Exit Your Minipools

Exiting from a Rocketpool minipool involves removing the associated validator from active duties and unstaking the 32 ETH from the Beacon Chain. The 32 ETH stake, along with any accrued rewards, will initially be sent to the Minipool Address. Subsequently, when the minipool is closed, the stake and rewards will be distributed fairly between the node operator and rETH stakers, according to the Rocketpool protocol.

Before you Begin

Ensure that your node is fully synced before initiating the exit process.

Step 1. Initiate Validator Exit from the Beacon Chain

To initiate an exit from the Beacon Chain, go to the Status page of the AVADO Rocketpool DApp. Find your minipool. Click on the Initiate validator exit button and confirm the action.

You can also initiate the exit from your Consensus Client. On the Consensus Client dashboard, locate the "exit" icon on the far right of the line. Click this button to initiate the exit and confirm the action.

Step 2. Wait for the Validator to Exit

After initiating the validator exit, the following events will occur:

• The consensus client will broadcast a message to the beacon chain to signal your intention to exit.

• A few minutes later, beaconcha.in will display a flashing green "exited" state. The display message will indicate the expected exit and withdrawal epochs. The "exit epoch" is when your validator can stop performing duties, and the "withdrawal epoch" is when the balance becomes "withdrawable".

• The exit epoch is at least 4 epochs later, plus the period you need to wait in the exit queue. The length of the exit queue can be checked at https://www.validatorqueue.com/.

• On the validator dashboard, the status will change from active_ongoing to active_exiting.

Once your validator reaches the "exit epoch":

• beaconcha.in shows a solid green "exited" state.

• Rocketpool timeline shows solid green "exited" state. A message appears to say: "Waiting for final validator withdrawal, before this minipool can be closed".

• On the validator dashboard, the status becomes: exited_unslashed.

Step 3: Wait for the Withdrawal to the Minipool

After reaching the "exit epoch," it will take another 27 hours approximately for the validator to become "withdrawable". Ethereum has these built-in delays in place to prevent malicious actors from exploiting the system.

When your validator reaches the "withdrawal epoch":

• beaconcha.in will display the expected time of withdrawal and the actual withdrawal amount under the "withdrawals" tab. This should include your 32 ETH stake and any accrued consensus rewards.

• On the consensus client dashboard, the validator status becomes: withdrawal_possible.

Now, you need to wait for the validator sweep, which refers to the time interval between your successive consensus rewards. You can check the Sweep Delay on https://www.validatorqueue.com/.

Once the ETHs have arrived at your minipool address:

• The validator status will change to withdrawal_done

• The message on the Status page of the AVADO Rocketpool DApp will display: "Minipool can be closed", along with a Close Minipool button.

Step 4. Closing the Minipool

To distribute the ETHs between you (the node operator) and rETH stakers, taking into account the split and commission, you need to close the minipool. Follow these steps:

1. Click on the Close Minipool button.

2. Wait for the transaction to be processed.

3. Your portion will be sent to your Rocketpool withdrawal address, which you specified during the initial setup. It is shown under the "Node Status" section on the status page.

Closing the minipool is an on-chain transaction. Make sure you have some ETHs in your Rocketpool Hot Wallet to pay for gas. During times of high demand on the Ethereum network, the transaction can take a long time to go through.

Once the minipool is closed, its status becomes "Finalized".

Step 5. Unstaking the RPL

At this point, your effective RPL will be updated to remove this minipool from the calculation. You can now unstake any RPL that would put you over the 150% limit. If all your minipools have been closed, you can unstake the entire RPL amount.

A button will appear on the Status page that reads: "Withdraw xxx RPL," where xxx is your withdrawal amount. Click this button and wait for the transaction to be processed. Your RPL will be sent to your Rocketpool withdrawal address.

Note: Withdrawals of RPL are subject to a 28-day waiting period since the last stake or restaking action. Be careful if you claim these rewards before closing your minipool. If you restake any amount of RPL rewards, you will not be able to withdraw any amount of RPL for 28 days since the last staking action.