Grass Airdrop One

Grass Airdrop One marked the protocol’s first major token distribution, designed to reward users who contributed to the early stages of the network. This event was launched on October 28, 2024, and allocated 100 million GRASS tokens to early participants—equivalent to 10% of the total token supply. The primary goal was to distribute tokens to individuals who had earned Grass Points by sharing unused bandwidth before the network’s mainnet token release. It was a practical way to transition the protocol from a points-based rewards system to a fully on-chain economy governed by the GRASS token.

Eligibility for Airdrop One was determined by several factors, with the most important being whether a user had earned at least 500 Grass Points in any epoch. An epoch, in this context, is a fixed period during which user activity is measured and points are recorded. To qualify, users also needed to link their Solana wallet to the Grass dashboard before October 14, 2024. This ensured that all claims were verifiable on-chain and tied to a unique participant address. The snapshot captured both user activity and wallet registration, setting a clear and transparent cutoff for eligibility.

The airdrop used a 9-tiered reward system to assign GRASS tokens based on the amount of Grass Points earned. Users in higher tiers received a larger share of the token distribution, reinforcing the protocol’s principle of proportional rewards. This method incentivized deeper engagement with the network and encouraged users to stay connected over multiple epochs rather than participate passively for a short time. This structure rewarded both consistency and volume of contribution, aligning network incentives with user behavior.

Beyond bandwidth sharers, Grass also allocated small percentages of the airdrop to specific user categories. GigaBuds NFT holders received a 0.5% allocation, as did users who installed the Grass Desktop Node or the Grass app on the Solana Saga phone. These bonuses were designed to encourage early adoption of new tools and to reward users who helped test the protocol across different device types. By including NFT holders and early mobile users, Grass demonstrated its intent to build a diverse and cross-platform contributor base.

Claiming the airdrop required users to visit the official Grass claim page, connect a Solana-compatible wallet such as Phantom or Solflare, and follow simple on-screen instructions. Once the claim process was complete, tokens were immediately transferred on-chain to the user’s wallet. The Grass team emphasized security during this process, warning users to avoid unofficial links or attempts to claim through third-party platforms. The claim window was extended until March 27, 2025, to ensure that eligible users had ample time to retrieve their rewards.

Grass Staking

Staking in the Grass ecosystem serves a dual purpose: it allows GRASS token holders to earn rewards while also contributing to the network’s bandwidth routing and operational integrity. Unlike many staking systems that rely solely on token locking, Grass staking integrates directly with the infrastructure of the protocol. Tokens are delegated to routers—nodes that manage and route internet traffic collected through the network. This process helps determine how bandwidth is distributed, with routers that receive more stake typically handling more data flow.

There is no minimum staking period in Grass, which gives users significant flexibility in how they participate. Tokens can be staked or unstaked at any time, though unstaking triggers a 7-day lockup period before the tokens are available for withdrawal. This delay helps protect the network against rapid capital outflows and gives time for any potential network slashing or performance audits. During staking, rewards are issued in real time and accumulate every second, allowing participants to earn passively while supporting the protocol’s technical operations.

Delegating tokens to a router initiates a shared-risk, shared-reward model. Routers earn income from the bandwidth they manage, and a portion of those earnings is automatically distributed to token holders who have delegated their stake to them. This creates a strong alignment of incentives between node operators and GRASS token holders. Routers that provide better uptime, lower error rates, and consistent performance are more likely to attract stake, while underperforming routers will naturally lose support. Delegators are encouraged to assess router performance and fees before choosing where to delegate.

Routers can charge a commission on the rewards they distribute. This fee is customizable and typically reflects the router’s cost of operation, reputation, and competitiveness. In this way, routers must not only maintain technical reliability but also offer terms that are attractive to stakers. Over time, this creates a competitive environment where the most efficient routers gain the most delegation, improving the performance and decentralization of the network as a whole.

Highlights

• Airdrop One distributed 100 million GRASS tokens to early users who earned at least 500 Grass Points and linked their wallet by the eligibility deadline.
• The airdrop followed a 9-tier reward structure, with higher token allocations going to users who contributed more bandwidth across the qualifying epochs.
• Additional rewards were reserved for specific user actions, including holding GigaBuds NFTs, using the Grass desktop node, or installing the Saga app.
• Staking allows GRASS holders to delegate tokens to routers, earning real-time rewards while helping determine how bandwidth traffic is routed within the network.
• The staking system includes a 7-day unstaking delay and is designed to evolve, with future plans to introduce slashing mechanisms for stronger performance enforcement.