Set graffiti

Every block has a 32-byte graffiti field that the proposer fills with any text. It does not affect rewards. Graffiti is public and permanent, so don’t put anything in it you wouldn’t want tied to your validator forever.

Before you begin

• A running validator client. See Import keys.
• Graffiti only appears in blocks you propose: for one validator on mainnet, a few times a year at most.

Set one graffiti for all validators

Add --graffiti to your validator client command and restart it:

--graffiti="<YOUR_GRAFFITI>"

The field holds 32 bytes. Plain letters and digits take one byte each; emoji take three or four.

Set graffiti per validator

Add a graffiti field to a key in your proposer settings file (see Set your fee recipient):

proposer-settings.yaml

proposer_config:
  '<VALIDATOR_PUBKEY>':
    fee_recipient: '<FEE_RECIPIENT>'
    graffiti: 'validator one'
default_config:
  fee_recipient: '<DEFAULT_FEE_RECIPIENT>'

You can also change it while the validator runs through the Keymanager API.

Use a graffiti file

For lists or rotating text, write a YAML file:

graffiti.yaml

specific:
  <VALIDATOR_INDEX>: 'validator one was here'
ordered:
  - 'first block'
  - 'second block'
random:
  - 'gm'
  - 'staking from home'
default: 'proposed with Prysm'

Then add --graffiti-file to your validator client command and restart it:

--graffiti-file=<PATH_TO_GRAFFITI_FILE>

Section	Behavior
specific	Graffiti for one validator, keyed by validator index (the number on block explorers), not public key.
ordered	One entry per proposal, in order. When the list runs out, Prysm moves on to random, then default.
random	A random entry for each proposal.
default	Used when nothing above applies.

Prysm reads the file at startup: restart the validator after editing it.

Which graffiti wins

1. The key's graffiti in proposer settings (or set through the Keymanager API).
2. graffiti in the proposer settings default_config.
3. --graffiti.
4. The graffiti file.

A graffiti in default_config hides the flag and the whole graffiti file. Leave it out if you want the file to apply.

The client tag at the end

The beacon node adds a short tag after your text that names your execution and consensus clients, for example Sushi GEabcdPMe4f6 (GE for Geth, PM for Prysm, each followed by the start of its commit). It uses only the space your text leaves free and never cuts your text. The tag helps client teams track client diversity; keep your text to 20 bytes or less to leave room for it.

To keep your graffiti exactly as written, start the beacon node with --disable-graffiti-client-append.

Check that it works

When your validator proposes, its log shows the graffiti it sent:

INFO client: Submitted new block slot=<SLOT> blockRoot=<ROOT> graffiti="<GRAFFITI>" ...

The final graffiti, including the client tag, is visible on the block in a block explorer, as in this Sepolia block.