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Yield Boost

Status

🚧 Yield Boost is in a phased rollout. Initial infrastructure has been deployed on mainnet, with early ETH movements into the YieldManager and StakingVault. This documentation describes the intended steady-state design, and some components may not yet be active.

This page describes Linea Yield Boost: how surplus bridged ETH is staked on Ethereum, how yield is used on Linea, and what users should expect when withdrawing.

Yield Boost stakes extra ETH held in Linea's native bridge on Ethereum into Lido v3 stVaults. That extra ETH is the surplus above the reserve kept liquid for user withdrawals. Net staking rewards go to ecosystem incentive programs on Linea. They are not paid as a rebase or direct credit to the user's wallet.

This is a protocol-level feature of the native bridge contract on Ethereum, LineaRollup. You do not need to change how you transact or build on Linea.

User experience​

Bridging and holding ETH on Linea stay the same under normal conditions. You receive 1:1 ETH on Linea and can transact with it as usual. The native-bridge UI may disclose that bridged ETH can be staked on Ethereum in the background.

You can normally withdraw ETH back to Ethereum from the LineaRollup reserve. An automated service helps keep enough ETH there for withdrawals. If the reserve is temporarily short, you can wait for staked ETH to return, or withdraw stETH instead. Waiting follows Ethereum's validator withdrawal queue; a long queue means the wait is longer. Details are on the Architecture and Risk disclosures pages.

How it works​

  1. Bridge and stake surplus. ETH bridged through LineaRollup remains on L1. Surplus above the configured minimum withdrawal reserve in LineaRollup may be moved into the StakingVault for beacon-chain staking.
  2. Earn and report yield. Staking rewards accrue on L1. An offchain automation service periodically reports net yield (after system obligations) toward L2 distribution.
  3. Distribute on Linea. Reported yield is unlocked on L2 for designated recipients (for example liquidity incentive contracts), not as a per-wallet rebase.

For fund flows, roles, and permissionless call semantics, see Architecture.

Design goals​

  • Censorship-resistant withdrawals: A withdrawal path stays available even if operators are unresponsive; fulfilment may still wait on the beacon chain.
  • Non-custodial staking: Validator withdrawal credentials point at the StakingVault; privileged roles are not meant to extract user principal.
  • Lido upgrade opt-out: The Linea Security Council can initiate ossification to disconnect from future Lido vault upgrades.
  • Unchanged normal bridge UX: Users bridge and hold ETH on Linea unless they choose last-resort stETH withdrawal.

Safety and liveness​

These are the intended design properties, based on the Native Yield technical specification. See the spec for the full rules.

Safety properties​

Safety properties must hold at all times:

  • Valid yield reporting: Yield reported to L2 must exclude accumulated system obligations (for example LST liabilities and protocol fees).
  • User principal protection: User principal (L1 deposits plus L2 circulating ETH) must not be used to settle system obligations. Obligations are paid only from unreported yield.
  • Beacon chain deposit restriction: New beacon-chain deposits are paused when the withdrawal reserve is in deficit, when stETH liabilities are outstanding, or when ossification has been initiated or completed.

Liveness properties​

Liveness properties must eventually hold; timing is not guaranteed:

  • Sustained positive net yield: The system is designed to keep cumulative reported yield positive over time. If that is materially violated, new beacon-chain deposits are paused.
  • Censorship-resistant withdrawals: At least one withdrawal path stays available, even if delayed. Permissionless unstaking and reserve replenishment activate during reserve deficits, and replenishment takes precedence over repaying obligations.
  • Accounting report freshness: Vault reports must be updated at least every 48 hours. Stale reports block withdrawals and LST minting until updated.

FAQs​

Do I receive stETH on Linea?

No. You hold standard 1:1 ETH on Linea. Staking happens on L1 from the LineaRollup reserve into the StakingVault.

Do I ever lose access to my ETH?

You can normally withdraw ETH back to Ethereum from the LineaRollup reserve. An automated service helps keep enough ETH there for withdrawals. If the reserve is temporarily short, you can wait for staked ETH to return, or withdraw stETH instead. See the risk disclosures for more information.

Can I opt out of Yield Boost?

No. Opt-out is not supported for bridged ETH under this design.

Can I earn Yield Boost rewards directly?

No. Rewards go to ecosystem incentive mechanisms set through governance. You may receive incentives only if you participate in a program that is funded by those rewards.

See also​

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