ICP neurons lose all voting power when nobody confirms the following settings

Stakers on the Internet Computer Protocol face a straightforward but easy-to-overlook rule: neurons that go dormant long enough lose all influence over on-chain governance. Understanding how neurons work, and what keeps them active, matters for anyone holding $ICP in the Network Nervous System (NNS).

What is an ICP Neuron?

A neuron is a governance participant created by locking ICP in the NNS governance canister, and neurons are the atomic units of voting power. The minimum stake to create a neuron is 1 ICP, and to submit or vote on proposals a neuron needs at least two weeks of dissolve delay. However, a two-week dissolve delay only clears the basic eligibility bar. A neuron is eligible to vote if it has at least six months of dissolve delay.

Voting power is determined by the number of ICP tokens locked in the neuron, the neuron's dissolve delay, and the neuron's age. One ICP equals the power of one vote, and dissolve delay bonuses scale linearly from six months, which grants a 1.06x bonus, up to eight years, which grants a 2x bonus.

The Six-Month Confirmation Rule

Holding a neuron is not enough on its own. Per @dfinity documentation, a neuron must do at least one of three things every six months: vote directly on proposals, set its following, or confirm its existing following configuration. The main idea of periodic confirmation is that governance participants must remain active voters and regularly confirm their following settings. Neurons that set following once and then never interact with the NNS again receive lower, adjusted voting rewards.

From a neuron's point of view, if a neuron has been sleeping for more than seven months, the voting power recorded for that neuron in any open proposal will be zero. This affects both rewards and the neuron's real weight in governance decisions.

Importantly, the confirmation step does not require the controller's private key. In addition to the controller, a neuron can have hotkeys, which are principals that can perform actions with limited privileges, including setting and confirming following. One common workflow is to set a hardware wallet as the controller of the neuron, then vote or view neuron information through a software wallet set as a hotkey. This means the controller key can stay in cold storage while a software wallet handles routine confirmations.

On proposal thresholds, proposals can pass with only a majority among 3% of the total voting power, meaning proposals stand a chance even if large entities abstain and the majority of the network does not vote. Proposals that do not reach that threshold by the deadline fail.

For stakers, the practical takeaway is simple: set a calendar reminder every six months and confirm your neuron's following settings. Missing the window costs you both voting rewards and your seat at the governance table.

Sources:
Internet Computer Developer Docs: Governance
Internet Computer Learn: Neurons
DFINITY: Onchain Governance Improvement, Periodic Confirmation of Following