Question 1

What is GRT?

Accepted Answer

GRT is The Graph's utility token. The Graph uses independent participants to organize blockchain data into queryable Subgraphs and provide data services to applications; GRT connects the economic incentives for providing services, selecting data sources, and using query services.

Question 2

What is GRT used for in the network?

Accepted Answer

Indexers run nodes and stake GRT to index data for Subgraphs and process queries. Developers or applications pay fees for queries, and indexers can receive query fees allocated under protocol rules; indexers can also receive indexing rewards for providing indexing services to Subgraphs with allocated stake. Under the current mechanism, indexers must periodically submit a Proof of Indexing (POI) to claim accrued indexing rewards. A POI is cryptographic proof that a Subgraph has been correctly indexed through a given block; if it is not submitted within the current maximum staleness period of 28 days, any participant may forcibly close that allocation, and unclaimed rewards cannot be recovered retroactively.

Question 3

What does delegating GRT involve?

Accepted Answer

Delegators can delegate GRT to an Indexer without running an indexing node themselves, increasing the stake that the Indexer can use for Subgraphs. In exchange, delegators share part of that Indexer's query fees and indexing rewards according to the Indexer's configured sharing rate; this is not a fixed interest rate. A 0.5% delegation tax is charged and burned when delegation occurs. If delegation is withdrawn, the materials state that there is an unbonding period of 28 epochs, approximately 26 days; delegators therefore need to consider the Indexer's service performance, sharing configuration, tax, and exit waiting time together.

Question 4

Why do Curators use GRT?

Accepted Answer

Curators stake signal on Subgraphs to indicate which Subgraphs they believe are high quality and worth prioritizing by Indexers. Indexers use this in selecting what to index, so curation is not merely a vote: it is an economic mechanism that conveys demand and quality signals for data services to the network. Curating a new Subgraph requires payment and burning of a 1% curation tax. Curators receive a share related to future query fees from that Subgraph, so returns depend on whether the Subgraph subsequently generates actual query fees, not simply on the existence of the signal.

Question 5

How is GRT issued and burned?

Accepted Answer

GRT had an initial supply of 10 billion tokens, and the protocol targets approximately 3% new issuance annually, mainly as rewards for Indexers that allocate stake to Subgraphs and provide indexing services. This 3% is a protocol-level target issuance measure, not a return that every participant receives at the same rate. There is also burning on the supply side: 0.5% of the delegated amount is burned when delegating, 1% is burned when curating a new Subgraph, and 1% of network query fees is burned; certain slashing situations also involve burning. Supply should therefore be understood through both new issuance and burns generated by actual network activity, rather than either factor alone.

Question 6

What practical effects does staking GRT have?

Accepted Answer

An Indexer's self-staked GRT has a current minimum threshold of 100,000 GRT. Staked assets have an unbonding period and may be slashed for malicious behavior, providing incorrect data, or incorrect indexing. Staking is therefore both collateral for eligibility to earn service-related rewards and a guarantee that constrains service quality. Although Delegators do not run nodes directly, their outcome remains linked to the selected Indexer: delegation returns depend on that Indexer's fee and reward performance, and the unbonding period limits the ability to exit immediately. Before participating, it is important to distinguish an Indexer's self-staking slashing risk from delegation's return, tax, and liquidity effects.

Question 7

What changes did Graph Horizon make to the indexing-reward mechanism?

Accepted Answer

Graph Horizon is live and changed how allocations, rewards, and delegation operate. After the upgrade, allocations can remain open without a maximum lifetime; Indexers claim rewards through periodic POI submissions rather than needing to close an allocation first. This change did not remove the constraint on indexing quality: if a POI remains unupdated beyond the current maximum staleness period of 28 days, the allocation can still be forcibly closed, and unclaimed rewards cannot be recovered retroactively. Rewards or delegation should be understood under post-Horizon rules rather than by directly applying the old allocation lifecycle to the current network.

Question 8

How do The Graph's query fees connect to GRT participants?

Accepted Answer

Query fees are paid by developers or applications using Subgraph data and are allocated to network participants under protocol rules. Indexers receive query-fee income, while Curators' shares are related to future query fees generated by the Subgraphs they signal. Fee income therefore depends on real query activity, rather than arising automatically from simply holding GRT.

Question 9

How do Subgraphs, Curators, and Indexers work together?

Accepted Answer

A Subgraph is an open-source description that tells Indexers which onchain data to organize and provide; applications query published Subgraphs through GraphQL. Curation signals help Indexers determine priorities, and Indexers' stake and service turn those signals into data services that applications can call.

Question 10

Why should GRT indexing rewards not be understood as fixed returns?

Accepted Answer

Indexing rewards are not determined solely by the amount staked. The current materials state that rewards are affected by a Subgraph's curation signal and the amount of GRT allocated to that Subgraph; an Indexer's own stake, accepted delegation, and service performance also affect its outcome.

Question 11

How does The Graph constrain incorrect indexing or query services?

Accepted Answer

When an Indexer processes a query, each request sent by a gateway includes a signed receipt, and the response includes proof of the query result's validity; queries and allocations can be disputed during their respective dispute periods. If a dispute is accepted, the relevant Indexer may be slashed, and the participant bringing a valid dispute may receive part of the slashed GRT.

Question 12

Does holding GRT mean owning data or applications in The Graph?

Accepted Answer

GRT's network role is to coordinate providers and users of data services, not to grant ownership of a particular Subgraph, application, or underlying blockchain asset. Holding, delegating, curating, and operating an indexing node are different forms of participation, with different applicable fees, reward sources, lockup constraints, and risks.

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