Existing Nodes Migration

Migrating Existing Nodes to StarGate

Users who currently hold nodes from the legacy VeChain node system—such as Economic Nodes or X Nodes—have the opportunity to migrate their existing positions into the new StarGate staking framework. This process upgrades the old node model into the new NFT-based staking structure, aligning users with StarGate's improved delegation and reward mechanics.

How Migration Works

Migration is a single-step process that includes both the conversion of the legacy node and the initiation of hard staking on the StarGate platform. Here's how it works:

1. The user initiates the migration request by logging in StarGate with the wallet owning the node. The user will see his node with a CTA to migrate.

2. Once confirmed, the platform burns the old NFT, permanently removing the legacy representation of the node from the system.

3. Simultaneously, a new NFT—aligned with the same node tier—is issued to the user. This new NFT conforms to StarGate's staking standard.

4. At the exact moment of issuance, the system hard stakes the user’s VET based on the requirements of that node tier.

5. Delegation is initiated automatically, and no maturity period applies to migrated nodes, users start generating VTHO rewards immediately, which they can claim at the end of each 7 days cycle.

There is no need to manually stake after migration; the entire process—from migration to delegation—happens in a unified operation.

Migration Preconditions and Restrictions

Before a legacy node can be migrated to the StarGate staking system, several conditions must be met to ensure the stability and consistency of the migration process.

Maturity Requirement

The system first checks whether the legacy NFT has completed its maturity period. If the node is still within its initial lock period and has not yet become eligible for reward generation, the migration request will be blocked. Users must wait until the legacy node has fully matured before initiating migration. This ensures that staking commitments made under the original system are honored in full before transitioning to the new protocol.

Marketplace and Transfer Restrictions

In addition to maturity verification, the system performs two additional status checks:

• Listed for Sale: If the legacy NFT is actively listed on a marketplace, the migration will be rejected. Users must remove the NFT from sale before proceeding with migration.

• Recently Transferred: If the NFT has been transferred to a new wallet within the last 4 hours, the migration will be temporarily restricted. This cooldown period is required to prevent abuse and ensure that ownership changes are settled before staking transitions occur. Users must wait until 4 full hours have passed since the last transfer before retrying the migration.

Rationale

These restrictions are in place to protect the integrity of the StarGate migration process and prevent edge cases—such as premature reward resets, overlapping ownership states, or marketplace manipulation—from disrupting staking operations. By enforcing these conditions, the system ensures a smooth and secure upgrade path for all legacy node holders.

What Changes After Migration?

• Staking NFTs: Your node is now represented as a StarGate-compliant NFT that can interact with the new delegation and reward system.

• Delegation Framework: You are now part of StarGate's delegation model, which includes 7-day cycles, maturity-based reward accrual, and optional auto-renew.

• Supply Impact: For X Node holders, migrating and eventually burning the new NFT (during unstaking) will reduce the total supply of X Node NFTs permanently.

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This migration model ensures a seamless transition into StarGate while preserving node tier benefits and streamlining user participation in the upgraded ecosystem.