Cardano Staking: Delegate to Stake Pool, Withdraw Rewards

Scalus TxBuilder provides a type-safe API for managing Cardano staking operations. This guide covers the four core staking operations: registering stake keys, delegating to pools, withdrawing rewards, and deregistering stake keys.

Staking operations require interaction with Cardano’s stake address system. All operations support both Byron-era and Conway-era protocol parameters.

Registering Stake Keys

Registering a stake key is the first step to participate in Cardano staking. This operation requires a 2 ADA deposit that is refundable when you deregister the stake key.


val tx = TxBuilder(env)
  .registerStake(stakeAddress)
  .complete(provider, sponsorAddress)

The deposit amount is automatically taken from protocol parameters (env.protocolParams.stakeAddressDeposit).

The 2 ADA deposit is held by the protocol and will be returned when you deregister your stake key.

Delegating to Stake Pools

After registering a stake key, you can delegate it to a stake pool using the pool’s unique Pool ID. Your delegated ADA helps secure the network and earns staking rewards.


val poolId = PoolKeyHash.fromHex("pool1...")
 
val tx = TxBuilder(env)
  .delegateTo(stakeAddress, poolId)
  .complete(provider, sponsorAddress)

Registering and Delegating in One Transaction

For efficiency, you can combine registration and delegation into a single transaction:


val poolId = PoolKeyHash.fromHex("pool1...")
 
val tx = TxBuilder(env)
  .stakeAndDelegate(stakeAddress, poolId)
  .complete(provider, sponsorAddress)

The deposit is automatically taken from protocol parameters.

Combining operations saves transaction fees and reduces the number of blockchain interactions required.

Withdrawing Staking Rewards

Claim your accumulated staking rewards to your wallet.


val tx = TxBuilder(env)
  .withdrawRewards(stakeAddress, rewardAmount)
  .complete(provider, sponsorAddress)

Post-Vasil Era: Stake rewards must be withdrawn fully. Partial withdrawals are not supported.

Post-Chang Era: Rewards are only withdrawable if you have delegated your voting power to a DRep (Delegated Representative). See the Governance guide for more information.

Deregistering Stake Keys

Deregistering a stake key returns your initial 2 ADA deposit and removes your stake key from the blockchain.


val tx = TxBuilder(env)
  .deregisterStake(stakeAddress)
  .complete(provider, sponsorAddress)

With explicit refund:


val tx = TxBuilder(env)
  .deregisterStake(stakeAddress, Coin.ada(2))
  .complete(provider, sponsorAddress)

Working with Stake Addresses

Creating Stake Addresses from Key Hash

To perform staking operations, you need a properly formatted stake address. Here’s how to create one from a stake key hash:


import scalus.cardano.address.{StakeAddress, StakePayload}
 
val stakeAddress = StakeAddress(
  Network.Mainnet,
  StakePayload.Stake(stakeKeyHash)
)

Extracting Stake Address from Payment Address

You can extract the stake address from a Shelley payment address:


val stakeAddress = shelleyAddress.delegation match {
  case ShelleyDelegationPart.Key(keyHash) =>
    StakeAddress(shelleyAddress.network, StakePayload.Stake(keyHash))
  case _ => throw new Exception("No stake key")
}