Stakefish staking API

Ethereum requires a deposit of at least 32 ETH to activate a validator. New validators pass through an activation queue before they begin earning rewards. A platform using the API needs to distinguish its validator-management operations from the validator's actual network state, including whether activation has occurred.

Since Pectra, a validator with compounding 0x02 withdrawal credentials can have an effective balance of up to 2048 ETH. Regular 0x01 validators retain a 32 ETH effective balance cap. Effective balance determines how much stake earns consensus rewards, so counting validators alone does not establish the amount earning rewards.

Consensus rewards come from Ethereum's issuance for validator duties. Execution rewards include priority fees and MEV, and depend on block proposals and transaction demand. stakefish aggregates execution income in its MAX MEV smoothing pool and distributes the resulting fee/MEV rewards through a smart contract. That pool provides a separate payment path from consensus rewards.

Withdrawal credentials affect when consensus earnings reach a wallet. With 0x01 credentials, balance above 32 ETH is periodically swept to the registered withdrawal address. With 0x02 credentials, rewards compound up to the 2048 ETH effective balance limit; automatic sweeps apply only to balance above 2048 ETH. To withdraw part of a compounding validator's staked balance while keeping it active, the withdrawal address must request a partial withdrawal, leaving at least 32 ETH staked.

Accrued consensus earnings can remain staked in a compounding validator, while fee/MEV rewards follow the pool's claim process. A reported reward amount therefore needs its reward type and payment state to explain whether funds have reached the wallet.

View image file

Withdrawal requests are part of stakefish's documented Ethereum API capabilities. For a full validator withdrawal, the network must process the exit and withdrawal before the remaining balance reaches the registered withdrawal address. Submitting a request does not establish that the funds have arrived, and network queue conditions affect completion time.

The Pectra upgrade, activated on May 7, 2025, introduced execution-layer-triggered exits through EIP-7002. For validators with 0x01 or 0x02 withdrawal credentials, an authorized request from the registered withdrawal address can trigger a full exit without the validator signing key. This is an Ethereum protocol capability; the authorization flow and withdrawal operations exposed by a particular API integration still need to match that validator's credentials.

stakefish also describes a Multi-Chain Staking API and SDK covering Ethereum, Solana, and other networks. Solana participation uses SOL delegation to a validator through stake accounts. Its staking states and timing rules differ from Ethereum's validator activation and withdrawal system, so a platform supporting both networks needs chain-specific handling of operations and reporting.

View image file