We’re in favour of this proposal.
We provided some feedback to the Node Sentinel team in the early phases of preparing this proposal. After a detailed review, we concluded that this is a useful service and indicated that we’d lean towards supporting it.
This service is highly tailored to active node operators seeking quick, easy, and recurring updates on the state of their validators. It makes the experience straightforward and informative. In a world where more and more chains are launching as rollups—and with Gnosis’ validator network being a key strength—we believe it’s important to keep improving the validator experience through helpful additions like this.
We asked the team to gather testimonials from validators to support the utility of Node Sentinel, and we’re glad to see those included. We also suggested regular check-ins as a review mechanism to allow for termination if any issues arise, and we note the proposal now includes biannual check-ins with Gnosis’ core team.
One point we haven’t discussed, but which may be relevant, is the consideration of alternatives to DAO funding. For example, could Node Sentinel monetise by charging validators in whole or in part (estimated at ~$400 per year based on proposal numbers, with the possibility of a lower fee supplemented by DAO funding)? That said, we feel the feasibility of charging fees would need to be carefully evaluated and gradually introduced, and it’s unclear whether validators would tolerate bearing this cost. As such, we wouldn’t propose holding up the current proposal but instead encourage consideration of this point as part of their roadmap.