Deposit 1 GNO

You are about to make the deposit on the official Gnosis Beacon Chain Deposit web site. This is a serious commitment and cannot be reversed once you completed the deposit.

Visiting the official Gnosis Beacon Chain Deposit web site is the ONLY way you can make the deposit. Do not attempt to manually send funds to the deposit contract or your will lose your funds.

Gnosis Beacon Chain Deposit web site: https://deposit.gnosischain.com/

Before you Begin

Before you begin the deposit process:

  1. Check that you have obtained the deposit data file (deposit_data-xxxxxx.json file) from the Key Generation step. Make sure you have written down the secret recovery phrase and have kept it very safe.

  2. Use a browser with a connected wallet. For best experience, it is recommended to use a desktop or laptop computer with Metamask installed as a browser-extension wallet. If you have a hardware wallet such as Trezor or Ledger, connect your hardware wallet to Metamask. You can find instructions on how to do this here. Please be assured that connecting your hardware wallet through Metamask is a safe operation, because your private keys remain secured only in your hardware wallet and you are not relying on Metamask to manage your keys.

  3. Make sure you have prepared 1 GNO (plus some gas in xDAI) in your wallet for each validator you plan to stake. This GNO can be in your Metamask account, or if you have connected your hardware wallet to Metamask as described above, it can reside in your hardware wallet. There is no need to transfer the GNO from your hardware wallet to your Metamask account.

Step 1: Visit the Gnosis Beacon Chain Deposit Site

Visit the Gnosis Beacon Chain Deposit site.

You will be asked to connect your wallet. If you have a hardware wallet such as Trezor or Ledger, connect your hardware wallet through Metamask.

Step 2: Upload the Deposit Data File

Under the Deposit tab:

  1. Drag your deposit data file (with a name like deposit_data-xxxxxx.json) into the designated window. Only upload the deposit data file, not your keystore json files.

  1. After dragging the deposit data file, look for the green check marks, indicating that the deposit data file is valid. Once you see the check marks, you can click Deposit.

Step 3: Acknowledge Risks

Check that you understand the risks and ensure you are interacting with the correct contract before proceeding.

Step 4: Make the Deposit

When you are ready:

  • Take a deep breath.

  • Click OK to initiate the transaction.

  • Confirm the transaction(s) in the wallet. If you have connected a hardware wallet, you will also physically press the buttons on the wallet device to confirm each transaction. Make sure you use a gas fee that is appropriate for the market condition.

  • You can check the transaction on gnosisscan (from Metamask, click "View on explorer"). Give it a little time for the transaction to confirm.

Once the transaction goes through, you will see this confirmation screen.

Step 5: Monitor the Progress

Congratulations on successfully making your GNO deposit!

However, please note that your validators are not yet ready for action. There is a waiting period of a couple of hours between your deposit and the activation of your validators on the Beacon Chain.

Meanwhile, you can track your validator on the gnosischa.in website and search for your validator using your validator "pub key". Find your validator "pub key" in the deposit data file or the keystore file, copy it, and input into the search field on gnosischa.in to find your Validator Page.

Key information on your Validator page:

  • A. Your Validator's Unique Index and Pub Key: These are the identifiers of your validator on the Beacon Chain. In this example, the Unique Index has not shown up yet. It will show up once the deposit is recognized by the Beacon Chain.

  • B. Status: Initially, the status will show a flashing green Deposited state. Once your deposit is recognized by the Beacon Chain, the Deposit state will turn solid green. This will be followed by a flashing green Pending state while your validator waits in the activation queue.

  • C. Text information: Initially, it will inform you that the deposit is waiting to be recognized by the Beacon Chain. Once recognized, it will provide the expected time, and a countdown, for your validator to clear the activation queue. Note that the instruction says it will take around 16-24 hours; in reality it is only going to take 2-4 hours. Also the reference to "32 mGNO" simply means "1 GNO".

Click on the Deposits tab (D, or you may see a "wallet" icon before clicking):

  • E. "Execution Layer": After depositing, this section shows the deposit transaction and the time it was made.

  • F. "Consensus Layer": In this example, the deposit has not been recognized by the Beacon Chain. Once recognized, this section will display the epoch, slot, and time when the deposit was recognized.

  • G. "Withdrawal Credentials": In this example, the Withdrawal Address has been set. The text shows a withdrawal credentials that start with 0x01, confirming that the Withdrawal Address has been set. Clicking on the link will take you to the actual Withdrawal Address. If a Withdrawal Address has not been set, the withdrawal credentials will start with 0x00.

Once your validator clears the activation queue, the Active status will turn solid green. Your validator will be expected to perform its duties from that point onwards. Make sure your Gnosis clients are fully synced, and keystore files loaded, before the activation queue countdown reaches zero.

Next Steps

Let's take a moment to revisit The Gnosis Staker's Journey diagram to understand what you have accomplished so far.

In the key generation step, you have created the deposit data file. You have now uploaded the file to the Gnosis Beacon Chain Deposit site along with a 1 GNO deposit per validator.

You have also obtained the keystore files(s). Next, you will import the keystore file(s) to your Consensus Client so it is ready to participate in validation seamlessly the moment your validator is active on the Beacon Chain.

If you have also set the Withdrawal Address during the Key Generation process, you also have a destination for your Consensus Layer rewards, and your GNO stake when you finally exit.

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