AlphaBurned

Event Re-added v257 → v265, v273 → v277, v290 → v315, v320 → v326, v334 → v367, v372 → v377, v385 → current #95

Emitted when alpha tokens are permanently burned.

Useful for: stakerssubnet ownersanalyticsdevelopers

The Big Picture

Alpha burning permanently removes tokens from circulation. Unlike recycling (which returns Alpha to the subnet's available pool), burning destroys tokens forever. This is a deflationary mechanism - burned Alpha can never be recovered. Burning makes remaining Alpha more scarce and potentially more valuable. It's the ultimate commitment to reducing supply.

Why This Matters

When Alpha is burned, total supply permanently decreases. For remaining holders, this is potentially positive - less supply means each token represents a larger share of the pool. If you're burning, you're sacrificing your tokens to benefit the collective.

Example Scenario

You decide to support subnet 5's token economics by burning 100 Alpha. AlphaBurned fires with your account and 100 Alpha. Those tokens are gone forever. SubnetAlphaOut for subnet 5 doesn't change (unlike recycling), but total supply is reduced, benefiting all remaining Alpha holders.

Common Questions

What's the difference between burning and recycling?: Burning destroys Alpha forever - it's gone from existence. Recycling returns Alpha to the subnet's available pool, where it can be claimed by future stakers. Both reduce your position, but burning is more dramatic.
Why would anyone burn instead of unstaking?: Unstaking converts Alpha to TAO (you keep value). Burning destroys value entirely. Burning is typically an altruistic or protocol-driven action, not a personal financial optimization.
Does burning affect the Alpha/TAO exchange rate?: Indirectly. Lower total supply could make Alpha more scarce relative to TAO demand, potentially improving the rate. But immediate rate impact depends on the bonding curve mechanics.

Use Cases

Track deflationary events on subnets
Monitor Alpha supply changes
Analyze token economics and burn rates
Build Alpha supply tracking dashboards

How to Use This Event

→ Track burn events for supply analysis
→ Monitor cumulative burns over time
→ Build deflationary pressure indicators

From Chain Metadata

Alpha have been burned without reducing AlphaOut. Parameters: (coldkey, hotkey, amount, subnet_id)

Part of: Alpha Token Conversion

Triggers

Emitted by

burn_alpha

Preconditions

Account has alpha to burn
Burn operation requested

Effects

Storage Modified

Alpha TotalHotkeyAlpha TotalHotkeyShares TotalIssuance

Postconditions

User's alpha decreased
Alpha permanently removed from circulation

Side Effects

Deflationary pressure on alpha supply

Event Data

#	Name	Type	Description
0	arg0	AccountId	Event field #0 (AccountId) (hex -> SS58)
1	arg1	AccountId	Event field #1 (AccountId) (hex -> SS58)
2	arg2	u64	Event field #2 (u64)
3	arg3	u16	Event field #3 (u16)

Code Examples

import { ApiPromise, WsProvider } from "@polkadot/api";
import { stringCamelCase } from "@polkadot/util";

const provider = new WsProvider("wss://entrypoint-finney.opentensor.ai:443");
const api = await ApiPromise.create({ provider });

// Subscribe to AlphaBurned events
api.query.system.events((events) => {
  events
    .filter(({ event }) =>
      event.section === stringCamelCase("SubtensorModule") &&
      event.method === "AlphaBurned"
    )
    .forEach(({ event }) => {
      console.log("AlphaBurned:", event.data.toHuman());
    });
});

Version History

Version:

v257 block 5,228,683 4 args

v273 block 5,659,032 4 args

v290 block 5,947,548 4 args

v320 block 6,523,566 4 args

v334 block 6,811,690 4 args

v372 block 7,430,358 4 args

v385 block 7,782,670 4 args Current

Runtime Info

View Source

Pallet Index: 7
Event Index: 95
First Version: v257
Current Version: v393

Back to SubtensorModule Events