The Graph Refines Chain Integration Process for Enhanced Sustainability
Caroline Bishop Nov 07, 2025 04:43
The Graph announces updates to its Chain Integration Process, focusing on sustainability and adoption-driven incentives to support long-term protocol growth and alignment.
The Graph, a leading indexing and query protocol for the decentralized internet, is refining its Chain Integration Process (CIP) to enhance sustainability and align incentives with long-term adoption goals, according to The Graph. This strategic shift marks a transition from the initial bootstrapping phase towards a more focused and sustainable growth model.
Strategic Shift in Incentives
Since the CIP's inception in 2023, The Graph has provided indexing rewards funded by protocol issuance to support the decentralized data layer of web3. This model facilitated extensive chain integrations and community-driven experimentation. However, with the ecosystem now handling billions of queries monthly, the criteria for protocol support are being elevated to match the network's maturity.
Going forward, indexing rewards will prioritize chains and projects demonstrating significant adoption, evident through strong query volumes and robust developer engagement. This change aims to ensure that protocol incentives are effectively allocated to builders and chains with substantial adoption potential.
Evolution of Indexing Rewards
Indexing rewards, denominated in GRT tokens, incentivize Indexers—key participants providing computing resources for Subgraph data. Initially, these rewards were used to integrate new chains, regardless of their usage levels. The revised approach will now focus on growth-oriented allocation, targeting high-value queries to boost protocol performance and scalability.
Updated Chain Integration Process
The updated CIP demands that new chains demonstrate real adoption and growth metrics, such as active Subgraphs and sustained query volumes, to qualify for indexing rewards. Chains already integrated with Subgraph Studio or Substreams will undergo a revised evaluation process, which includes a minimum query threshold and ecosystem engagement assessment.
Chains failing to meet these criteria will not receive indexing rewards but will remain part of the network. This ensures that resources are directed towards high-impact data and reduces unnecessary infrastructure costs.
Ensuring a Stronger Network
The Graph's updates reflect a broader initiative to ensure that protocol growth is driven by demand and community alignment. By concentrating incentives on the most active network segments, The Graph aims to provide better service, ensure sustainability, and unlock advanced use cases across the web3 landscape.
As The Graph continues to evolve, these updates are designed to support the most impactful builders, ensuring that the network remains robust and future-proof.
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