# Withdraw Your Validator

<aside>
⚠️ Withdrawals are not yet available as a feature on Ethereum mainnet, and are currently only available on development test networks for trial at the time of writing (February 1st, 2023). The instructions in this document ******************WILL NOT****************** work on mainnet and are subject to change by the time withdrawals are available on mainnet.

</aside>

## Background

In the **Capella/Shanghai Ethereum** upgrade, stakers will be able to withdraw their validator(s)’ funds from staking on the network. When withdrawing, stakers can either choose to

(a) **partially withdraw** their ***earnings***, that is, all value staked above 32 ETH, and continue validating

OR

(b) **fully withdraw** their validator(s), which involves exiting the network and no longer staking, but gaining custody of the validator(s)’ full balances

This document provides a comprehensive guide for users running Prysm to perform either of the two withdrawal actions, and includes a series of tips, warnings, and frequently asked questions.

Beyond these docs for the Prysm client, a comprehensive FAQ has been published [here](https://notes.ethereum.org/@launchpad/withdrawals-faq) which covers all key things to note regarding how validator withdrawals work on Ethereum.

## Terminology used in this document

- ******************Validator******************: This term in this document will refer to the on-chain representation of a stake in the Ethereum network. We will use the term staker to refer to the human or entity managing validators on Ethereum.
- **Validator index:** a unique number ID assigned to an active validator in the state. You can see this validator index in your Prysm validator client logs, or in block explorers such as [https://beaconcha.in](https://beaconcha.in) and [https://beaconscan.com](https://beaconscan.com) by looking it up using your public key. You will need to know the validator indices of the validators you wish to withdraw through this guide. Only active validators can begin the exit and withdrawal processes.
- ************Staker************: The person or entity managing validators on Ethereum
- ****************************Voluntary exit****************************: Validators that are currently active on Ethereum can choose to ****exit**** the network, marking them as exited and exempting them from any staking responsibilities. In order to ********withdraw******** a validator’s balance completely, a voluntary exit must be submitted to Ethereum and must complete first.
- ******************************************************Full validator withdrawal:****************************************************** This means withdrawing your entire stake on Ethereum, exiting your validator, and withdrawing your entire balance to an Ethereum address of your choosing. Full validator withdrawals need a validator to exit first, which can take time depending on how large the exit queue is. Performing a full withdrawal requires submitting a voluntary exit first.
- **********************Partial validator withdrawal:********************** This means withdrawing your validator’s ********earnings******** only. That is, if you are staking 33.3 ETH, you can withdraw 3.3 ETH using a partial withdrawal. Your validator does ****not**** need to exit, and you will continue to validate normally. Partial withdrawals do not go through an exit queue, and they complete as soon as the request makes it into a block on-chain.
- ********************************************************Capella/Shanghai Ethereum Upgrade:******************************************************** Ethereum network upgrades bring major feature additions to the network as a result of significant work from Ethereum client teams. This spring, an upgrade known as Capella/Shanghai will make validator withdrawals on mainnet. The upgrade has two names because there are two pieces of software being upgraded: consensus clients such as Prysm, and execution clients such as go-ethereum.
- **********************Validator mnemonic, HD wallet mnemonic, or validator seed phrase:********************** A mnemonic in this context is the 24 word secret that you received upon creating your validator(s), which is the ultimate credential that gives you access to withdrawing your validator(s). For many, this was generated when they first interacted with the ethereum staking CLI to prepare their validator deposits. We will refer to this as your validator mnemonic throughout this document
- ******************************************************Validator withdrawal credentials:****************************************************** Each validator has data known as “withdrawal credentials” which can be fetched from your beacon node or from a block explorer such as [https://beaconcha.in](https://beaconcha.in) or [https://beaconscan.com](https://beaconscan.com) by looking at the “deposits” tab and seeing your credentials there. You will need these for this guide.
- ******************Ethereum execution address:****************** Referred to also as an Ethereum address, this is a standard address to an Ethereum account which you can view in block explorers such as Etherscan. Your validator’s balance, upon a full withdrawal, will be available at an Ethereum address of your choosing.
- **********************************BLS key:** Your validators use a key format known as [BLS](https://docs.prylabs.network/docs/how-prysm-works/bls-cryptography), which is used exclusively for staking. Validators have 4 kinds of BLS keys: validator public key, validator private key, withdrawal public key, and withdrawal private key. only the validator public key can be viewed on staking explorers such as [https://beaconcha.in](https://beaconcha.in), and private keys, which are secret, are used for signing. Not to be confused with an Ethereum address. The validator mnemonic can be used to access all 4 keys which are important for setting the Ethereum address for withdrawing.
- **BLS to Execution Change:** In order to withdraw your validator, Ethereum needs to associate an **Ethereum execution address** with your validator’s **keys**. Underneath the hood, submitting a withdrawal request updates the [withdrawal credentials](https://github.com/ethereum/consensus-specs/blob/master/specs/phase0/validator.md#withdrawal-credentials) which tells Ethereum “I want to withdraw my validator balance to this specific Ethereum address”. When you see the terms BLS to Execution or bls_to_exec used, it refers to this action.
- **Pool:** upon submission of a validator exit request or bls-to-execution-change request, the message will sit in a special place in memory ( the pool ) to be broadcasted across your peers. Since only the block proposers can include these requests and there is a limit to the number of requests included per block, sometimes if the pool becomes too full your message may be dropped and not included. If this happens, a re-submission of the request may be required.

## Important things to note

When withdrawing your validator, there are several important concepts to be wary of, namely:

### You must exit your validator first in before triggering a full withdrawal

Validator withdrawals require your validator to exit first, as exits do not happen automatically. You will need to submit a voluntary exit by following our documentation [here](https://docs.prylabs.network/docs/wallet/exiting-a-validator/). Once your validator exits, it will no longer need to perform its responsibilities after some time (there can be a delay if the validator is part of a sync committee or recently slashed). From there, you can then submit a full withdrawal request to withdraw your validator’s balance to an Ethereum address of your choosing.

### Full withdrawals are not immediate

Making a **************************************************full-validator withdrawal************************************************** means that you must exit your validator first. Validator exits have a queue that can only process a few items every few minutes, so your exit can take days or weeks depending on how big this queue grows. The reason there is an exit queue is for the security of the network. Having bounds on validator churn is important towards guaranteeing safety properties of the chain and keeping consensus stable. There is also a queue for activating validators in addition to exiting them. It is important to note that full withdrawals are not immediate, but partial withdrawals can complete much faster as they are processed quickly in blocks.

### Full withdrawals are irreversible

Validator exits are irreversible, and so are full validator withdrawals. Once you exit, you cannot do anything with your validator except for withdraw it. Once you perform a full withdrawal, you will receive your validator balance at the Ethereum address of your choosing, and you cannot revert this action. You could use your withdrawn funds to spin up another separate validator if you wish, however.

### Partial withdrawals do not exit your validator

Partial withdrawals only withdraw your validator earnings to an Ethereum address of your choosing, but do not exit nor require an exit from your validator. That is, if you are running a validator that has a balance of 33.3 ETH, you can perform a partial withdrawal of up to 3.3 ETH, and your validator will continue to operate normally.

### Partial withdrawals of your earnings will continue indefinitely to your Ethereum address of your choice

Once a partial withdrawal is included on-chain, earnings will continue to accrue in the Ethereum address you initially specified. This address **********************************cannot be changed********************************** once set, so you must ensure it is protected and one you have custody over.

### Once you tell Ethereum the address you want to withdraw your validator to, you cannot change it back

In order to withdraw, you must tell Ethereum the address you wish to use to receive the withdrawn funds. Once you submit this signed message, **you cannot change it**, so make sure you pick an Ethereum address you have full control over and is secured. This is the most important step to watch out for when triggering a withdrawal.

### It can take a while for your BLS to Execution request to be completed, so do not panic if this is the case

Once you submit a BLS to Exec request to tell Ethereum the address you want to use in order to receive your withdrawn funds, it goes through several processing pipelines that might take a bit longer than expected. If your beacon node has also received many other requests for BLS to exec changes, your initial request could be dropped and you may need to try again, so do not panic if you have submitted a request and nothing has happened yet.

### Slashed or previously exited validators are still able to withdraw

If any of your validators have been slashed since launch and exited from the chain forcefully, or if you exited a long time ago, you can still withdraw your remaining balance normally. To do so, you will just need to submit a BLS to execution change request by following the step-by-step guide to performing a full withdrawal in this document.

## What you need to do to prepare

In order to withdraw, you should have the following items ready:

- **Your validator mnemonic**: you will need it in order to sign your validator withdrawal request(s).
- **Access to a beacon node:** you will need to connect to an Ethereum beacon node, such as Prysm’s, in order to submit your withdrawal request. For instructions on running a beacon node, see our quickstart guide on running a node [here](https://docs.prylabs.network/docs/install/install-with-script).
- **Stable version of the staking-deposit-cli installed**: the staking-deposit-cli is a command-line tool provided by the Ethereum research team which allows stakers to sign a BLS to execution message. This is the message that signals Ethereum the address you want to use for withdrawing your validator(s). In our step-by-step guide, we recommend building this from source or verifying the binaries provided as a security best practice.
- **Stable version of prysmctl installed:** Prysm provides a tool called `prysmctl` which makes it easy to submit your signed BLS to execution requests to a beacon node. We’ll be referring to it throughout this guide.
- **Remain calm and collected:** Performing a withdrawal can be stressful. However, by explaining the concepts and security practices outlined in this guide, we hope to make this process easier for all stakers running Prysm. Be mindful of the tools you install, and be mindful of any scams around the time of withdrawals being enabled. No website nor individual should ask you to share your mnemonic, and therefore you should keep it as protected as possible throughout the process.

## Step-by-Step Guide: Partial Withdrawals (Earnings Only)

<aside>
⚠️ **DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CHANGE YOUR BLS KEYS ON MAINNET** until the client software is ready to accept your BLS key changes. This is feature is not yet available on mainnet at the time of writing on February 1st, 2023

</aside>

This step-by-step guide shows how to trigger **partial validator withdrawals**, allowing stakers to withdraw their validator earnings above 32 ETH. For example, if a validator’s balance is 33.3, a partial withdrawal can withdraw a max of 3.3 ETH.

### Step 1: Sign a request to set your Ethereum withdrawal address

The first step for submitting partial withdrawals for your validator is to sign a message setting the Ethereum address you wish to receive your funds at. This request is known as a **********************************************BLS to Execution Change**********************************************.

First, install the Ethereum [staking-deposit-cli](https://github.com/ethereum/staking-deposit-cli) locally by building it from source, which is our recommendation. Building the code yourself is the most secure way of using it, and for something as crucial as a tool that deals with your mnemonic, we recommend following this path. Alternatively, the project provides [binaries](https://github.com/ethereum/staking-deposit-cli/releases) that are available to use at your own risk.

**Installation Steps from Source**

As a pre-requisite, you will need to install [Python3](https://www.python.org/downloads/) and pip3 on your system, which can be installed through different means for various operating systems. Next, clone the project’s codebase locally in a terminal window:

git clone -b bls-to-execution-change [e-mail]:ethereum/staking-deposit-cli.git

Next, run the following commands to setup an environment for its dependencies:

pip3 install virtualenv
virtualenv venv
source venv/bin/activate

Install dependencies:

python3 setup.py install
pip3 install -r requirements.txt

### Step 2: Get your validator withdrawal credentials ready

For this step, you will also need to retrieve your validator’s **withdrawal credentials** from Ethereum. You can retrieve this these credentials from block explorers such as [https://beaconcha.in](https://beaconcha.in). Search for your validator, then navigate to the “deposit” tab in that page, and you’ll find the withdrawal credentials near the bottom of the page and you can copy the value from there.


It will look something like the example below, and is different for all validators.

0x00500b3bf612bed69e888edeb045f590c3f37251e3e049c0732f3adaa57ea3f6

You can also fetch this from your Prysm beacon node by reading it from the API:

curl -X 'GET' \
  'http://YOUR_PRYSM_NODE_HOST:3500/eth/v1/beacon/states/head/validators/YOUR_VALIDATOR_INDEX' \
  -H 'accept: application/json'

where you can see its value in the response, where it says “withdrawal_credentials”:

{
  "execution_optimistic": false,
  "data": {
    "index": "1",
    "balance": "1",
    "status": "active_ongoing",
    "validator": {
      "pubkey": "0x93247f2209abcacf57b75a51dafae777f9dd38bc7053d1af526f220a7489a6d3a2753e5f3e8b1cfe39b56f43611df74a",
      "withdrawal_credentials": "0xcf8e0d4e9587369b2301d0790347320302cc0943d5a1884560367e8208d920f2",
      "effective_balance": "1",
      "slashed": false,
      "activation_eligibility_epoch": "1",
      "activation_epoch": "1",
      "exit_epoch": "1",
      "withdrawable_epoch": "1"
    }
  }
}

### Step 3: ************************************************************************Sign your BLS to Execution change************************************************************************

Now that the staking deposit tool is executable, you can then use it to generate your signed ****************************[BLS to Execution](https://github.com/ethereum/staking-deposit-cli/blob/bls-to-execution-change/README.md#generate-bls-to-execution-change-arguments)** request. You need to use your mnemonic for this step, so doing it offline is key and ensuring you do not paste your mnemonic anywhere else than necessary.

<aside>
⚠️ We recommend doing this next step *without* an Internet connection to be maximally secure. Either turn off the internet before introducing your mnemonic for signing or migrate to an air-gapped environment to continue the following steps.

</aside>

Here’s the command to get started with the process. This command will ********not******** submit your signed message to the network yet, and will only generate the data needed for the next steps.

python ./staking_deposit/deposit.py generate-bls-to-execution-change

By calling the command above, you should go through an interactive process that will ask you for the following information:

1. **Your mnemonic language**. You can see the different options available, where English is one of the options, among others
2. **The network** you wish to perform this operation for. Select the `zhejiang` network for this tutorial
3. Enter your **mnemonic** next
4. Next, you will be asked for your the index of the withdrawal key you wish to use. For ********************most users********************, this will be the default of 0 unless you know what you are doing.
5. You will then be asked the **validator** **indices** for the validators you wish to generate the message for. You can find your validator indices on block explorers such as [https://beaconcha.in](https://beaconcha.in) or in your Prysm validator client logs. For example, the validator with public key `0x8078c7f4ab6f9eaaf59332b745be8834434af4ab3c741899abcff93563544d2e5a89acf2bec1eda2535610f253f73ee6` on [https://beacocha.in](https://beacocha.in) has validator index 8 by navigating to its [page](https://beaconcha.in/validator/8)
6. Next you will be asked for your **withdrawal credentials,** which you should now have if you followed this guide
7. Next you will be asked for the Ethereum address you wish to use to receive your withdrawn funds. This needs to be checksummed, and you can get it from your wallet or a block explorer. **You cannot change this once it is set on-chain**, so triple check it

Below is an example of running through the interactive process explained above:

python ./staking_deposit/deposit.py generate-bls-to-execution-change
Please choose your language ['1. العربية', '2. ελληνικά', '3. English', '4. Français', '5. Bahasa melayu', '6. Italiano', '7. 日本語', '8. 한국어', '9. Português do Brasil', '10. român', '11. Türkçe', '12. 简体中文']:  [English]: english

Please choose the (mainnet or testnet) network/chain name ['mainnet', 'goerli', 'sepolia', 'zhejiang']:  [mainnet]: zhejiang

Please enter your mnemonic separated by spaces (" "). Note: you only need to enter the first 4 letters of each word if you'd prefer.: 
bike shoe attitude violin fun life punch enhance attend bright voyage wheel clutch taxi high health siren jealous tell female upon firm manual wage

Please enter the index (key number) of the signing key you want to use with this mnemonic. [0]: 0

Please enter a list of the validator indices of your validator(s). Split multiple items with whitespaces or commas.: 8

Please enter a list of the old BLS withdrawal credentials of your validator(s). Split multiple items with whitespaces or commas.: 00a6bd30000296e9c9f5823b09e689ff0bc0b1bea1d256caab9a5f213a226b33

Please enter the 20-byte execution address for the new withdrawal credentials. Note that you CANNOT change it once you have set it on chain.: 0x9B984D5a03980D8dc0a24506c968465424c81DbE

**[Warning] you are setting an Eth1 address as your withdrawal address. Please ensure that you have control over this address.**

Repeat your execution address for confirmation.: 0x9B984D5a03980D8dc0a24506c968465424c81DbE

**[Warning] you are setting an Eth1 address as your withdrawal address. Please ensure that you have control over this address.**

Success!
Your SignedBLSToExecutionChange JSON file can be found at: /home/me/Desktop/code/python/staking-deposit-cli/bls_to_execution_changes

### Step 3: Verify your output

Once you complete the above, you’ll have a file contained in the `bls_to_execution_changes/` folder of your staking-deposit-cli. It will represent a list of BLS to execution messages that have been signed with your private keys and are ready to submit to Ethereum. Here’s what a sample file of these looks like:

[
	{
    "message": {
      "validator_index": "838",
      "from_bls_pubkey": "0xb89bebc655569726a318c8e9971bd3144497c61aea4a6578a7a4f94b547dcba5bac16a89108b6b6a1fe3695d1a874a0b",
      "to_execution_address": "0xa94f5374fce5edbc8e2a8697c15331677e6ebf0a"
    },
    "signature": "0xa42103e15d3dbdaa75fb15cea782e4a11329eea77d155864ec682d7907b3b70c7771960bef7be1b1c4e08fe735888b950c1a22053f6049b35736f48e6dd018392efa3896c9e427ea4e100e86e9131b5ea2673388a4bf188407a630ba405b7dc5"
  },
	{
    "message": {
      "validator_index": "20303",
      "from_bls_pubkey": "0xb89bebc699769726a502c8e9971bd3172227c61aea4a6578a7a4f94b547dcba5bac16a89108b6b6a1fe3695d1a874a0b",
      "to_execution_address": "0xa94f5374fce5edbc8e2a8697c15331677e6ebf0b"
    },
    "signature": "0xa86103e15d3dbdaa75fb15cea782e4a11329eea77d155864ec682d7907b3b70c7771960bef7be1b1c4e08fe735888b950c1a22053f6049b35736f48e6dd018392efa3896c9e427ea4e100e86e9131b5ea2673388a4bf188407a630ba405b7dc5"
  }
]

The above shows someone wanting to withdraw two different validators, with indices 838 and 20303, respectively. You can optionally verify each element is correct by checking if the “from_bls_pubkey” values hash to those validators’ withdrawal credentials

echo 0x$(echo -n 'b89bebc699769726a502c8e9971bd3172227c61aea4a6578a7a4f94b547dcba5bac16a89108b6b6a1fe3695d1a874a0b' | xxd -r -p | sha256sum | cut -d ' ' -f 1)

Move the generated `bls_to_execution_changes-*.json` file to an online environment that has access to a synced beacon node for the next step.

### Step 2: Submitting your signed request to the Ethereum network

In this step, you will submit your signed requests to the Ethereum network using a tool provided by the Prysm project called `prysmctl`. You’ll need access to a synced beacon node to proceed with this step (it does not need to be a Prysm beacon node)

**Install Prysmctl with separate tabs for (Docker / Bazel / Source)**

Source

Please follow our prysmctl guide to build from source.

Once Prysmctl is installed, you can use the `prysmctl validator withdraw` command, which will guide you through an interactive process that asks for a URL to your beacon node, and also a path to the bls_to_execution_changes file from the previous step.

prysmctl validator withdraw

This command will extract data from the `bls_to_execution_changes-*.json` call the Beacon API endpoint on the synced Beacon Node and validate if it’s in the pool.

Bazel

bazel run //prysmctl validator withdra 

Docker

docker run -it -v gcr.io/prysmaticlabs/prysm/prysmctl:latest \
  validator withdraw

TODO: This step might need us to mount the file to a volume with the -v command

**Confirm submission**

On successful submission, the `SignedBLStoExecutionChange` messages are included into the pool waiting to be included in a block.

Verifying requested withdrawal messages known to node...
All (total:#) signed withdrawal messages were found in the pool.

The withdrawal will be initiated by using the execution address you provided, and your validators’ withdrawal credentials will change to look something like this:

*0x010000000000000000000000a94f5374fce5edbc8e2a8697c15331677e6ebf0b* 

where the Ethereum address of your choosing will be found within.

### Step 5: Monitor your submission

Apply the `--verify-only` flag to the prysmctl validator withdrawal command to verify if the provided messages can be found in the pool. If the message is not found in the pool it may have already been included by a block proposer.

### Step 6: Confirm your withdrawal

Ethereum Proof of Stake Block Scanners like [Beaconcha.in](http://Beaconcha.in) do plan to include features to track withdrawals, but there are a few ways to confirm in your local beacon node.

curl -X 'GET' \
  'http://YOUR_PRYSM_NODE_HOST:3500/eth/v1/beacon/states/head/validators/YOUR_VALIDATOR_INDEX' \
  -H 'accept: application/json'

and you should see a response that contains withdrawal credentials that should have changed to the `0x01` format which includes your Ethereum execution address.