Understanding ACTR Vaults

ACTR Vaults are one of the most powerful — and often overlooked — features of the Actuator protocol. They let ACTR holders earn HTT rewards from minting fees, creating a feedback loop that benefits long-term participants.

What Are ACTR Vaults?

ACTR Vaults provide ACTR token holders with a flexible way to earn rewards in HTTs. To participate, you deposit your ACTR into a vault controlled by the Actuator token contract. Each vault is distinguished by which HEX Time Token (HTT) it pays rewards in.

Think of it this way: when someone mints HTTs, they pay a 1% fee. That fee gets distributed to the vault depositors. You choose which vault to deposit into — and that determines which HTT you’ll earn as your reward.

Choosing the HEX Day

When you deposit your ACTR tokens, you must designate which HTT rewards you want to participate in:

• HTT Choice: If you deposit in the vault that rewards HTT-3000, you’ll earn a portion of all fees generated from the creation of HTT-3000. If you deposit in the HTT-7000 vault, you earn HTT-7000.
• Flexibility: You can allocate 100% of your ACTR tokens to one vault, or spread them across multiple vaults to earn a variety of HTTs. This lets you focus on the HTTs where you expect higher minting activity and thus higher returns.

Fees and Rewards

This mechanism ensures rewards are aligned with depositor contribution size and market activity. More minting activity on a given HTT maturity day = more rewards for that vault’s depositors.

Deposit and Withdraw

Lock-Up Period

• There is a 90-day lock-up period when you deposit ACTR into a vault
• Any increase in your deposit resets the 90-day lock-up period — adding more ACTR restarts your timer
• This prevents manipulation where users deposit right before high-fee events and withdraw immediately after

Early Withdrawal Penalty

• If you withdraw before the 90-day lock-up ends, you incur a penalty starting at 100% and decreasing linearly to 0% over the remaining lock-up period
• Penalized ACTR is burned immediately — it’s not sent to the team or redistributed, it’s permanently destroyed
• This makes ACTR deflationary after the initial 3-year distribution period ends

Important: The penalty is on the ACTR you withdraw early, not on the HTT rewards you’ve already earned. Your earned HTTs are always yours.

Benefits of ACTR Vaults

1. Direct Rewards — Earn HTTs from HTT creation fees without needing to stake or provide liquidity
2. Recapturing Fees — If you mint HTTs against your own HEX stake, deposit into the same vault to recapture some or all of the 1% minting fee you paid
3. Flexibility — Allocate your tokens across vaults based on which HTTs you expect to have the most minting activity

Strategy: Recapturing Your Own Fees

This is the key insight many users miss:

1. You mint HTT-5000 against your HEX stake → you pay a 1% fee in HTT-5000
2. You deposit ACTR into the HTT-5000 vault
3. That 1% fee gets distributed to HTT-5000 vault depositors — including you
4. You recapture a portion of your own fee, proportional to your share of the vault

If you’re a large staker minting significant HTTs, depositing into the matching vault can offset a meaningful portion of your minting fees.

How to Acquire ACTR for Vaulting

You can acquire ACTR by:

• Farming — provide liquidity to HTT pools and earn ACTR rewards (see our How to Farm ACTR guide)
• Buying on the open market — purchase ACTR on PulseX or other DEXes

Step-by-Step: Using ACTR Vaults

1. Acquire ACTR

Farm it or buy it on the open market.

2. Go to the Actuator App

Visit app.actuator.finance and navigate to the Vaults section.

3. Choose Your Vault

Select which HTT maturity day you want to earn rewards from (e.g., HTT-3000, HTT-5000, HTT-7000).

4. Deposit ACTR

• Enter the amount of ACTR you want to deposit
• Approve the transaction
• Confirm the deposit
• Your 90-day lock-up timer starts now

5. Earn HTT Rewards

Rewards accumulate automatically as minting fees are paid into the vault. No action required.

6. Withdraw

• Wait 90 days for zero penalty, or
• Withdraw early and accept the linear penalty (penalized ACTR is burned)
• Your earned HTT rewards are always claimable regardless of lock-up status

Risks

• Lock-up risk — your ACTR is locked for 90 days. Plan accordingly
• Early withdrawal penalty — withdrawing early burns a portion of your ACTR
• Reward variability — if no one mints the HTT you’re vaulted into, you earn no rewards
• Smart contract risk — vaults are controlled by the Actuator token contract. Always verify the contract is audited
• This is not financial advice — understand the mechanics fully before participating

Useful Links

• Official Docs (Vaults): docs.actuator.finance/actuatorToken/vaults
• Actuator App: app.actuator.finance
• Related: How to Farm ACTR · How to Mint HTTs · Understanding the HTT Yield Curve