Conviction

Conviction is a score for long-term commitment to a subnet. You build it by locking alpha you have staked there.

A lock is a floor, not a separate account. Your total stake on that subnet cannot go below the locked amount, but anything above it stays free to unstake. Locked alpha keeps earning rewards as normal. Locking changes how easily you can leave, not what you earn.

While the lock is in place, conviction grows toward the amount you locked. You point it at a hotkey of your choice, often your validator.

Locks come in two kinds. A decaying lock releases over time, and its conviction falls as it does. A perpetual lock stays until you change it. How fast conviction builds and how fast a lock releases are set by governance and can change.