> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.marinade.finance/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.marinade.finance/marinade-protocol/protocol-overview/stake-auction-market/blacklist-policy.md). # Blacklist Policy {% hint style="info" %} **TL;DR:** Blacklisting is a last resort triggered by serious, verifiable harm: MEV sandwich attacks, network disruption, double-signing, and similar. Blacklisted validators cannot receive Marinade stake. Appeals are possible through Discord with evidence. {% endhint %} ## Overview The Marinade Foundation mandates Marinade Labs to use a proprietary methodology to determine which validators may be blacklisted from the Marinade Stake Auction Marketplace. Blacklisting is a last resort and is enforced only in clearly defined, verifiable cases, based on objective data and reproducible metrics. ## General Principles * **Validators that harm the network may be blacklisted:** The blacklist is reserved for behaviors with a clear negative impact on Solana or on Marinade stakers. * **Continuously updated:** The blacklist is updated continuously by Marinade Labs, without prior notice, based on criteria set forth by the Marinade Foundation. * **Transparent criteria changes:** The Marinade Foundation may update blacklisting criteria at any time, but in non-trivial cases will do so only with broad community consensus and in support of Solana's long-term health. * **Discretionary authority:** Marinade reserves the right to exercise judgment on a case-by-case basis. The criteria below describe typical grounds for blacklisting, not exhaustive thresholds. A validator engaging in harmful behavior may be blacklisted even if they fall just under a stated number. ## Grounds for Blacklisting A validator may be blacklisted for: * **MEV sandwich attacks:** Engaging in MEV sandwich attacks in over 30% of blocks they produce. * **Network degradation:** Intentionally introducing latency or degrading network bandwidth. * **Slow voting:** Also known as vote lagging. * **Commission rugs:** Raising commission to capture rewards that would otherwise go to stakers. * **Cluster restart failures:** Failing to restart their node within 36 hours after a cluster restart due to a halt, if it occurs at least twice. * **Malicious MEV behavior:** Any other form of malicious MEV behavior. ### Consequences * **No prior warning:** If Marinade investigates and determines that a validator has acted against this policy, the validator is blacklisted without advance notice. * **Exclusion from delegation:** Blacklisted validators are excluded from Marinade delegation. * **Bond penalties:** Validator bonds may be penalized. The penalty amount is determined case by case, based on the severity of the behavior and the amount of stake and bond involved. #### Where the blacklist is published * **Scoring pipeline inputs:** Each epoch's blacklist is committed to the [ds-sam-pipeline repository](https://github.com/marinade-finance/ds-sam-pipeline/tree/main/auctions), under the epoch folder in `inputs/blacklist.csv`. * **PSR dashboard:** The [protected-events view](https://psr.marinade.finance/protected-events) shows whether a validator has been flagged as blacklisted. ## How to Appeal Validators who believe they were blacklisted in error or who have reformed after a legitimate flag may submit an appeal through [Discord](https://discord.gg/SqTguRgG). An appeal does not guarantee removal from the blacklist. Marinade investigates each case independently before making a decision. To submit an appeal, open a ticket in the [Marinade Discord server](https://discord.gg/SqTguRgG) and include: * **The reason for blacklisting:** State the specific behavior (e.g. slot lag, sandwich attacks, late cluster restart). * **Why it happened:** Provide root cause. Was it intentional, a misconfiguration, a third-party issue, or a fixed bug? * **What has changed:** Describe the corrective action taken and any supporting evidence Marinade can verify. Tickets that simply request removal without supporting information will typically be ignored. ### Removal From the Blacklist * **Unjustified blacklisting:** If an appeal shows the blacklisting was unjustified (e.g. due to misinterpreted performance data), the validator will be removed after review and approval by the team. * **Rightful blacklisting:** If the blacklisting was rightful, removal is possible only after a minimum 1-month observation period of sustained good behavior. The validator must show a clean record of no further policy violations, maintain good uptime, and keep up with network patches. The actual length of the review is determined case by case and may extend beyond one month based on the nature of the original offense and the team's review schedule. * **Team discretion:** All removals are ultimately at the team's discretion. An appeal ticket starts the review process but does not guarantee reinstatement. * **Commission rugs:** Validators blacklisted for commission rugs are permanently excluded. No appeals. * **Repeat offenders:** Repeat offenders are permanently blacklisted and ineligible for Marinade stake. No appeals. Marinade retains discretion to determine what constitutes a repeat offense. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. 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