Staking

Start Your Staking Journey

This comprehensive guide walks you through staking your ETH and GNO with StakeWise step by step.

StakeWise is a liquid staking platform that gives you complete control over how your assets are staked. Whether you're a beginner seeking simplicity or an advanced user wanting custom terms, StakeWise offers flexible staking solutions that earn rewards while keeping your stake liquid.

Choose your staking method based on your needs:

Method	Best for	Key advantages
🚀 One-click staking	Beginners, simple staking	• Instant staking in seconds • Protection from all slashing • No technical knowledge required
🎯 Staking with Vaults	Custom control, higher yields	• Choose your node operators • Higher potential yields • Lower fees • Protection from other Vaults
🏠 Solo staking	Advanced users, maximum control	• Run your own validators • Highest yields possible • Complete control over setup

New to liquid staking?

Learn about osToken →, Vaults →, and how StakeWise works →.

💡 Not sure which method to choose? Start with one-click staking for simplicity, then explore Vault options as you become more familiar with the platform.

Below you'll find step-by-step instructions for each staking method.

 Staking Flow
 Your Assets →  StakeWise Vaults →  osTokens → 💰 Earn Rewards

How to stake with one click?

Wallet Requirements

You'll need an Ethereum wallet such as Rabby Wallet ↗. The process will look very similar in other wallets.

One-click staking routes your assets through a MetaVault that automatically distributes them among selected Vaults. This converts your assets into osTokens, StakeWise's liquid staking tokens, while providing diversified exposure across multiple professional operators.

What are osTokens?

osTokens (osETH on Ethereum, osGNO on Gnosis Chain) represent your staked assets plus accumulated rewards. Use osTokens to trade, borrow, restake, or instantly unstake your staked assets via liquidity pools. Learn more about osTokens →

1. Open StakeWise App ↗ and connect your wallet
2. Click the "Stake" button to begin one-click staking
3. Enter the amount you want to stake in the input field
4. Review conversion details - The interface shows osTokens you'll receive, current rate, and estimated rewards
5. Click "Stake" and confirm the transaction in your wallet
6. Wait for confirmation (12-30 seconds) - osTokens will appear in your wallet and you start earning rewards

Important Notes

Ensure you have enough balance for both staking and gas fees for the transaction.

Next Steps After Staking

Track your rewards – osToken value increases over time as rewards accumulate

Use your osTokens – Trade, provide liquidity, or use in DeFi protocols while earning staking rewards

Convert back anytime – Swap osTokens back to the underlying asset through the app or exchanges when needed

How to stake with Vaults?

Understanding Vault Staking

Vault staking gives you control over exactly how your assets are staked. Unlike one-click staking, you can choose specific node operators, MEV strategies, and fee structures that match your preferences.

Why Choose Vault Staking?

Higher potential yields – Access to specialized operators and strategies

Custom terms – Choose fee rates, node operators, and MEV handling

Isolated rewards – Earn from your chosen Vault's performance only

Slashing protection – Protected from penalties in other Vaults

1. Navigate to Vaults from the StakeWise homepage and connect your wallet
2. Browse available Vaults using filters for performance, APY, and TVL
3. Select your Vault and review its APY, operator info, fees, and capacity
4. Click "Stake" and enter the amount you want to stake
5. Review terms and confirm the transaction in your wallet

Making Your Stake Liquid (Optional)

After staking in a Vault, you can mint osTokens against your stake to maintain liquidity:

1. Access Mint Option: On your Vault's page, find the "Mint osToken" section

2. Choose Amount: Use the slider or enter the amount of osTokens to mint

   • Maximum: 90% of your stake (99.99% for select Vaults)
   • Your full staking rewards continue regardless of minting ratio

3. Complete Minting: Confirm the transaction to receive osTokens

4. Monitor Health: Keep track of your position health in the Vault interface

Position Health

Your osToken position has health levels (Healthy, Moderate, Risky, Unhealthy) based on your Vault's performance relative to osTokens. Monitor this regularly to avoid liquidation. Learn more →

Vault Staking Management

Once staked in a Vault, you can:

• 📈 Track Performance: Monitor your Vault's APY and your earned rewards
• 🔄 Mint/Burn osTokens: Adjust your liquid staking position as needed (Learn about minting → | Learn about burning →)
• ⚡ Use Boost: Increase your staking rewards with additional yield opportunities
• 📤 Unstake: Exit the Vault (requires burning all minted osTokens first)
• 💱 Switch Vaults: Unstake from one and stake in another for better terms

Solo Staking with StakeWise

For advanced users who want to run their own validators while maintaining liquidity, StakeWise offers solo staking through personal Vaults. This gives you maximum control and the highest potential yields.

Advanced Feature

Solo staking requires technical expertise to run Ethereum / Gnosis Chain validators. It's recommended for experienced users comfortable with node operation and command-line tools.

Benefits of solo staking with StakeWise:

• 🎯 Full control over your validators and staking setup
• 💰 Highest yields with minimal fees
• 🔄 Maintain liquidity by minting osTokens against your stake
• ⚙️ MEV smoothing for stable execution layer rewards

To get started with solo staking:

1. Create your own Vault using our Vault creation guide →
2. Set up validator infrastructure following our operator documentation →
3. Stake in your Vault and optionally mint osTokens for liquidity →

How to unstake?

Unstaking is as simple and straightforward as staking, varying just slightly depending on how you staked your assets.

 Unstaking Flow
🔥 Burn osTokens → 🚪 Unstaking → 📥 Claim Rewards → 👛 Receive Assets

From One-Click Staking

If you staked directly for osTokens, you can convert them back anytime:

1. Convert osTokens – Go to StakeWise app, click "Unstake", enter amount to convert back
2. Confirm transaction – Review conversion rate and confirm in your wallet
3. Receive assets – Get your original assets plus rewards immediately

From Vault Staking

Required Step

To unstake from a Vault, you must first burn the osTokens you minted. The interface shows exactly how much to burn.

When unstaking from Vaults:

Burn osETH → Enter unstake amount → Confirm transaction → Join unstake queue → Claim ETH.

1. Burn osTokens – Click minus (–) button, enter amount or click "Max", click "Confirm"
2. Unstake assets – Click minus (–) button, enter withdrawal amount, click "Unstake"
3. Join queue – Confirmation shows "Added to unstake queue"
4. Claim assets – Once assets are exited, click "Claim" to receive your assets

Processing Times

• One-click unstaking: Immediate conversion
• osETH burning in Vaults: Immediate once confirmed
• Vault unstaking: 24-48 hours depending on the queue