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docs(staking): expand Owner/Operator/ValidatorWallet key model section#440

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MuncleUscles merged 1 commit into
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docs/validator-key-roles
Jul 7, 2026
Merged

docs(staking): expand Owner/Operator/ValidatorWallet key model section#440
MuncleUscles merged 1 commit into
mainfrom
docs/validator-key-roles

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@MuncleUscles

@MuncleUscles MuncleUscles commented Jul 7, 2026

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Why

Validators repeatedly ask which keys their node actually holds and how the owner/operator/ValidatorWallet relate — most recently someone discovered their previous devops never handed over the owner key. The current section is three sentences and doesn't answer the questions people actually have (which keys live on the server, what happens if a key is lost, where funds go).

What changed

staking.mdx — expanded Owner, Operator, and ValidatorWallet (heading/anchor unchanged):

  • Mermaid diagram of the three entities and how funds flow
  • Clarifies the ValidatorWallet is a contract, not a key; the node holds exactly one key (the operator); the owner key never touches the server and cannot be extracted from it
  • "Which key does what" comparison table
  • New "Key rotation and loss scenarios" subsection: operator rotation via setOperator or the two-step initiateOperatorTransfer flow; owner key loss is unrecoverable (no admin override) — with a warning callout for inherited validators
  • Terminology callout mapping community terms ("node key" / "validator key" / "rewards key") to the operator key
  • Short lifecycle summary with cross-links to the setup guide and CLI docs

setup-guide.mdx + content/validators/config.yaml:

  • Added an explicit "back up the owner wallet" warning to the address table (the wizard's keystore export only covers the operator key)
  • Fixed a misleading comment: the operator performs consensus duties for the ValidatorWallet — it does not own it (edited in content/validators/config.yaml, the source the setup-guide block is regenerated from)

Verification

  • Content cross-checked against genlayer-consensus v0.6 (ValidatorWalletBlueprint.sol, StakingValidators.sol, spec 04-staking-system.md) and genlayer-node (config/keystore/signer wiring)
  • All documented rotation functions (setOperator, initiateOperatorTransfer/completeOperatorTransfer/cancelOperatorTransfer, transferOwnership) confirmed present on the deployed Bradbury ValidatorWallet implementation (0x5f9DCdcEfAB114da8387d6Bf8cFd75E8d3bb6BB4) via read-only cast calls; confirmed no recovery path exists for a lost owner key
  • Rendered locally with pnpm dev: Mermaid diagram renders, callouts/tables/anchors and cross-page links work

Summary by CodeRabbit

  • Documentation
    • Clarified validator terminology and responsibilities across the docs, including the roles of owner, operator, and validator wallet.
    • Expanded the staking guide with a clearer breakdown of key ownership, rotation, and loss scenarios, plus a visual diagram and comparison table.
    • Updated the validator setup guide to better explain which key is backed up and the consequences of losing the owner key.
    • Refined a configuration comment to better describe the operator’s role in consensus duties.

- Add diagram, per-key comparison table, and key rotation / loss
  scenarios (operator rotation incl. two-step transfer; owner key
  loss is unrecoverable)
- Clarify that the node only ever holds the operator key and map
  community terms (node/validator/rewards key) to it
- Setup guide: warn to back up the owner wallet (wizard export only
  covers the operator key), link to the key model section
- Fix misleading config comment: operator performs consensus duties
  for the ValidatorWallet, it does not own it

Rotation functions verified present on deployed Bradbury
ValidatorWallet implementation (0x5f9DCdcEfAB114da8387d6Bf8cFd75E8d3bb6BB4).
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@coderabbitai

coderabbitai Bot commented Jul 7, 2026

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Review Change Stack

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

ℹ️ Recent review info
⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: defaults

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: ca16e1ab-0923-4136-8d1a-4e2adb06df1e

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 19558ee and b00e721.

📒 Files selected for processing (3)
  • content/validators/config.yaml
  • pages/understand-genlayer-protocol/core-concepts/optimistic-democracy/staking.mdx
  • pages/validators/setup-guide.mdx

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

Documentation-only changes clarify the roles of owner and operator keys relative to the ValidatorWallet. The staking concepts page adds a Mermaid diagram, a responsibilities table, and key rotation/loss guidance. The setup guide and config.yaml comments are updated to correct the operator address description and add owner key backup instructions.

Changes

Owner/Operator Terminology Clarification

Layer / File(s) Summary
Staking concepts rewrite
pages/understand-genlayer-protocol/core-concepts/optimistic-democracy/staking.mdx
Adds a Callout import, a Mermaid diagram, an expanded "which key does what" table, key rotation/loss guidance, and rewritten step-by-step flow describing ValidatorWallet, owner key, and operator key relationships.
Setup guide and config comment updates
pages/validators/setup-guide.mdx, content/validators/config.yaml
Updates the "Understanding Validator Addresses" callout to require backing up the owner wallet key and clarify keystore export scope, and corrects the operatorAddress comment to describe consensus duties for the ValidatorWallet.

Estimated code review effort: 2 (Simple) | ~10 minutes

Possibly related PRs

Suggested reviewers: cristiam86

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 5
✅ Passed checks (5 passed)
Check name Status Explanation
Title check ✅ Passed The title is clear, specific, and matches the main docs change.
Description check ✅ Passed The description covers motivation, changes, and verification, even though it uses Why/What changed/Verification instead of the template's Description heading.
Docstring Coverage ✅ Passed No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.
Linked Issues check ✅ Passed Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check ✅ Passed Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
✨ Finishing Touches
🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)
  • Create PR with unit tests
  • Commit unit tests in branch docs/validator-key-roles

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@MuncleUscles MuncleUscles merged commit 8254a15 into main Jul 7, 2026
8 checks passed
@MuncleUscles MuncleUscles deleted the docs/validator-key-roles branch July 7, 2026 14:39
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