> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tavchain.safeney.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Staking and delegation

> Understand TAV self-bonding, delegation, validator voting power and the testnet unbonding period before participating.

Tavchain Testnet uses the native Cosmos SDK staking module with `atav` as its bond denomination. Staking commits Test TAV to a validator; it is separate from running an unregistered full node.

## Validator and delegator roles

A validator registers its consensus public key and self-delegation through the native node CLI. Delegators bond Test TAV to a validator and share its fee-derived rewards after the validator's commission. The active set can contain up to 10 validators, selected by bonded stake. Funding an account or submitting a registration does not guarantee active voting power.

The initial four validators remain under shared administration. Validator grants are a controlled distribution of test tokens, not proof of independent operation or automatic membership. Contact [support](https://docs.tavchain.safeney.com/tavchain/contribute/reporting.md) for participation information; never send a private key or keyring passphrase.

## Unbonding and penalties

The configured unbonding period is 21 days. Staked funds can be affected by downtime and double-signing penalties. Validator commission is configured by each validator subject to its declared limits. Check the current chain's staking and slashing parameters before acting.

Test TAV has no monetary value. Staking does not promise a yield, airdrop, mainnet allocation or real-world return. See [Network rewards](https://docs.tavchain.safeney.com/tavchain/learn/rewards.md), [Governance](https://docs.tavchain.safeney.com/tavchain/learn/governance.md) and [Node roles](https://docs.tavchain.safeney.com/tavchain/operate/node-roles.md).


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