🚀Votex Quick Start Guide

Get started on our gauge system fast!

⚙️ The Vault Gauge System

This guide gives validators a practical understanding of how The Vault Gauges work and how to use them effectively with Votex in under five minutes.

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⏱️ What You Need to Know in 5 Minutes

Gauges allow validators to receive stake through a weekly voting mechanism. Validators acquire voting power, votes are cast, and stake is distributed for the following epoch. This process repeats weekly.

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🧭 What Are Gauges?

Gauges are a vote based stake allocation system.

• Validators acquire voting power

• Votes are cast for a specific epoch

• Stake is distributed based on vote share

• Votes expire after one week and must be renewed

This creates a predictable, transparent way to attract stake through market pricing.

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📊 Key Numbers at a Glance

• Voting epochs last 7 days

• A minimum commitment of 2 to 3 weeks is recommended

• The stakebot runs every 3 hours

• Initial impact is visible after one week when using Votex

• Delta updates appear within 3 hours of a new epoch starting

• Full stake distribution typically completes within 6 to 8 days

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🔁 The Quick Process

Step 1

Buy Votes

• Visit: https://votex.so/daos

• Confirm voting is open Voting is available six days per week and closes on the final day of the epoch

• Purchase votes for your validator Any wallet can be used and it does not need to remain consistent week to week

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Step 2

Wait for the Next Epoch

• Check the epoch countdown at: https://tribeca.so/gov/vault/gauges

• Votes always apply to the next epoch after purchase

• Example Votes purchased during Epoch 20 apply to Epoch 21

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Step 3

Check Your Delta

• Visit: https://thevault.finance/validators

• Locate your validator and review the delta column

• Deltas typically appear within three hours of the new epoch starting

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Step 4

Wait for Stake Distribution

• Stake is processed through a priority queue

• First time or large stake allocations may take slightly longer

• Continue monitoring your validator page for updates

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Step 5

Repeat Weekly

• Votes only last one week

• To retain or grow stake you must vote again for the next epoch

• Most validators see the strongest results after two to three consecutive weeks

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💰 Budget Planning and ROI

Estimating Returns

Expected earnings =
Stake amount × Commission rate × APY ÷ 52

Cost =
USDC spent on votes

If expected earnings exceed cost the strategy is profitable

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Understanding Voting Power

Your voting power =
Your spend ÷ Total spend for the epoch

Example
$1,000 ÷ $1,200 total spend = 83 percent of voting power

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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Only voting for one week and stopping before results compound

• Expecting instant stake distribution

• Forgetting to vote again when a new epoch begins

• Confusing Solana epochs with gauge voting epochs

• Assuming the same wallet must be used every week

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🔗 Quick Links

Buy votes https://votex.so/daos

Check epoch timing https://tribeca.so/gov/vault/gauges

View validator deltas https://thevault.finance/validators

Stakebot transparency data https://github.com/SolanaVault/stakebot-data

Analytics dashboard https://dune.com/kagren0/the-vault-validators

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🏁 Stake Priority Rules

Stake is processed in the following order.

• First priority Direct stake combined with gauge stake

• Second priority Undirected stake

• Within each priority tier validators with larger deltas are processed first.

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🗓️ Example Timeline

Day 0 Monday Votes are purchased during Epoch 20

Later on Day 0 Votex casts votes on your behalf

Day 7 Monday Epoch 21 begins

Within 3 hours Your delta appears on the dashboard

Day 7 to Day 13 Stakebot distributes stake across validators

Day 14 Votes must be renewed for Epoch 22

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🤝 Need Help?

For deeper explanations review the Gauge documentation. If you still need assistance reach out to our Discord support directly.

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✅ Ready to Start?

Visit https://votex.so/daos

Purchase your first votes and begin participating in the gauge system.