author_rotateKeys - Bittensor RPC Method | Bittensor RPC Documentation

Generate new session keys for validator operations on Bittensor. Essential for validator setup and key rotation.

Generate a new set of session keys on Bittensor. This method creates fresh cryptographic keys for validator operations and stores them in the node's keystore. The returned keys must be registered on-chain via session.setKeys.

Use Cases

Validator setup - Generate initial session keys for decentralized AI inference, subnet-specific AI models, TAO staking, and cross-subnet AI collaboration
Key rotation - Periodically rotate keys for security best practices
Recovery - Generate new keys after potential key compromise

Request Parameters

Request

This method accepts no parameters.

Response Body

Response

resultBytes

Concatenated SCALE-encoded public keys for all session key types

Code Examples

Bash

curl https://api-bittensor-mainnet.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY \
  -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "method": "author_rotateKeys",
    "params": [],
    "id": 1
  }'

JavaScript

import { ApiPromise, WsProvider } from '@polkadot/api';

const provider = new WsProvider('wss://api-bittensor-mainnet.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY');
const api = await ApiPromise.create({ provider });

// Generate new session keys
const keys = await api.rpc.author.rotateKeys();
console.log('New session keys:', keys.toHex());

// These keys need to be registered on-chain:
// api.tx.session.setKeys(keys, proof)

await api.disconnect();

Python

import requests

url = 'https://api-bittensor-mainnet.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY'
payload = {
    'jsonrpc': '2.0',
    'method': 'author_rotateKeys',
    'params': [],
    'id': 1
}

response = requests.post(url, json=payload)
result = response.json()

if 'result' in result:
    session_keys = result['result']
    print(f'New session keys: {session_keys}')
    print('Register these keys using session.setKeys extrinsic')
else:
    print(f"Error: {result.get('error')}")

Validator Setup Workflow

Generate keys - Call author_rotateKeys on your validator node
Register on-chain - Submit session.setKeys(keys, proof) extrinsic
Wait for session - Keys become active in the next session
Verify - Check session.nextKeys storage

Security Considerations

Only call this method on your own validator node
Session keys are stored in the node's keystore
Rotate keys periodically and after any security incident
Never expose this RPC method publicly

author_submitExtrinsic - Submit setKeys transaction
author_pendingExtrinsics - View pending transactions