The current validator set
X1 mainnet has 614 active validators and 121 delinquent, with roughly 675 independent community operators alongside 10 Foundation-run nodes. Delinquent nodes hold 0.01% of total stake, so their absence is a rewards problem for their delegators rather than a liveness problem for the chain.
The set is large relative to X1's circulating supply, which is a direct consequence of the Foundation delegation program: it makes it viable to operate a node without a large personal treasury, provided you clear the performance bar every single epoch.
What a validator actually does
X1 is an SVM-based Layer 1, so the validator role mirrors Solana's. Each node runs the Tachyon client and:
- Votes on blocks produced by the current leader, earning vote credits that determine reward share.
- Produces blocks during its assigned leader slots. Missed slots show up as skip rate, the headline performance metric.
- Gossips cluster state and forwards shreds through the Turbine tree.
- Serves RPC, optionally — many operators run RPC separately from their voting node.
Rewards are DPoS block rewards distributed at each epoch boundary. The validator takes its commission — median 10% across the active set — and the rest flows to delegators.
The Tachyon client
Tachyon is X1 Labs' validator client. The current mainnet release is v3.1.14, and upgrades are not optional: operators who fail to upgrade within the announced window get forked out of the network.
Key operational points from v3.1.14:
- The accounts index is now fully in memory by default; the on-disk index is deprecated. Faster lookups, but confirm RAM headroom first — some operators had to update their kernel and raise memory limits before the client would run cleanly.
- Hardened shred insertion and blockstore error handling.
- Turbine and gossip cleanup: IPv6 address filtering and CRDS table pruning.
getProgramAccountsnow rejects malformed filters outright; signature failures insimulateTransactionand preflight surface as a properTransactionError.- Three startup flags are deprecated and should be removed from your scripts:
--disable-accounts-disk-index,--monitor(run the separatemonitorcommand afterexitinstead), and--dev-halt-at-slot.
Entrypoint nodes were also rekeyed, so the --known-validator set in your startup configuration needs updating. Full release notes and the new keys: Tachyon v3.1.14 validator upgrade.
Getting Foundation stake behind you
Running a node and getting delegated to are two different problems. The Foundation's program is the biggest source of externally-delegated XNT on the network, and it is fully automated: an algorithm runs at each epoch boundary, checks every approved validator, and redistributes. Good validators get more. Validators that slip get cut. It resets daily.
There are six hard requirements, and failing any one at an epoch boundary removes your delegation with no warning and no partial credit. The two that filter hardest:
- 3,000 XNT minimum self-stake. Set by Project Capybara. Note that the current definition of "self-stake" includes community delegations you have already received, not only tokens you personally staked — the Foundation has flagged this may be tightened.
- Commission at or below 10%. Checked every epoch. Raise your rate above the cap after receiving delegation and you lose it at the next run.
The remaining criteria cover performance percentile, version currency and liveness. Our operator's guide to the delegation program walks through all six and what to monitor to stay in.
Validator tooling
| Tool | What it is for |
|---|---|
| X1VAL | Performance monitoring and uptime tracking |
| X1 Validator HQ | Percentile, self-stake and delegation status terminal |
| X1 Galaxy | Validator explorer and staking dashboard |
| Foundation Delegation Portal | P85 threshold, rewards and program status |
| X1 Console | Open-source validator management CLI |
| X1 Explorer | Raw vote accounts, blocks and transactions |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many validators does X1 have?
X1 currently has 614 active validators voting on mainnet, plus 121 delinquent. Around 675 of those are independent community operators; the X1 Foundation runs 10 of its own. These counts are read live from the mainnet RPC via getVoteAccounts.
What do X1 validators do?
They run the Tachyon client, vote on blocks, and produce blocks when scheduled as leader. In return they earn DPoS block rewards, taking a commission before passing the remainder to their delegators. X1 is SVM-based, so the validator role is functionally the same as on Solana.
What are the hardware requirements to run an X1 validator?
Treat Solana validator specs as the baseline: a many-core CPU, generous RAM, and fast NVMe storage. RAM is the binding constraint as of Tachyon v3.1.14, which keeps the accounts index fully in memory by default and deprecates the on-disk index — several operators had to raise kernel memory limits before the new client would run cleanly. Confirm headroom before upgrading.
How much XNT do I need to run a validator?
Technically you can run a node with very little. Economically, the number that matters is 3,000 XNT self-stake — the floor set by Project Capybara to qualify for the X1 Foundation delegation program. Below that you are running at your own cost with no Foundation stake behind you.
How does the X1 Foundation delegation program work?
A fully automated on-chain program runs at every epoch boundary — roughly every 24 hours — checking each approved validator against six hard requirements and redistributing stake. No committee, no manual review. Fail a check and your delegation is gone at the next run with no grace period. The requirements include the 3,000 XNT self-stake floor, commission at or below 10%, and performance above the P85 threshold. Details: the delegation program guide.
What is the P85 threshold?
A performance percentile bar introduced by Project Capybara: validators must rank in the top tier of the active set on performance to keep Foundation delegation. It is checked every epoch alongside the other criteria, which is why operators watch skip rate and vote credits daily rather than weekly.
Which client does X1 run?
Tachyon, X1 Labs' validator client. The current mainnet release is v3.1.14 — a stability update on top of the v3 performance overhaul, with in-memory accounts index by default, hardened shred insertion and blockstore error handling, and IPv6 filtering plus CRDS pruning in the Turbine and gossip layers. Operators who fall behind get forked out. See the v3.1.14 upgrade notes.
Where can I monitor X1 validator performance?
X1VAL for uptime and performance monitoring, X1 Validator HQ for percentile and self-stake status, X1 Galaxy for a validator explorer, and the official explorer for raw vote account data. X1 Console is an open-source CLI for managing your own node.