vStatsBot - A monitoring, governance and informative tool for Validators.
Proposal overview
vStatsBot’s (Telegram Bot) initial and primary feature is to alert validators within 5 minutes of any missed blocks. This is designed so that the validator can jump onto a problem straight away before it becomes a larger issue that may risk election. The stability of the network is the primary goal here and I truly believe vStatsBot is the first line response.
Other key features of vStatsBot:
Validator Summary - List of stats for the validator such as stake, keys, bidding power, information on the next election (Time left, slot position, number of keys, bidding power and bounds information), votes yet to be actioned.
Governance Participation and Reminders - Shows pending votes (Name, Time left, URL) where the validator is yet to participate. This is shown in both the Validator Summary and Votes command. A targeted notification for those who missed the first two alerts will be added.
Volume Increase Alerts - With the increasing size of db_0 vStatsBot can alert you to the space left at regular intervals and alert you of the automatic size increase. This has helped slow down the number of validators from not singing due to running out of space.
Blockchain Height Sync Alerts - Quite often I am seeing validators falling behind on their node block heights due to under performing servers. This will alert you to when the drop off is occurring so action can be taken before signing would stop.
Wallet Summary ( Delegator based ) - The ability to add wallet addresses for scheduled and on command detailed breakdown of staked, unstaked, unclaimed rewards per address. You can also view your most recent claims for tax purposes.
Election Keys - Shows every possible position on the 900 slots for any number of keys. Especially useful to know where a validator will sit without having to bog the network down in key changes.
Global Alerts - A message sent out to all participants for any critical alerts.
Future plans:
Endpoint for Harmony - This will enable Harmony to send one message and it will notify all validators instantly for node updates, news, critical information etc.
Further expand on the delegators section - Bring informative information to the delegators on their wallets, validator etc.
Notes:
Blockchain Height, Volume Increase, Governance and Harmony alerts all use Token based authentication generated by the bot and added to the relevant scripts.
We hope that with the current and future features of vStatsBot that it can act as sole source of uptime monitoring, governance and critical news and ensuring stability within the network.
Proposal ask
$24,000
Each feature has taken on average 22 hours to fully build, test and add improvements etc. Some features are weighted heavier than others.
Infrastructure: Currently operating on $50/month server to ensure it can keep up with the scheduled and on command functions. Future upgrade may be required as the demand increases.
Metrics for success
Number of validators using the system combined with the testimonials of validators whom have been saved by early alerts to a problem.
vStatsBot currently has 60 validators and growing fast. EDIT: 73 Validators
I have watched Vstats evolve from the beginning and it is a great tool.
Endpoints have also been provided and information regarding governance votes are included which has been excellent for VDAO in transmitting information.
I think more validators should use Vstats and there is more scope to increase features as highlighted, such as network stats, voting reminders and general news items.
Most options can be turned on / off and I hope moving forwards, all Harmony investors and validators can use and configure this tool to best suit their individual requirements.
I know I speak for any validator that has used this bot that it’s highly valuable to maintain and monitor your node. In return it increases the security of the network which is priceless. It was very selfless of David to share this bot with everyone, only goes to show how much he cares about the security of the network. As we are trying to attain more validators to further decentralization, it’s tools like this and EasyNode that are going to help fast track it without too much risk to security. I think we should pay every penny of the proposal ask, it’s a great deal if you ask me.
Regardless, thank you very much David for making it available for all of us and continuing to improve on it. It’s quite the relief to get notified anytime there is a problem.
It’s an awesome tool to have and I back this proposal 100%. I would fully support it even if you asked for some back-pay for the work you have already put in Thank you, David!
Hey Everyone! Just wanted to say that I have enjoyed testing and permanently using vStatsBot. I loved the concept when it first started and haven’t stopped using it since. The ability to get an alert as soon as you start missing blocks has saved me from under preforming and missing elections a few times already. My best example for this is when I switched Shards from 1 to 2 and I had made a mistake with adding too many keys to my blskey folder. I wasn’t aware that it was limited to only 10 at the time. Because I got the alert I was able to tackle the issue and fix the problem to get my node back to signing. This for me has become a valuable tool and with election and global alerts added. I couldn’t be more excited for the project! vStatsBot has my support!
This is an extremely valuable tool. Adding more features would greatly benefit everyone. There is no other tool that can do all these things in such an efficient manner.
More validators and delegators should be using vStatsBot.
On top of the validator tools, the wallet feature helps us monitor our ONE and could potentially be used by delegators to catch fraudulent activity much more quickly than without a stats bot.
This may be a separate topic but could we implement a feature into vStatsBot or create a second Bot that can send us reminders for our DAO and other meeting schedules?
Having a different audible notification would be ideal for this so I would assume a separate bot would be best.
This is easily my favorite tool to use as a validator. Getting notified as soon as I start missing blocks is such a lifesaver, and I feel much more comfortable knowing I don’t have to check smart stake or my server to know if I’m signing.
David has continued adding helpful features to it as well, including a new one that shows active proposals that you haven’t voted on yet. That may prove to be very helpful with the VDAO’s mandate for participation.
An incredible tool for validators, ensures real-time data is provided to node operators to help them keep their nodes stable. Definitely should get funded for the work that’s been put into it!
vStatbot is my emergency kit to run my nodes. The missing blocks feature has been the backbone of observation on how my nodes performing. Very reasonable proposal from my point of view.
Telegram is where I am most active for all crypto-related stuff. Having the bot in TG rather than a website is super convenient for me (and I’m sure for many others too).
I support this project and believe it needs to be funded moving forward as it’s going to be a staple in most Validator’s toolkits.
Edit. Also, that voting reminder feature is just brilliant. Harmony will see a lot more participation in governance because validators don’t need to scramble through the plethora of channels to find what they need to vote for. Please consider funding this project.
Can also just say, let alone a missed signs alert that is so simple to setup and allows us to be notified everywhere is invaluable, can’t imagine how it worked without this, would pay for it monthly if it doesn’t get funded.
This is fantastic! Let’s work on this together. Happy to integrate with a Discord channel as well on Harmony dedicated just for this to enable a webhook of sorts. This will be the webhook endpoint for Harmony that can serve as a source of communication. Can we work with the VDAO together finalizing the specs of this?
vStatsBot now appears to be used by 80 Validators. It would be a feat if it were just a few but 80 is a remarkable number and proves without a question that this monitoring system not only works but has been adopted and well received by the Validator community. The program has been remarkably thought out and implemented. It is now time to approve thos funding proposal and pay the asking price. Much time and thought jas went into the project and based upon adoption alone it needs to be approved
Approved for $24K bounty. Well liked by the community and we thank you for taking the initiative to build this, sharing this with the community and taking the due diligence to describe the bounty and effort. All self-driven and proactive attitude. Keep up the fantastic contributions!
Thank you, David! 
