Why Does Unstaking Take 7 Days?
The Unstaking Cooldown
When you initiate an unstake request, your GX tokens enter a 7-day cooldown period. During this time:
- Tokens do not earn staking rewards
- Tokens cannot be transferred or traded
- The cooldown cannot be cancelled or shortened
- After 7 days, tokens become freely available in your wallet
Why does the cooldown exist?
The 7-day unstaking cooldown serves several critical purposes:
- Network Stability — Prevents sudden, large-scale unstaking events that could destabilize the fee-sharing pool and validator economics.
- Governance Protection — Prevents users from staking immediately before a governance vote, voting, and then unstaking. This ensures voting reflects genuine long-term commitment.
- Security — If a vulnerability is discovered, the cooldown provides time for the protocol to respond before staked tokens can be withdrawn.
Can I expedite the cooldown?
No. The 7-day cooldown is enforced at the protocol level and cannot be bypassed, shortened, or cancelled. Plan your unstaking accordingly.
Do I still earn rewards during the cooldown?
No. Rewards stop accruing the moment you initiate the unstake request. If you change your mind, you must re-stake after the cooldown completes and will not receive retroactive rewards for the cooldown period.
What about delegated tokens?
Delegated tokens also have a 14-day unbonding period (separate from the 7-day staking cooldown). When undelegating from a validator, the 14-day period applies. See Delegation Program for details.