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Manage your Solana validator directly from your Squad. Transfer your validator’s withdraw authority to your Squad, and all validator operations (commission and collector changes, reward withdrawals, authority transfers) require multisig approval before execution.

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How validator management works

Validator management works by transferring your validator’s withdraw authority to your Squad. Once transferred, every validator action requires approval from Squad members based on your threshold. This adds multisig security to validator operations, ensuring no single key can change commission rates, withdraw rewards, or reassign authority. Before you can manage a validator from your Squad, you must transfer its withdraw authority. Until the authority is set, management actions are unavailable.

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Add a validator

1

Open the Validators tab

In the sidebar, open Developers and select Validators, then select Add validator.
2

Enter validator details

Enter the Validator name and the Validator ID (your validator’s vote account address), then select Next.
3

Transfer withdraw authority

Transfer the validator’s withdraw authority to your Squad’s vault address (labeled Squads Vault in Settings) using one of these methods:
  • Copy your Squad’s vault address and transfer the authority to it directly
  • Insert the absolute path of the current authority keypair, copy the generated command, and run it in the CLI
The generated command has this form, with your validator ID, keypair path, and vault address filled in:
4

Verify

Select Verify to confirm the transfer. The validator is added to your list once its onchain withdraw authority matches your vault address.
Validators cannot be removed from the Squad UI once added. A validator is only added after its withdraw authority is verified, so ensure you have access to the current withdraw authority before you start.

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Withdraw authority vs. stake authority

Transferring the withdraw authority to your Squad gives you control over commission changes and reward withdrawals. However, if you also plan to manage staking operations (unstaking, deactivating stake accounts) from your Squad, you must also set the stake authority to your Squad’s vault address. If only the withdraw authority is transferred but the stake authority remains with a different key, unstake operations initiated from the Squad UI will fail.

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Change commission

1

Select the validator

In the sidebar, open Developers and select Validators, then select the validator.
2

Initiate the change

In the Validator dialog, select the Commission row. Enter the New commission percentage (0 to 100), add a note (optional), and select Initiate.
3

Execute

Once the transaction reaches the threshold and is executed, the commission updates.
A commission change can be executed at any time in the epoch. The new rate applies to rewards from the second epoch after the change executes, so delegators always get at least one full epoch of notice.

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Withdraw rewards

1

Select the validator

In the sidebar, open Developers and select Validators, then select the validator.
2

Initiate withdrawal

Select Withdraw rewards, enter the amount (or select MAX), add a note (optional), and select Initiate.
3

Execute

Once the transaction reaches the threshold and is executed, rewards appear in your vault.

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Change commission collectors

A validator’s commission is paid to two collector accounts: the Block Revenue Collector receives the commission from block revenue, and the Inflation Rewards Collector receives the commission from inflation rewards. The Validator dialog shows both current collectors.
1

Select the validator

In the sidebar, open Developers and select Validators, then select the validator.
2

Initiate the change

In the Validator dialog, select Change block revenue collector or Change inflation rewards collector. Enter the new collector address, add a note (optional), and select Initiate.
3

Execute

Once the transaction reaches the threshold and is executed, the commission goes to the new collector.
The new collector must be the vote account itself or an existing, funded system wallet. Any other valid address passes the form but makes the transaction fail when it is executed.

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Unstake validator-staked SOL

Unstaking validator-staked SOL is a multi-step process:
1

Deactivate the stake account

Open Stake in the sidebar, select the Validator tab, and set Filter by to Staked. Select Unstake on the stake account and execute the transaction.
2

Wait for the epoch to end

The stake remains locked until the epoch boundary. Wait for the current epoch to end.
3

Withdraw

Return to the Staked view of the Validator tab and select Withdraw on the inactive stake account to return the SOL to your vault.
If you originally staked through a liquid staking token (LST), an additional step is required: first unstake from the LST pool, then follow the steps above to unstake from the underlying validator, wait for the epoch to end, and withdraw.

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Self-staking through your Squad

To self-stake (for Solana Foundation eligibility or other purposes):
1

Transfer SOL to your Squad

Transfer SOL to your Squad. You can do this via CLI from your identity keypair (solana transfer <vault-address> <amount> --keypair identity.json) or by sending SOL from a hot wallet through the Squads UI.
2

Delegate to your validator

Open Stake in the sidebar, select the Validator tab, and search for your validator. Delegate the desired amount and execute the transaction. The stake activates at the next epoch.
Since your Squad holds the withdraw authority, the Solana Foundation recognizes this delegation as self-stake. Note that the withdraw authority controls commission and reward withdrawals only. It cannot move SOL held in your validator’s identity account, so you must transfer SOL out of the identity account via CLI to fund your Squad for self-staking.

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Change authority

1

Select the validator

In the sidebar, open Developers and select Validators, then select the validator.
2

Initiate the transfer

In the Validator dialog, select Change authority and enter the New authority address for the withdraw authority.
3

Submit and execute

Add a note (optional) and select Initiate to create the transaction. Once the transaction reaches the threshold and is executed, authority transfers to the new address.

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Best practices

  • Transfer both withdraw and stake authority. If you plan to manage staking operations from your Squad (not just commission and rewards), ensure the stake authority is also set to your Squad’s vault address.
  • Plan commission changes ahead. A change applies to rewards from the second epoch after it executes, not immediately.
  • Withdraw rewards regularly. Accumulated rewards remain in the vote account until withdrawn. Withdraw periodically to consolidate funds in your vault.
  • Keep at least 0.1 SOL in your vault. Insufficient SOL causes transaction execution to fail. Top up before initiating validator operations.
  • Never transfer authority to an address you do not control. Transferring withdraw authority to an unknown or exchange address means permanent loss of validator management access.