> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.x402layer.cc/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Staking to Operate

> Operators bond $SGL to join the grid — skin in the game that backs honest service.

To operate a node you must **stake \$SGL** — a bond that gives you skin in the game and lets the network trust you with confidential workloads.

## Why operators stake

* **Skin in the game** — a bonded operator has something at risk for misbehaving.
* **Sybil resistance** — staking makes it costly to spin up fake nodes.
* **Alignment** — operators are also stakers, so they share in network rewards.

## What's required

* Stake at least the **minimum** required to register a compute node (shown in the staking app).
* Staking is **non-custodial** — your principal stays in an on-chain program only you can withdraw from, after a cooldown.
* The stake is bonded to the wallet you run the node under.

## Slashing — narrow and fair

* Slashing penalizes **proven tampering** with confidential-compute results — nothing else.
* **Honest downtime is never slashed.** Maintenance/offline simply means you stop receiving jobs.
* Behave honestly and your principal is never at risk.

For the full staking model — tiers, cooldowns, rewards, and exactly what can and can't be slashed — see the **[Staking Engine docs](/staking/introduction)**.

## Next

Once staked, continue to [Node setup](/cloud/provide/node-setup) to bring your node online, then track your [Earnings](/cloud/provide/earnings).