Staking and allocating

This guide is for Token Operators who want to participate in the Aero ecosystem. AERO is staked to receive sAERO, which directs AERO Rewards to liquidity pools and earns a share of Exchange Revenue in return. The guide walks through the full flow: creating a stake, choosing how it is managed, allocating, and managing the stake afterward.

Before starting

• AERO in the wallet. Hold the AERO to be staked.
• A connected wallet. Staking, allocating, and most management actions end in a wallet signature.

The Aero flywheel

Staking AERO offers two direct benefits: the ability to direct AERO Rewards and the opportunity to earn Exchange Revenue. When sAERO is held, the Token Operator can allocate AERO Rewards to specific liquidity pools. This allocation directs where liquidity flows across the ecosystem. In return, the Token Operator receives Exchange Revenue: a proportional share of the trade fees and other revenue generated by the pools they allocate to. This creates a direct link between allocation decisions and earnings.

Key concepts

Allocation Power

Allocation Power is the amount of AERO Rewards an sAERO stake can direct. It depends on how much AERO is staked and how much of the staking period remains.

• Perpetual Stake. Allocation Power equals the amount staked, 1:1, and does not decay for as long as the stake stays Perpetual.
• Fixed period (6 months to 4 years). Allocation Power equals the amount staked scaled by the time remaining out of 4 years, and it falls to zero at the end of the period. A 2-year Fixed stake therefore starts with about half the Allocation Power of the same amount staked Perpetually.

Newly staked or added AERO sits idle until it is allocated. Idle Allocation Power earns nothing.

Allocation cooldown

When a stake's Allocation Power is directed to pools on a network, a 47-hour cooldown begins before that stake's allocation on that network can be changed again. The cooldown is per stake and per network: each stake runs its own timer, and Allocation Power the stake has not yet directed to pools on another network can still be allocated there during a cooldown. A new stake's first allocation has no cooldown. Exchange Revenue continues to accrue during the cooldown.

Exchange Revenue

Exchange Revenue is what Token Operators earn for allocating. Each pool's revenue, which includes trade fees, MEV capture, and Liquidity Payments and Launch Payments from projects, flows to the Token Operators who allocate to that pool. A Token Operator's share of a pool's revenue is proportional to the Allocation Power directed to that pool relative to all other Token Operators allocating there.

Revenue accrues to each stake on each network where it is allocated. With manual management it is claimable anytime: select Claim on the stake's row under Portfolio > Stakes, or Claim rewards on the stake's Overview tab. There is no waiting period, vesting schedule, or mandatory claim frequency. With Autopilot, the option chosen handles rewards: Autopilot sAERO Maxi compounds them into the stake, and Autopilot USDC Maxi pays them out as USDC.

Management styles: Autopilot vs. manual

There are two ways to manage an sAERO stake. The choice determines how the stake is handled and how much involvement is needed. Autopilot can be activated or deactivated on any stake later, from the stake's Autopilot tab.

Stake AERO

Follow these steps to create a new sAERO stake.

Step 1: Open Stake

Open Stake in the sidebar. The stake form opens directly. A stake can also be started from Portfolio > Stakes with + New stake.

Step 2: Choose the management style

The Stake AERO screen offers two Autopilot options and a manual path:

• Autopilot sAERO Maxi. Autopilot allocates the stake and reinvests rewards as sAERO, so the stake grows through compounding.
• Autopilot USDC Maxi. Autopilot allocates the stake and pays rewards out as USDC.
• Skip, use Manual allocation. The Token Operator chooses the staking period and directs Allocation Power to pools.

Select + Stake AERO on an Autopilot option, or Skip, use Manual allocation. Once an Autopilot stake is created, the staked AERO enters a queue before Autopilot takes over and begins allocating on its behalf.

Step 3: Set the staking period (manual only)

Choose a period under one of two headings:

• Perpetual Stake. Select Perpetual (4 years). Allocation Power stays 1:1 with the amount staked for as long as the stake remains Perpetual. Switching a Perpetual stake to Fixed starts a new 4-year period from the switch date. The AERO can be withdrawn when that period ends.
• Fixed period with decay. Select Staked for 4 years, 3 years, 2 years, 1 year, or 6 months. The withdrawal countdown begins immediately, and Allocation Power decreases as the remaining period shortens.

Go back. Use an automated option returns to Step 2. Autopilot stakes skip this step; the activation screen shows the staking period as Perpetual (4 years).

Step 4: Enter the amount to stake

Enter the AERO amount under How much AERO do you want to stake? The summary below the input shows Stake APR, Staking time, Staked AERO, and Allocation power. Select Continue.

Step 5: Approve and confirm

Allow access to AERO in the wallet (Allow access to AERO), then sign the staking transaction. A Transaction confirmed message appears once the stake exists.

Step 6: View the stake in Portfolio

The new stake appears under Portfolio > Stakes. Each row shows the sAERO amount, the staking period, Allocation Power, Total rewards with Claim, and the allocation status: Manual with any cooldown time left, or the Autopilot option in use. Select a stake to open Manage Stake.

Allocate AERO Rewards to pools

Using Allocation Power from sAERO, Token Operators allocate AERO Rewards to pools. The allocation determines which pools receive AERO Rewards and which pools' revenue flows to the Token Operator. These steps apply to manual stakes. Autopilot stakes show Automated allocation on the Allocate tab and need no action here.

Step 1: Open Markets

Open Markets in the sidebar. The Pools tab lists pools with Fees past 48H, Incentives 48H, Est. Rewards 48H, Stake APR, and Allocation, which is the total Allocation Power directed to the pool. Use the search box, Filter, and Sort to narrow the list. Select + Allocate on a row to add that pool to a stake's allocation. The Launching tab lists pools about to launch or just launched. A pool earns AERO Rewards only once its gauge is active.

Step 2: Select the stake

Open the Allocate tab. Each sAERO stake is a card. The card header shows the stake's amount, period, Allocation Power, and its state:

• Ready. The stake has an allocation waiting to be saved.
• Allocated. The allocation is in place. The card shows Cooldown time left, or how long ago the allocation was saved.
• A percentage available. Part of the stake's Allocation Power is not yet directed to any pool.
• Automated allocation. The stake is on Autopilot and cannot be allocated manually.

Step 3: Set the allocation across pools

Each pool row on the card shows Stake APR, Est. Rewards 48H, Allocation (the total from all Token Operators), and Your allocation. Enter a percentage per pool or use the quick picks, and remove a pool with the trash icon. The saved list replaces the previous one, so any pool left off it is cleared. Allocation Power not assigned to a pool stays idle and earns no Exchange Revenue.

Step 4: Save the allocation

Select Save allocation and sign the wallet prompt (Allocate: Save your final allocation power). An Allocation confirmed message appears. The allocation stays in place until it is changed.

Step 5: Change an allocation

Return to the Allocate tab, update the pools and percentages, and select Save allocation again. The 47-hour cooldown runs per stake and per network from the last time that network's allocation was saved; the card shows Cooldown time left until it can be changed again. Exchange Revenue keeps accruing during the cooldown.

Step 6: Redirect allocation across networks

When a save moves Allocation Power from one network to another, a Redirect allocation window lists each network as Successful or Pending while the networks confirm separately. Pending is normal; wait until every network shows Successful. Moving Allocation Power off a network counts as a change to that network's allocation, so that network's cooldown applies.

Manage a stake

Open Portfolio > Stakes and select a stake to open Manage Stake. The page has tabs for Overview, Increase, Extend, Autopilot, Merge, Split, and Transfer. Merge and Split show a notice that the feature is coming soon.

Overview

The Overview tab shows Total rewards with Claim rewards, the stake's ID, Est. APR, Staking time, and Allocation power, and a Manual allocation section listing each allocated pool with its share and any Cooldown time left. Manage sAERO allocation opens the stake's card on the Allocate tab.

Increase

Enter the AERO to add under Increase amount and select Increase. The staking period and management style stay as they are. On a manual stake, the added Allocation Power sits idle until it is allocated. A Fixed stake that has already ended cannot be increased; extend it or withdraw it first.

Extend

The Extend tab shows the Current stake period and the same two option groups as Step 3, Perpetual Stake and Fixed period with decay.

• A Fixed stake can be extended to a later end date, up to 4 years out, or switched to Perpetual (4 years) at any point before it ends. The amount staked does not change.
• A Perpetual stake can be switched to a Fixed period, which starts the withdrawal countdown. The stake's Allocation Power must not be allocated to any pool when the switch is made.

Autopilot

The Autopilot tab shows the two options, Autopilot sAERO Maxi and Autopilot USDC Maxi, each with Activate. Selecting one shows the stake's Staking time as Perpetual (4 years) and its Allocation power, then asks for the Activate Autopilot signature. The confirmation reads Your stake is in the activation queue; Autopilot begins allocating once the queue entry is processed. While Autopilot is active, the stake's row under Portfolio > Stakes shows the option in use, and rewards compound into the stake (sAERO Maxi) or are paid out as USDC (USDC Maxi).

To stop, open the Autopilot tab and select Deactivate Autopilot. The stake enters a deactivation queue and leaves Autopilot once that entry is processed. Deactivation cannot be cancelled once submitted.

Transfer

The Transfer tab sends the sAERO to another wallet address. Transfers are irreversible and cannot be recovered by the protocol, so check the destination carefully. Claim all available rewards before transferring; rewards left unclaimed may no longer be accessible to the sender afterward. Tick I confirm that I have reviewed the transfer details, select Continue, and sign.

When a Fixed stake ends

When a Fixed stake reaches the end of its period, its Allocation Power is zero and the underlying AERO becomes available to withdraw. Withdrawal is manual: it does not happen automatically, and the stake's Allocation Power must be fully returned to idle before the AERO can be withdrawn. An ended stake can still be extended from the Extend tab, which starts a new period from the current date. The sAERO itself is not burned when the AERO is withdrawn.

A Perpetual stake does not end. To recover its AERO, switch it to a Fixed period from the Extend tab and wait out the countdown.

See also

• Staking
• Predictive Allocation
• Autopilot
• AERO and sAERO
• Markets
• Incentive guidelines
• Liquidity