set_identity

Call v195 → v219, v233 → current #68

Sets on-chain identity for a hotkey .

View calls on chain

Call Workflow

set_identity

1. Validation

Signature, nonce, mortality, fees

Signature

Nonce

Mortality

Fee payment

2. Pre-dispatch

Permission & state checks

Permission checks

State validation

3. Dispatch

Execute logic, modify state

ChainIdentitySet IdentitiesV2 LastTxBlock

4. Post-dispatch

Final result & fee settlement

ExtrinsicSuccess

Fees settled

Svelte Flow

Click items to navigate. Pan and zoom to explore.

Used by: validatorsminerssubnet ownersdevelopers

The Big Picture

Hotkey addresses are 48-character hex strings. Nobody remembers those. set_identity lets you attach human-readable metadata - name, description, website, contact. This builds your brand on-chain, making it easier for delegators to find and trust you.

Why This Matters

Would you delegate to '5GrwvaEF5zXb26Fz9rcQpDWS57CtERHpNehXCPcNoHGKutQY' or 'Taostats'? Identity makes your hotkey recognizable, professional, and trustworthy. It's free marketing on-chain.

Example Scenario

You run 'OpenTensor Foundation' validator. Call set_identity(hotkey, name='OpenTensor', description='Official OTF validator', url='https://opentensor.ai', contact='@opentensor'). Now explorers and wallets display your brand instead of raw hex.

Common Questions

Can anyone see my identity?: Yes, it's public on-chain. Block explorers, wallets, and delegation UIs all display identity data. Don't put private info here.
Can I update identity later?: Yes, call set_identity again with new data. The old identity is replaced. Use this to keep descriptions current.

Use Cases

Brand your validator with name and description
Provide contact info for delegators and community
Build reputation through consistent identity
Help users identify legitimate vs impersonator hotkeys

From Chain Metadata

- Set prometheus information for the neuron.

Migration Notes

v219 v233 Breaking

added field github_repo (Vec<u8>)

Update decoders: SCALE encoding is positional, so any signature change (added, removed, or type-changed fields, or storage shape changes) shifts byte offsets and existing decoders will misparse this item. Re-derive types from the new metadata.

Input Parameters

#	Name	Type	Description
0	name	Vec<u8> Vec	name (Vec<u8>)
1	url	Vec<u8> Vec	url (Vec<u8>)
2	github_repo	Vec<u8> Vec	github_repo (Vec<u8>)
3	image	Vec<u8> Vec	image (Vec<u8>)
4	discord	Vec<u8> Vec	discord (Vec<u8>)
5	description	Vec<u8> Vec	description (Vec<u8>)
6	additional	Vec<u8> Vec	additional (Vec<u8>)

Permissions

Origin

Signed

Required Role

Any

Permission data inferred from metadata. May be incomplete.

Requirements

Caller owns the hotkey
Valid identity data

Effects

Events Emitted

ChainIdentitySet

Storage Modified

IdentitiesV2 LastTxBlock

Postconditions

Identity stored on-chain

Side Effects

Hotkey displays identity info

Code Examples

import { createClient, Binary } from "polkadot-api";
import { getWsProvider } from "polkadot-api/ws";
import { sub } from "@polkadot-api/descriptors"; // generated by: npx papi add sub -w wss://entrypoint-finney.opentensor.ai:443

const client = createClient(getWsProvider("wss://entrypoint-finney.opentensor.ai:443"));
const api = client.getTypedApi(sub);

// Build set_identity call (typed, named args)
const name = Binary.fromOpaque(new Uint8Array(0));
const url = Binary.fromOpaque(new Uint8Array(0));
const github_repo = Binary.fromOpaque(new Uint8Array(0));
const image = Binary.fromOpaque(new Uint8Array(0));
const discord = Binary.fromOpaque(new Uint8Array(0));
const description = Binary.fromOpaque(new Uint8Array(0));
const additional = Binary.fromOpaque(new Uint8Array(0));

const tx = api.tx.SubtensorModule.set_identity({
  name,
  url,
  github_repo,
  image,
  discord,
  description,
  additional,
});

Version History

Version:

v195 block 3,791,350 6 args

v233 block 4,920,350 7 args Current

Runtime Info

View Source

Pallet Index: 7
Call Index: 68
First Version: v195
Current Version: v411

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