SUBTENSOR RUNTIME · v481
Subtensor v481 lets each Subnet Owner choose how their subnet's Emission is split between owner, Validators and Miners, while Root stakers keep their baseline share
Until now every subnet split its Emission the same way: 18% to the owner, 41% to Validators and 41% to Miners. With this release, each Subnet Owner can set their own split within fixed limits, at most once every 50,400 blocks (about 7 days). Each block, Root stakers are paid their baseline share of every subnet's Emission before anything else comes out of the Validator portion, so an owner's choice cannot raise or lower what Root receives. Existing subnets keep their current split until their owner changes it. The one exception is subnets that had the owner cut turned off, where Root's share drops to the standard baseline.
- Changes since
- v478
- Commit
6a972693ae- GitHub release
- v481 ↗
High impact TAO holders / StakersValidators / Miners
Subnet Owners can set their subnet's Emission split
Each subnet now has its own split of Emission between the owner, Validators and Miners. The Subnet Owner (or Root governance) can change it within these limits: owner share 0% to 33% (subnets created through a lease need at least 18%), Validator share at most 50% and above Root's current baseline share, and Miner share at least 33%. Owners can change the split once every 50,400 blocks (about 7 days). A subnet's first change doesn't count against this limit, and the limit belongs to the subnet, so a change of ownership does not reset it. Existing subnets start from their current split and new subnets start at 18% / 41% / 41%, so nothing changes until an owner acts. A change only affects how a subnet's Emission is shared out. It does not change how much Emission the subnet receives, its pool prices or Swaps. When an owner lowers the Validator share, the whole reduction comes out of what alpha Validators and their stakers receive.
Source #3264
High impact TAO holders / StakersValidators / Miners
Root stakers are paid their baseline share first, every block
Every block, the chain works out what Root stakers would earn from each subnet under the default split, using live Root stake, subnet alpha issuance and the global TAO weight. It pays that amount first, out of the subnet's Validator portion. Root's payout therefore follows the baseline automatically, and no owner setting can move it up or down. Alpha Validators share whatever is left of the Validator portion. A new split is rejected if it would set the Validator share at or below Root's current baseline. If the baseline later rises above a subnet's Validator share, Root is paid the whole Validator portion and never more, and alpha Validators on that subnet receive nothing until the owner raises the Validator share.
Source #3264
Medium impact TAO holders / StakersValidators / Miners
Root's share on subnets with the owner cut turned off moves to the standard baseline
Subnets that had the legacy owner cut turned off used to pay Validators half of their Emission, and Root's share there was based on that 50% portion. Root's baseline is now based on the standard 41% Validator share on every subnet. On those subnets Root therefore receives about 18% less alpha, and that alpha goes to the subnet's alpha Validators instead. According to the pull request, subnet 74 is the only mainnet subnet affected.
Source #3264
Medium impact Validators / Miners
Old owner cut settings replaced by the Emission split
The old network-wide settings for the owner cut amount and for turning it on or off no longer have any effect and are always rejected. Subnet Owners now set their own share, including zero, through the new per-subnet Emission split. Lock refunds paid when a subnet is dissolved are worked out the same way as before. Dissolving a subnet also clears its Emission split, so a reused subnet ID starts from the defaults.
Source #3264
Other changes include the runtime 479 release commit (described as updates to EVM account handling and staking operations), ways to read and set the Emission split through the runtime API, EVM contracts, the Python SDK and btcli, plus documentation, website pages, benchmarks and tests.
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#3256 ↗ Merged Listed under other changes
release-479
Runtime upgrade 479 changes how EVM accounts and Staking operations are handled on-chain and updates the matching SDK interfaces, documentation, and tests, affecting all users interacting with EVM accounts or Staking.
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#3264 ↗ Merged
etao: pay root its live baseline share off the top every block (spec 481)
This change (spec 481) fixes a bug where Root's emission share could drift far from its intended baseline as the alpha-to-tao ratio changed, by having Root paid its live baseline share off the top of the Validator slot every block instead of relying on a frozen per-Subnet weight, affecting Subnet owners, Validators, and Root stakers.
AI-generated summary of the release code. Check the linked pull requests for authoritative details. Report generated Oct 19, 2026.
v481