Espresso Delegation Program

Goals

1
Diverse & Performant Validators

Onboard a diverse and performant validator set for the Espresso network

2
Testnet Participation

Incentivize active participation on testnet to strengthen the network

3
Bootstrap Decentralization

Bootstrap the network in the early stages of decentralization

Overview

The Espresso Foundation delegates ESP tokens to validators that consistently perform well on the network. The program has two tiers: the Main Delegation Program (up to 20 nodes with larger ESP delegations) and the Bootstrap Program (up to 40 nodes with 1-5M ESP delegations). Every 6 months, the top-performing validators from the Bootstrap Program are selected to join the Main Delegation Program.

Scoring — max 100 points

Missed Slots

80 pts
≤ 1% miss rate80
≤ 2% miss rate40
< network avg15
< network avg + 2.5%10
≥ network avg + 2.5%0

Voting

10 pts
≥ 90% vote rate10
> 0% vote rate7
At least 1 vote in epoch5
No votes0

Version

10 pts
No update needed10
≤ 48 hours10
≤ 7 days5
> 7 days or unknown0

Delegation Decisions

INCREASEScore ≥ 80
MAINTAINScore ≥ 80 but already at max (5M ESP)
DECREASEScore 25–79 and delegation above minimum (1M ESP)
REMEDIATEScore < 25 (first occurrence)
REMOVEScore < 25 (more than once)