Weekly Epochs

Understanding the weekly epoch cycle is essential for maximizing your rewards as a miner on Cartha. This guide explains how epochs work, when rewards are calculated, and the best timing for locking your funds.

What is an Epoch?

An epoch is a fixed time period during which miner positions are frozen and rewards are calculated. Cartha uses a weekly epoch cycle that runs from Friday to Thursday.

Property	Value
Epoch Start	Friday 00:00 UTC
Epoch End	Thursday 23:59:59 UTC
Duration	7 days
Epoch Version Format	ISO8601 (e.g., 2025-02-07T00:00:00Z)

The Weekly Epoch Lifecycle

Weekly Epoch Lifecycle

Phase 1: Upcoming Epoch (Before Freeze)

During the week before the freeze:

• Miners can register, lock funds, and verify their positions

• Positions are added to the upcoming epoch list

• No rewards are earned yet - you're preparing for the next cycle

• The verifier tracks all verified miners for the upcoming freeze

Phase 2: Epoch Freeze (Friday 00:00 UTC)

At exactly Friday 00:00 UTC:

• The epoch freezes - a snapshot is taken of all verified miners

• The miner list becomes immutable for the week

• New locks after this point go into the next upcoming epoch

• Validators fetch the frozen list and calculate weights

Phase 3: Frozen Epoch (Earning Rewards)

During the frozen epoch (Friday → Thursday):

• Your position is locked in and earning rewards

• Weights are calculated once at epoch start

• Validators publish weights to Bittensor every Bittensor epoch (~72 minutes)

• Rewards accumulate based on your locked amount and duration

Phase 4: Carry-Over

At the next freeze:

• Eligible miners are automatically carried over to the new epoch

• Expired or deregistered positions are removed

• The cycle repeats

How Miners Get Rewards

Reward Calculation Flow

Reward Factors

Your rewards depend on:

Factor	Description
Locked Amount	More USDC locked = higher base score
Lock Duration	Longer locks receive time bonuses
Pool Selection	Different pools may have different demand
Total Pool Size	Your share of the total locked liquidity

Important: Mid-Epoch Changes Don't Count

• Top-ups during an epoch: Added to pending_amount, not scoring_amount

• New locks after freeze: Go into the upcoming epoch, not current

• Withdrawals: Can only happen after lock expires

Your scoring_amount is fixed at the epoch freeze and doesn't change until the next freeze.

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Best Practice: Lock by Thursday (Before 23:00 UTC)

Recommendation: Complete your lock by Thursday 23:00 UTC (or earlier) to ensure inclusion in the next epoch.

Why Give Yourself Buffer Time?

The indexer needs time to detect your position on Base chain. This process can take up to 15 minutes. If you lock at 23:50 UTC and the indexer takes 15 minutes, your position won't be verified until 00:05 UTC Friday — after the freeze.

Buffer Time - When to Lock

Timing Breakdown

When You Lock	What Happens
Thursday before 23:00 UTC	✅ Safe! 1+ hour buffer for indexer. Guaranteed inclusion.
Thursday 23:00-23:59 UTC	⚠️ Risky! Indexer may not detect in time. No buffer for delays.
Friday 00:00 UTC or later	❌ Missed! Already after the freeze. Wait until next week.

Indexer Timing

Step	Time Required
Transaction confirmation on Base	~2-10 seconds
Indexer detects position	Up to 15 minutes
Verifier adds to upcoming epoch	~30 seconds
Total (worst case)	~16 minutes

Safe cutoff: Lock by Thursday 23:00 UTC to have a comfortable 1-hour buffer.

Thursday Checklist

To ensure you're included in the next epoch:

1. Check your timezone - Know what time Thursday 23:00 UTC is in your local time

2. Complete all transactions - Both approve and lock transactions

3. Wait for verification - Allow up to 15 minutes for the indexer + verifier

4. Confirm "In Next Epoch" status - Check your position on My Positions

Timezone Reference

Your Timezone	Thursday 23:00 UTC =
UTC	Thursday 23:00
EST (New York)	Thursday 18:00
PST (Los Angeles)	Thursday 15:00
CET (Paris)	Friday 00:00
JST (Tokyo)	Friday 08:00
AEST (Sydney)	Friday 10:00

Note: For timezones ahead of UTC (Europe, Asia, Australia), "Thursday UTC" is already Friday local time. Plan accordingly!

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Position Statuses Explained

Status	Meaning
In Next Epoch	Verified and will be included in the next freeze
Active	Currently in the frozen epoch, earning rewards
Pending Verification	Lock detected, waiting for verifier confirmation
Expired	Lock period ended, can be withdrawn

Epoch Version Format

Each epoch is identified by its start timestamp in ISO8601 format:

Example: 2025-02-07T00:00:00Z

Part	Meaning
2025-02-07	Date (always a Friday)
T00:00:00Z	Time (always midnight UTC)

• Always starts on a Friday

• Always at 00:00:00 UTC

• Used by validators and verifier APIs

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I lock on Friday at 00:01 UTC?

You missed the freeze by 1 minute. Your position goes into the next upcoming epoch, meaning you'll wait until the following Friday to start earning.

Can I add more funds during an epoch?

Yes, but top-ups go into pending_amount and don't count toward your current epoch score. They'll be included in the next epoch's scoring_amount.

What if my lock expires mid-epoch?

Expired positions are removed at the daily check (00:00 UTC). You'll need to create a new lock to participate in future epochs.

How do I know I'm in the frozen epoch?

Check your position status on My Positions:

• Active = You're in the frozen epoch, earning rewards

• In Next Epoch = You're verified for the upcoming freeze

Why is my position showing "In Next Epoch" for days?

This is normal! You're verified and waiting for the next Friday freeze. Once Friday 00:00 UTC arrives, your status will change to "Active" and you'll start earning.

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Summary

Key Point	Details
Epoch Duration	Friday 00:00 UTC → Thursday 23:59 UTC (7 days)
Freeze Time	Friday 00:00 UTC
Best Time to Lock	Thursday before 23:00 UTC (1-hour buffer for indexer)
Rewards Start	After your first freeze (when status = Active)
Weight Calculation	Once per epoch at freeze time
Weight Publishing	Every Bittensor epoch (~72 min)

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Ready to lock? Visit https://cartha.finance and lock by Thursday to be included in the next epoch!