Platform Fees

Staking is how you put weight behind a judgment. A small cut of that stake funds Hive Mind. Here is what it is, when it applies, and how to check it yourself.

How It Works

When you stake on a claim through Hive Mind, a small platform fee is taken from your deposit before the rest goes onto the claim. The remaining amount — your net deposit — is your position: the weight behind your judgment, and what any protocol rewards are calculated on.

The flow:

  1. You choose a claim and enter your stake amount
  2. The fee breakdown is shown before you confirm
  3. Your net deposit is forwarded to the Intuition protocol contract
  4. Your position is recorded on the claim, and any protocol rewards accrue on it

Why a Platform Fee?

A Cost of Taking a Position

A stake is a statement of conviction, not a purchase. The fee is a small, one-time cost of making that statement. The Intuition protocol does distribute rewards to stakers, and the fee is a fraction of that, but the reason to stake is the judgment, not the return.

Sustainable Development

Fees fund continued development of the Hive Mind extension, curation tools, and the infrastructure that surfaces trust signals across the web.

What the Fee Covers

  • •Browser extension development — building and maintaining the tools you use to evaluate accounts and claims while browsing.
  • •Curation infrastructure — the matching algorithms, claim feeds, and trust circle mechanics that power the network.
  • •On-chain data services — indexers, APIs, and GraphQL endpoints that make staking positions and claim data accessible in real time.

Transparency

Visible Before You Sign

The exact fee and your net deposit are always shown in the staking dialog before you confirm the transaction.

On-Chain & Verifiable

The fee router is a public smart contract. Anyone can inspect the code, verify the fee rate, and audit every transaction.

Hard-Capped

The contract enforces a maximum fee cap that cannot be exceeded — ever. The fee can be lowered but never raised above the cap.

What's Not Charged

The platform fee applies only to stakes on existing claims. The following actions are fee-free:

  • Creating a new claim
  • Withdrawing or unstaking your positions
  • Adding a new account, site, or topic
  • Building and managing your trust circle

The Hive Mind Fee Router is a public contract on the Intuition network. You can inspect the code, verify the fee rate, and review every transaction on-chain.

View Contract on Explorer

Common Questions

Do I need to approve the fee router?

Yes — a one-time, gas-free authorization is required the first time you stake through Hive Mind. This allows the router contract to deposit on your behalf. You can revoke this authorization at any time in Settings.

Can the fee be changed?

The contract owner can lower the fee or pause the router entirely, but the fee can never exceed the hard cap enforced by the smart contract. Changes are visible on-chain and take effect immediately.

Does the fee affect my staking rewards?

Your net deposit (after the fee) is what goes onto the claim, and any protocol rewards are calculated on that amount. The fee is a one-time deduction at deposit time. Nothing is taken from your position afterwards.

What if I stake directly through the Intuition protocol?

The platform fee only applies to deposits routed through the Hive Mind extension. Staking directly through the Intuition protocol contract is not affected.