Skip to content

Frequently Asked Questions#

General#

What is Marinade?

Marinade is a non-custodial staking protocol on Solana. It offers liquid staking (mSOL) and native staking, distributing stake across 100+ validators for security and decentralization.

Is Marinade safe?

Marinade has been audited by Neodyme, Kudelski Security, and Ackee Blockchain. All code is open source. For native staking, you retain full custody of your funds. See Security for details.

What are the fees?
  • Liquid staking: 0% protocol fee on rewards
  • Native staking: 0% management fee
  • Instant unstake: ~0.1-0.3% (liquidity pool fee)
  • Delayed unstake: 0%

Liquid Staking (mSOL)#

What is mSOL?

mSOL is a liquid staking token representing your staked SOL plus accumulated rewards. It appreciates against SOL over time as staking rewards accrue.

How does mSOL increase in value?

Unlike rebasing tokens, mSOL uses an exchange rate model. The mSOL/SOL rate increases each epoch as rewards are added to the pool. 1 mSOL will always be worth more than 1 SOL.

Can I use mSOL in DeFi?

Yes! mSOL is widely integrated across Solana DeFi - use it in lending protocols, liquidity pools, as collateral, and more. See DeFi Integrations.

How do I unstake mSOL?

Two options:

  1. Instant: Swap mSOL → SOL on Jupiter or Marinade (small fee)
  2. Delayed: Use Marinade app, wait ~1-2 epochs, no fee
What if mSOL depegs from SOL?

mSOL is always backed 1:1+ by staked SOL. Short-term price deviations create arbitrage opportunities that restore the peg. The exchange rate only goes up over time.

Native Staking#

What is native staking?

Native staking lets you stake SOL directly while Marinade manages validator selection. You keep full custody of your stake accounts - only the delegation is managed.

Do I keep control of my funds?

Yes. You retain the withdraw authority on your stake accounts. Marinade only has stake authority (delegation). You can withdraw anytime using Solana CLI even if Marinade is unavailable.

How long does unstaking take?

One epoch (~2 days) for the stake to deactivate. You can also use instant unstake for a small fee.

What is the difference between Max Yield, Select, and Recipes?
  • Max Yield: Optimizes for highest APY across all eligible validators
  • Select: Stake with a curated set of high-quality validators
  • Recipes: Custom validator selections (e.g., USDG payouts)

Validators#

How are validators selected?

Marinade uses the Stake Auction Marketplace (SAM). Validators bid for stake, and the algorithm considers performance, commission, and decentralization factors. See SAM.

What is PSR?

Protected Staking Rewards (PSR) ensures you receive expected yields even if validators underperform. Validator bonds cover shortfalls. See PSR.

Can I choose specific validators?

With native staking, Marinade selects validators automatically. For validator preference, you can:

  • Use MNDE governance to vote for validators
  • Use Marinade Select for curated sets
  • Stake directly without Marinade

Rewards#

What APY can I expect?

Current Solana staking yields are ~7-8% APY. Actual returns depend on network conditions, validator performance, and inflation rate.

When do I receive rewards?

Rewards are distributed every epoch (~2 days):

  • mSOL: Exchange rate increases automatically
  • Native: Rewards added to stake accounts
Are rewards taxable?

Tax treatment varies by jurisdiction. Consult a tax professional. The Staking Rewards API can help with reporting.

MNDE & Governance#

What is MNDE?

MNDE is Marinade's governance token. Lock MNDE to vote on proposals, validator gauges, and liquidity incentives. See Governance.

How do I get MNDE?

MNDE is available on Jupiter, Raydium, and other Solana DEXs. It's also distributed through liquidity mining programs.

What can I vote on?
  • Protocol parameter changes
  • Validator gauge weights (stake distribution)
  • Liquidity gauge weights (MNDE emissions)
  • Treasury allocations

Technical#

What are the contract addresses?

See Contract Addresses for all program IDs, token mints, and API endpoints.

Is there an SDK?

Yes, use @marinade.finance/marinade-ts-sdk for liquid staking and @marinade.finance/native-staking-sdk for native staking. See SDK Documentation.

How do I integrate Marinade?

Options:

  1. TypeScript SDK - Full programmatic access
  2. REST APIs - Transaction router and data queries
  3. Direct program - On-chain CPI integration

Troubleshooting#

My transaction failed

Common causes:

  • Insufficient SOL for fees
  • Stale blockhash (retry)
  • RPC congestion (try different RPC)
  • Slippage exceeded (increase slippage)
I can't find my stake

Check:

  1. Correct wallet connected
  2. View on Solana Explorer
  3. Use solana stakes --withdraw-authority YOUR_PUBKEY
mSOL not showing in wallet

Add the mSOL token manually:

  • Mint: mSoLzYCxHdYgdzU16g5QSh3i5K3z3KZK7ytfqcJm7So

Support#

How do I get help?
Topic Link
Common Issues Troubleshooting
Terminology Glossary
Start Staking Quickstart