x/staking — Staking module
The x/staking module is VirtEngine’s validator staking layer. It extends
Cosmos SDK staking for VirtEngine’s needs: bonded stake weights consensus
voting power under CometBFT, slashing applies to protocol misbehavior, and
unbonding and reward parameters are governance-controlled.
VirtEngine validators can participate in both consensus and the VEID Network. Staking rewards remain but are proposed at roughly 90% lower than the prior model; compensation, commission and conditions are governed protocol parameters.
What it does
Section titled “What it does”The base staking machinery — bonding tokens to validators, voting power,
unbonding, and the standard validator lifecycle — is Cosmos SDK standard and
is not redefined in this module. What x/staking adds on top of that base is
the VirtEngine-specific surface: performance recording, reward epochs,
VirtEngine slashing records, and validator signing info.
The practical split is this:
- SDK-standard (not listed here): the Cosmos staking messages and queries that operate the global staking pool — delegating, unbonding, editing validator details, and the SDK’s own jailing mechanics.
- This module’s own surface: the messages and queries below — recording validator performance, applying and lifting slashes, epoch and reward queries, signing info, and VirtEngine slash records.
Staking rewards operate under governed policy at the proposed conservative level — roughly 90% lower than the prior model — and validators may earn additional VEID identity-scoring rewards under the governed incentive policy.
Why it exists
Section titled “Why it exists”Proof-of-stake security is only as strong as the incentive to bond. The extended staking module ties security funding to a self-balancing feedback loop, and compensates the identity-network work that makes VirtEngine’s validator role unique.
Primary objects
Section titled “Primary objects”| Concept | Definition |
|---|---|
| Bonded stake | Tokens locked to a validator, weighting its consensus vote and earning rewards. |
| Unbonding period | The 21-day exit delay during which stake earns nothing and remains slashable. |
| Identity-led issuance | A proposed allocation for accounts meeting the network-defined unique-identity threshold and activity conditions. |
Core flow
Section titled “Core flow”- Bond — Stake bonds to validators. Directly or via delegation, tokens lock and weight consensus power under CometBFT.
- Validate — Duties execute. Consensus participation plus optional VEID identity scoring under the governed incentive policy.
- Reward — Issuance funds rewards. Reward schedules run under governed policy at the proposed conservative level — roughly 90% lower than the prior model.
- Exit — Unbond or redelegate. Twenty-one days to exit; redelegation moves weight between validators without a full unbonding cycle.
Messages
Section titled “Messages”| Message | Purpose |
|---|---|
MsgRecordPerformance | Records a validator’s performance data for reward accounting. |
MsgSlashValidator | Applies a slash to a validator for protocol misbehavior. |
MsgUnjailValidator | Requests that a jailed validator be restored to active status. |
MsgUpdateParams | Governance-only update of module parameters. |
Queries
Section titled “Queries”| Query | Purpose |
|---|---|
ValidatorReward / ValidatorRewards | Accrued validator rewards, individually and as a list. |
ValidatorPerformance / ValidatorPerformances | Recorded performance data for one validator or all validators. |
CurrentEpoch / RewardEpoch | The current epoch, and the details of a given reward epoch. |
SigningInfo | Consensus signing information for a validator. |
SlashRecords | VirtEngine slash records recorded against validators. |
Params | Current module parameters. |
Module interactions
Section titled “Module interactions”| Module | How they interact |
|---|---|
| x/delegation | Delegators bond stake to validators through the delegation lifecycle. |
| x/veid | Validators may participate in VEID identity scoring under the governed incentive policy. |
| x/bme | Issuance mechanics fund the reward schedule. |
| x/issuancepolicy | Reward issuance operates under governed policy. |
Related documentation
Section titled “Related documentation”- Staking Economics — how rewards, inflation, and tokenomics fit together.
- Slashing — the penalties bonded stake is exposed to.
- Delegation — the delegator-side lifecycle that bonds stake to validators.
- Governance & Staking — staking’s role in protocol governance.
- On-Chain Module Map — all 27 modules at a glance.
What is bonded stake?
Section titled “What is bonded stake?”Tokens locked to a validator, weighting its consensus vote and earning rewards — the capital commitment that secures the chain.
How do VEID rewards work for validators?
Section titled “How do VEID rewards work for validators?”Validators participating in identity scoring earn under the governed incentive policy — conservative, governance-controlled, with no fixed pool promised. See What is VEID?.
What is identity-led issuance?
Section titled “What is identity-led issuance?”A proposed allocation for accounts meeting the network-defined unique-identity threshold and activity conditions — issuance that follows verified humans. See the x/issuancepolicy module.