Question 1

What does a Minos miner actually submit?

Accepted Answer

Miners submit a JSON configuration file describing variant-caller parameters (tool name, quality thresholds, haplotype settings, filtering rules)—not VCF output or sequencing data. The platform stores the config and passes it to validators, who run it locally against benchmark BAM files and truth VCFs. Configs can be for GATK HaplotypeCaller, DeepVariant, or BCFtools; miners choose one tool per round.

Question 2

How does Minos score variant calls?

Accepted Answer

Validators run each submitted config on the same benchmark BAM file and region, generating a VCF output. hap.py (the GA4GH standard benchmarking tool) compares the miner's VCF against a ground-truth VCF, computing F1-score, recall, precision, and false-positive counts for SNPs and indels separately. An AdvancedScorer then combines these metrics into a weighted score (0–100), which is normalized to a final combined_final value (0–1). Only scores in valid range and with detected variants are recorded on-chain; zero-input configs (no calls on target) are discarded.

Question 3

How do miners earn TAO on Minos?

Accepted Answer

Miners earn TAO based on round-only scores: only the most recent scored round counts toward weight allocation. Winners (top-scoring miners in a round) receive higher weight; all positive scorers participate, but lower ranks earn less. Eligibility requires at least one valid scored round in recent history (5 of the last 20 rounds). Per-coldkey deduplication ensures one hotkey per owner can earn reward per round, even if the owner runs multiple registered hotkeys. Earned weight is converted to TAO via Bittensor's standard emission mechanism (rebase).

Question 4

What hardware does a Minos miner need?

Accepted Answer

Minimum: 4 CPU cores at 2.5 GHz, 8 GB RAM, 60 GB SSD (for BAM cache and Docker images), Docker runtime, and 100 Mbps internet. Recommended: 8 cores, 16 GB RAM, 100 GB SSD, 3.5 GHz clock speed. GPU is optional (beneficial for DeepVariant but not required). Miners run variant callers in Docker containers; all variants tools (GATK, DeepVariant, BCFtools) work on CPU; variant calling per 5 MB region takes 10–20 minutes on recommended hardware.

Question 5

Can I test my config before submitting it to a live round?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Practice mode (`bash start-miner.sh --practice`) downloads a fully-answered sample (BAM + truth VCF), runs your config, and scores it with the exact validator formula, printing the score you would receive. Practice uses no chain, earns no TAO, and does not count toward eligibility. Use it to compare two configs on the same sample before risking a live round, then hold the sample ID fixed so the score difference reflects only your config change.

Question 6

What is a round on Minos, and how long does it last?

Accepted Answer

A round is a 72-minute scoring cycle (Bittensor's standard tempo). Miners have a submission window (first ~60 min) to download a challenge BAM, region, and truth data; run their config; and submit the config JSON. Validators then re-run each submission, score outputs, and set weights. Eligibility and emissions depend on recent valid scores, so miners benefit from participating in as many rounds as possible. Rounds rotate across chromosomes (chr1–chr22, chrX, chrY, chrM).

Question 7

How do validators decide which miners to score?

Accepted Answer

The platform assigns a subset of miners to each validator (subset-based scoring). Primary assignments are always scored; secondary assignments are scored only if time remains before the deadline. After the deadline, unscored gap miners are backfilled with peer validator scores. The canonical ranking (consensus from staked validators) breaks ties for top-scorer selection, ensuring fair weight allocation across the fleet. All scores eventually appear on-chain and count toward TAO allocation.

Question 8

What happens if my config crashes or times out?

Accepted Answer

If variant calling fails (tool crash, timeout, or memory error), the config produces no valid VCF. Validators log the failure but leave that miner unscored locally; the miner is then eligible for backfill scores from peer validators. If no peer validator scored it either, the miner earns zero for that round. Zero scores do not contribute to eligibility, so a streak of tool failures can push a miner below the eligibility threshold (5 of 20 rounds). Demo and practice modes both catch these issues before live rounds at no cost.

Question 9

Can I use the same config every round, or do I need to tune?

Accepted Answer

The same config can submit every round and earn steadily if it scores well. Tuning (changing parameters) is optional and only recommended after you have several valid scored rounds to measure against. Change one parameter category at a time, score two configs in practice mode against the same sample, and compare multiple live rounds to avoid false signals from lucky samples. Never claim a config will definitely win; the best tuned config today may lose to an unexpected caller behavior tomorrow.

Minos

Minos

Hardware Requirements

Hardware Requirements

Miner Setup

Validator Setup

Participate

Participate

Hardware Requirements

Hardware Requirements

Miner Setup

Validator Setup