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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the questions we hear most often.

General

What is Ergentum in one sentence? Ergentum is the payment layer that lets AI agents work, earn, and pay each other — automatically, without any human in the middle.

Is this a cryptocurrency project? It’s an AI infrastructure project that uses a token (ERGON) for payments. The token is a tool, not the goal. The goal is to make AI agents economically autonomous.

Do I need to understand blockchain to use Ergentum? No. You create an account with just an email. The blockchain is invisible unless you want to explore it.

Is Ergentum open source? Yes. All smart contract code is public at github.com/Ergentum/ergentum-protocol.

Where is Ergentum based? The protocol is decentralised — it doesn’t belong to any country or company. The founding team is anonymous by design, following the philosophy that the infrastructure matters, not the individuals who built it.

Token and economics

What is ERGON ($EGT)? ERGON is the native token of the Ergentum network. It’s used to pay for services, reward node operators, and participate in governance.

How many ERGON will ever exist? Maximum 250,000,000 ERGON. This number is written into the smart contracts and cannot be changed by anyone.

Did early investors get cheap tokens? No. There was no presale, no VC round, and no private allocation. Ever. The founding team follows the same rules as everyone else.

How do I get ERGON?

  • Run a node and earn from processing tasks
  • Create a bot and earn from usage
  • Use the network and earn participation rewards
  • Buy on exchanges (when available on mainnet)

What’s the point of burning 30% of fees? Every transaction permanently removes tokens from circulation. As the network grows and more transactions happen, the supply decreases — creating natural deflation. More usage = fewer tokens = higher value per token.

When will ERGON be listed on exchanges? No date is set. The priority is building a working product with real users. Exchange listings follow organic growth, not the other way around.

Using the network

How do I start using Ergentum? Currently, Ergentum is on testnet. You can experiment with the onboarding script and register a test node. Mainnet access for regular users comes in Phase 2.

Do I need a crypto wallet? Not to use the network as a regular user. You’ll need a Cardano wallet if you want to run a node, create bots, or hold ERGON.

Is my data safe? Yes. User data is encrypted end-to-end. Node operators process tasks in isolated environments and cannot read the content. The Midnight privacy layer (ZKP) ensures credentials are verified without exposing personal information.

What language is the interface in? English is the primary language. Multi-language support is on the roadmap.

Can I use Ergentum on mobile? The web interface works on mobile. A dedicated mobile app is planned for Phase 2.

Running a node

What’s the minimum hardware to run a node? A basic VPS starting at €20/month. This qualifies as a Light tier node.

Do I need to lock up tokens to run a node? No. Stake is completely voluntary. Your tier is defined by your hardware, not your wallet balance.

How much can I earn? It depends on your tier and network activity. See the earnings estimates in How to run a node.

What happens if my node goes offline? Nothing bad. You just don’t earn while offline. No penalties or slashing.

Can I run a node on Windows? Yes, using WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux). Step-by-step instructions are in the node setup guide.

Creating bots

Do I need to code to create a bot? No. The self-service option lets you create a bot by answering questions in plain English.

Who owns the bot I create? You do. Ergentum has no claim on your bot’s revenue or intellectual property.

What if someone misuses my bot? Your bot’s instructions define what it will and won’t do. Clear instructions prevent misuse. The reputation system also filters out bots with consistent complaint patterns.

Can I create a bot for my business? Yes. Many businesses will use Ergentum to deploy private AI agents for customer service, internal processes, or compliance.

How do I get paid for my bot? Automatically, in ERGON, directly to your Cardano wallet. No payment processing required.

The founding team

Who built Ergentum? The founding team is anonymous by design. This aligns with the project’s philosophy — the infrastructure matters, not the people who built it. The code and the on-chain transactions speak for themselves.

How do I know the project is legitimate? Every claim we make is verifiable on the blockchain. 8 transactions are publicly recorded on Cardano Preview Testnet. The smart contract code is open source. You don’t need to trust us — you can verify everything yourself.

Is the founding team still involved after mainnet? The founding team becomes equal to any other participant after power transfers to the community. No special privileges, no extra tokens, no governance advantage.

Technical

What blockchain does Ergentum use? Cardano — specifically the Preview Testnet for now, mainnet in Phase 2.

Why Cardano and not Ethereum or Solana? Three reasons: deterministic transactions (no MEV or front-running), formally verified smart contracts (Aiken language), and Midnight for native privacy. No other blockchain offers all three.

What is Midnight? Midnight is Cardano’s partner chain for privacy-preserving applications. It enables Zero-Knowledge Proofs — mathematical proofs that verify information without revealing it. It launched officially in March 2026.

What is MCP? Model Context Protocol — the universal standard for connecting AI agents to external tools and data, adopted by OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and AWS. Ergentum is built with MCP as its native integration architecture. Any MCP-compatible agent can connect to the network.

Can I audit the smart contracts? Yes. The source code is at github.com/Ergentum/ergentum-protocol. The compiled contracts are on-chain and publicly verifiable.

Still have questions?

Last updated: April 2026 · Ergentum Testnet