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Use this page as your navigator. Complete the steps in order — each links to the full guide for that step.
Choose your validator carefully: Autheo does not support redelegation. After delegating THEO, you must unstake and wait approximately 21 days for the tokens to unbond before you can delegate them to a different validator. Review the validator’s commission and other relevant details before delegating.

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Setup checklist

1

Acquire a Sovereign NFT license

Purchase a Sovereign license on the Node Sale Platform. The license is an ERC-721 token on Arbitrum and is required to create a validator.Full guide → Purchasing a license
2

Bridge the license to Autheo Chain

Use the Autheo Bridge to transfer your NFT from Arbitrum to your Autheo Chain EVM address. This automatically mints a LicenseRecord on-chain with status ISSUED.Full guide → Making a transfer
3

Verify prerequisites

Confirm your server meets the hardware requirements: minimum 16 vCPU, 32 GB RAM, and 1 TB NVMe SSD, with an additional 8–16 GB of RAM recommended for MemIAVL. Confirm that Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and the required firewall configuration are in place.Full guide → Prerequisites
4

Install autheod

Download the pre-built binary or build from source. Bootstrap with a snapshot to reduce sync time from ~24 hours to ~1 hour.Full guide → Installation
5

Bind the license on-chain

Submit MsgBindLicense to transition your license from ISSUED to BOUND. This step must be completed before you can create a validator.Full guide → License setup
6

Configure and start the node

Create your operator key and consensus key, configure config.toml and app.toml, set up the systemd service, and verify the node is syncing.Full guide → Production deploymentKey management reference → Key management
7

Register the validator

Confirm your license is BOUND, your node is fully synced (catching_up: false), and your operator account is funded. Then submit MsgCreateValidator.Full guide → Register validator
8

Claim rewards

Once your validator is ACTIVE, two reward streams can accrue:
  • Staking rewards — associated with delegated THEO.
  • NFT emission rewards — associated with the active Sovereign license.
The two reward streams are separate and use different reward mechanisms.Full guide → Staking and rewards

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Pre-launch verification

Before submitting MsgCreateValidator, confirm all of these:
Sovereign license required: MsgCreateValidator can only be submitted when the validator operator’s Sovereign license is in BOUND status. Prime and Core licenses are used for delegation and cannot be used to create a validator.

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Ongoing operations

After your validator is live: