Configuration

When creating a Vault, operators set parameters that define how it operates — deposit capacity, MEV strategy, Vault management roles, branding, and fees. Some are fixed at creation; others can be updated later.

Immutable Parameters

Capacity and MEV strategy are immutable parameters set once during Vault creation.

Capacity

The maximum amount of assets (ETH or GNO) a Vault can accept; if unset, deposits are unlimited. The cap is enforced on every deposit — transactions that would exceed it revert with a CapacityExceeded error. This is useful for matching Vault size to the node operator's infrastructure.

MEV Strategy

MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) is the extra profit validators can capture when proposing blocks. Vaults can use either a Smoothing Pool or Own Escrow to collect MEV from proposing blocks. This choice is set at Vault creation and can't be changed later.

Smoothing Pool

Rewards are pooled across multiple Vaults and distributed in proportion to the Consensus Layer attestation rewards each Vault's validators earned over the period, providing more stable and predictable returns regardless of block proposal frequency. Because the split follows earned attestation rewards rather than Vault size, assets sitting idle in a Vault and underperforming validators both reduce its share.

For example, a Vault with only a few validators will still receive periodic small payouts from the Smoothing Pool. In return, when one of its validators does earn a block proposal reward, that reward flows to the Smoothing Pool to be shared among all participating Vaults.

Vaults that use the Smoothing Pool must set every relay to one of the StakeWise DAO-approved MEV relays. This ensures that individual Vaults' contributions to the Smoothing Pool are tracked and the risk of non-contribution is mitigated. An accrued share counts toward the Vault's total assets straight away, but stays locked in the shared escrow until one of the Vault's validators proposes a block through an approved relay and routes the MEV to the pool. Proposing through an unapproved relay, or sending the MEV somewhere else, forfeits the locked balance — it is redistributed among the compliant Vaults.

Own Escrow

Each Vault keeps its own MEV rewards. Because nothing is shared, the Vault can pick any relay — targeting maximum value capture at the cost of higher variability.

Mutable Parameters

Branding, fees, and roles can all be changed after creation. All three are controlled by the Admin.

Branding

The Vault's name, description, and image. Set and updated on the Vault page under Settings → Branding. Updates go live immediately. Vault re-verification is required upon every Branding update.

Vault Verification

New or updated Vaults carry an Unverified Vault label until the StakeWise team reviews and marks the Vault as verified. Stakers can be confident about the authenticity of this information, i.e., a Vault branded by Operator A is indeed controlled and run by Operator A.

Fee

A percentage fee charged on staking rewards, ranging from 0% to 100%.

Initially set during Vault creation and updated later on the Vault page under Settings → Vault fee, subject to protocol restrictions: each increase is capped at 20% relative to the current fee (e.g., a 10% fee can rise to at most 12%), with a 3-day delay between updates. If the current fee is 0%, it cannot exceed 1% on the first increase.

The fee is automatically deducted from rewards when the Vault state is updated, and transferred to the Vault's fee recipient.

Roles

Every Vault has several key roles for the internal management of the staking process. All are assigned by the Admin through the Settings → Roles tab on the Vault page, or by calling the corresponding setter on the Vault contract — with one exception: the Vault Fee Claimer lives on the Vault's Fee Splitter contract rather than on the Vault itself.

Admin

Primary controller of the Vault, and its creator by default. An Admin can be a single wallet, multisig, or DAO. The Admin's authority covers:

• Assigning and reassigning every role, including its own
• Updating the Vault's branding and fees
• Setting the fee recipient and shareholder splits
• Upgrading the Vault to a new contract version

Vault Fee Claimer

Triggers claims of accumulated Vault fees on behalf of shareholders.

By default a Vault's fees go to a single recipient. To split them among several shareholders, the Admin sets a Fee Splitter — a contract that divides incoming fees according to configured proportions — as the Vault's fee recipient, under Settings → Vault fee on the Vault page.

Whitelist Manager

Adds or removes the addresses authorized to deposit. Only present in Private Vaults.

Blocklist Manager

Adds or removes the addresses blocked from depositing. Only present in Blocklist Vaults.

Validators Manager

Authorizes the Vault's core validator operations — registration, funding, consolidation, and withdrawals. The Operator Service automates most of the validator lifecycle, and each on-chain action it submits must be signed by the address assigned to this role.