 25,000 XCHAIN from the testnet faucet token and stakes it to your key. Everything goes out back to back and confirms within a block or two. The dry run doubles as your “have I funded it yet” check, and re-running is always safe: it only sends what is still missing.

Your stake goes live 6 blocks after it confirms. Watch it at https://explorer.xchain.io/TBTC/validator/YOUR_PUBKEY (the init command printed your pubkey; xchain-node validator status re-prints it).

Step 5: start your validator

xchain-node install all bitcoin testnet   # your own view of the chain
xchain-node install xchain-hub            # the validator itself

The first command installs a self-contained Bitcoin testnet stack (a bootstrap restore does the heavy lifting). The second boots the validator with your keys and capabilities wired in. On a fresh machine it asks once for a database root password.

That’s it. Peers admit your validator within about 30 seconds of your stake going live. You do not need to tell anyone.

Check your work

xchain-node validator status     # what this node is configured as
xchain-node logs xchain-hub      # what it is doing

• https://explorer.xchain.io/TBTC/validator/YOUR_PUBKEY shows your stake as valid. This appears once the stake confirms, even before your hub runs.
• https://explorer.xchain.io/TBTC/validator_capabilities lists your pubkey once your hub is running and talking to its peers.

Two things worth knowing

• Stake only when you intend to run. A staked validator that is not running still counts toward the network’s voting thresholds while contributing nothing, which makes life harder for everyone else. Stake when you are ready to start the hub, and stand down if you stop.
• Keep a little DOGE in the publisher wallet. Publishing prices and anchors spends it. validator status shows your remaining runway, and the hub warns you when it runs low.

Upgrading

cd ~/xchain-node
xchain-node update all

That moves the CLI and the validator to the latest release, hub first, and keeps your keys, stake and capability config. Run it whenever a command prints that a newer release is available; a validator on an old release can slow the attestation rounds it is drawn into, and one absent from enough roll calls is evicted. If your CLI predates v0.16.0, bring it forward once by hand first: git fetch --tags origin && git checkout v0.16.0 && npm install. Do that before any update from the old CLI: one older than v0.15.0 kills a coin node instead of stopping it, and a killed mainnet daemon re-validates for hours when it comes back.

Standing down

xchain-node validator unstake              # dry run
xchain-node validator unstake --broadcast  # withdraw your stake

Your stake stops counting toward the active set 6 blocks later. The XCHAIN itself stays locked for a further cooldown of 1000 blocks (roughly 7 days on Bitcoin) before the sweep credits it back, so do not plan on spending it sooner. Stop the hub any time after you leave the active set with xchain-node stop xchain-hub.

Going deeper

• Running a Validator: the two validator tiers, how rewards work, and what lightweight validators are (never) penalised for
• Hub configuration: every setting, including the attestation providers

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Based on XChain Platform by Dankest, LLC – https://dankest.llc

Licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0-or-later) with a commercial license available for proprietary use.

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