Protocol Principles
Autopilot is built for veAERO holders seeking maximum yield with minimum effort. This section outlines the system’s core rules, limitations, and technical behavior to ensure fair, transparent, and sec
Participation Rules
Minimum Deposit To activate Autopilot, a minimum of 5,000 veAERO is required per deposit (for the initial launch phase).
Max Lock Applied All veAERO deposited into Autopilot will be automatically re-locked to the maximum duration (4 years). This ensures full voting power and reward eligibility throughout the lifecycle of the deposit.
Multiple veAERO Positions Each wallet can deposit and manage multiple veAERO locks in Autopilot. Votes and rewards are tracked individually per lock but optimized collectively under the strategy engine.
Epoch Commitment To receive rewards, your veAERO must remain deposited during the epoch, including both the voting and distribution periods.
Security Model
Non-Custodial Design All interactions as deposits, withdrawals, votes, claims are executed directly via on-chain smart contracts. The Autopilot team has no access to user funds at any time.
Wallet Responsibility Access to Autopilot is tied entirely to your connected wallet. If you lose access to your private key or seed phrase, your funds cannot be recovered. The protocol has no admin keys, recovery tools, or custodial mechanisms.
Immutable Logic All voting, claiming, and reward distribution logic is hardcoded in smart contracts. No manual override functions exist. The system applies equally to all users.
Deposit & Withdrawal Timing Rules
Available Outside the Special Window Deposits and withdrawals can be made at any time except during the Special Window, which includes:
⛔ 90 minutes before the epoch ends
⛔ 30 minutes after the new epoch begins
⏳ Total restricted window per epoch: 2 hours
Claiming Rewards
Automated Collection After the distribution phase begins, Autopilot automatically claims and swaps all eligible rewards to USDC in the first blocks of the new epoch.
Claim Delay Window To allow execution to complete:
⛔ Manual claiming is disabled for the first 2 hours after distribution begins
✅ After this, rewards are displayed in the Claimable section and can be claimed
On-Chain Transparency All claim and swap actions are executed on-chain and logged in the Activity Feed, providing full visibility for every wallet.
🔁 Strategy & Automation
Voting Optimization Each epoch, Autopilot runs a live strategy model to determine the most effective vote allocation across Aerodrome pools. Voting is executed just before the cutoff.
Reward Execution Autopilot:
Claims rewards from voted pools
Converts all earned tokens to USDC via a dedicated smart swap router
Executes all operations on-chain, within the first few blocks of the new epoch
No Manual Input Required Users are not required to manage votes, claims, or swaps. Once deposited, all strategy execution is handled automatically.
🗓️ Epoch Timing Overview
The flow of a typical epoch in Autopilot:
[ Epoch Start ]
↓
[ Strategy Optimization ]
↓
[ Vote Execution ] — Final minutes before voting window closes
↓
⛔ Deposits/Withdrawals Disabled — Last 90 min before epoch end
↓
[ Epoch Ends ]
↓
[ Distribution Phase Begins ]
↓
[ Rewards Claimed + Swapped to USDC ] — Within first few blocks
↓
⛔ Deposits/Withdrawals + Claims Disabled — First 30 min after epoch starts
↓
[ New Epoch Starts ]Protocol Fees
To support ongoing operations and development, Autopilot charges a 5% fee on the total APR earned through the protocol.
How It Works
The APR includes three components: Fees, Incentives, and Rebase rewards
The 5% fee is calculated based on the total APR
The fee is only deducted from Fees and Incentives, as Rebase rewards are non-transferable and are added directly to the user’s veAERO lock
The fee is deducted after rewards are claimed and converted to USDC
The remaining balance is made available to the user in the Claimable section
What It Doesn’t Affect
❌ No fees on veAERO deposits or withdrawals
❌ Lock duration remains unchanged
❌ Principal veAERO is never reduced
Example
If a user has $10,000 in veAERO and earns 50% APR, the weekly rewards are approximately:
Total weekly rewards: $96.15
6.3% APR from Rebase: $12.11 (added to veAERO lock)
43.7% APR from Fees & Incentives: $84.04 (claimable in USDC)
Autopilot charges 5% of total weekly rewards → $4.81 Since Rebase rewards can’t be accessed, the full fee is deducted from the $84.04 claimable portion.
Protocol earnings for this week: $4.81 User receives:
$79.23 in USDC (after fee)
$12.11 in Rebase (added to lock)
The protocol earns less than $5 per $10,000 per week — Rebase rewards are untouched.
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