Every validator page in Explore has a Stake panel. Staking there delegates your SOL to that one validator, chosen by you.
This is a separate option, not a change to Marinade Native. Native works as it always has: it spreads your stake across the validators in the Stake Auction Marketplace and manages the delegation for you.
How to Stake to One Validator
Open Explore and click the validator you want.
Connect your wallet.
In the Stake panel on the right, enter an amount, or click Max.
Check the Adds to your position summary: the net APY you can expect and the time to activate.
Read the coloured panel above the button. It tells you whether your rewards will be protected.
Click Stake and approve in your wallet.
Your stake activates at the end of the current epoch, which may be anything from minutes to about two days away depending on when you stake. The panel shows the estimated time to activate before you confirm.
Where Your Position Appears
Open Portfolio and look under External, below the Marinade positions. The row carries the validator's name and is labelled Stake Account.
The row's own button is Stake, to add more. The ⋯ menu beside it holds Unstake, Borrow and Open detail, which returns you to the validator's page.
The External row does not show a Protected chip, even when the validator has a bond and your rewards are protected. Marinade Native, Select and mSOL rows do show one. To check whether a direct stake is protected, open the validator's page: the badge beside its name and the panel above the Stake button are the reliable indicators.
What Marinade Holds, and What It Does Not
A Solana stake account has two separate authorities, and they do different jobs.
Your wallet keeps the withdraw authority for the whole time. This is the one that controls the money. Only you can move the SOL out. Marinade cannot withdraw your stake, and there is no smart contract holding your funds.
Marinade holds the staker authority. Despite the name, this does not give Marinade any claim on your SOL. It only controls which validator the account is delegated to, and it is what lets Marinade tell which stake on that validator was delegated through Marinade. That is the basis for Protected Staking Rewards on the position.
Marinade charges nothing for staking directly with a validator. The validator's own take rate still applies, and it is shown on its page.
Whether Your Rewards Are Protected
This depends entirely on the validator, and the page tells you before you stake.
If the validator has a bond, you see a Protected rewards badge beside its name and a panel reading "Your staking rewards are protected. If this validator goes offline, its bond pays you back." Downtime is charged against that validator's bond in the same way it is for stake delegated through Marinade Native.
If it does not, the panel reads "Your staking rewards are not protected. If this validator goes offline, nothing pays you back." There is no compensation for downtime at that validator. The Validators with a bond link on that panel filters Explore down to the validators that do have one.
A bond covers up to what the validator has posted. A validator carrying a large amount of stake against a small bond may not cover every staker in full. The protection is real but it is not unlimited.
For what Protected Staking Rewards does and does not cover, see What Happens to My Rewards If a Validator Goes Down?
How This Differs From Marinade Native
Direct to one validator | Marinade Native | |
Who picks the validator | You | Marinade, across the Stake Auction Marketplace |
Spread | One validator, so its performance is your performance | Many validators, so one going offline affects only part of your stake |
Rebalancing | None. It stays where you put it | Marinade moves stake away from underperforming validators |
Protected rewards | Only if that validator has a bond | Yes, across the set |
Where it appears in Portfolio | Under External, as the validator's name | Under Marinade, as Marinade Native |
Marinade fee | None |
Choosing one validator concentrates your risk. If it goes offline, all of your stake is affected rather than a slice of it. Check its incident record on the same page before you commit, and prefer one with a bond.
Unstaking
Open the ⋯ menu on the row in Portfolio and choose Unstake. You are asked whether you want to Borrow or Unstake, and choosing Unstake opens the validator's page with the unstake form ready. Going to the validator's page directly and using the Unstake tab gets you to the same place.
The usual unstake rules apply. Instant unstake pays you immediately at a market quote. Delayed unstake completes at the end of the epoch, then you claim.
See Why Can't I Unstake? if the panel will not accept the amount you entered.
FAQ
Q: The app says Marinade holds the staker authority. Does that mean Marinade controls my stake?
A: Not in the way it sounds. The staker authority controls only which validator the account is delegated to. The withdraw authority, which is the one that controls the SOL itself, stays with your wallet the whole time. Marinade cannot take your stake out.
Q: My position is under External. Does that mean it is not with Marinade?
A: No. The External group holds every stake account in your wallet that is not a Marinade product row, which covers both stake you delegated yourself and stake you made from Explore. A stake made from Explore is still through Marinade, and Marinade holds the staker authority on it.
Q: My validator says Protected but my Portfolio row does not show the chip.
A: The Protected chip is not currently shown on External rows. Your coverage is unaffected. Open the validator's page to confirm it, using the badge beside its name and the panel above the Stake button.
Q: Will Marinade move my stake to a better validator?
A: No. That is Marinade Native's behaviour, not this one. A direct stake stays with the validator you chose until you unstake it.
Q: Is this the same as staking from my wallet or from a validator's own website?
A: No. Stake you delegated yourself outside Marinade is not covered by Protected Staking Rewards and Marinade holds no authority on it. See Is My SOL Staked With Marinade?
Q: What does Marinade charge?
A: Nothing for staking directly with a validator. The validator's take rate still applies and is shown on its page.
Q: Can I stake to more than one validator?
A: Yes. Repeat the process on each validator's page. Each creates its own position.
Q: Should I do this instead of Marinade Native?
A: Only if you have a reason to want one specific validator. Native spreads your stake, rebalances away from poor performers, and is protected across the set. A direct stake gives you control and concentrates the risk in one operator.