Project insights

Your Node Points Went to Zero. Now What?

After rewards stop or points fail to convert, most people go through the same three stages. Here are the four forms 'going to zero' takes, the cleanup that actually matters, and how to turn it into a filter.

BlockVar · Updated 2026-09-22
Your Node Points Went to Zero. Now What?

Written August 2026. This isn't about any single project — it's about a pattern that keeps recurring.

You farmed for months, the points number looks great, and then an announcement lands — or nothing lands at all. This is the most common ending in the idle-node space, with several cases already documented in the project comparison.

This article skips the feelings and covers what is still worth doing afterwards.

First, identify which kind of zero

The four cases need completely different handling:

1. Points officially stopped, project still operating. Existing points may still count in a snapshot, or may be voided. The key action is to find the original official announcement, not a paraphrase — communities routinely turn "no new points" into "points are void."

2. A token shipped, but the conversion was far below expectations. The most common case. The points aren't worthless, they're diluted. The decision here is "claim or not," not "did I lose" — claiming costs gas, so if your share is worth less than the gas, the rational move is not to claim.

3. Indefinite delay. The team keeps saying "soon" with no timeline. This can last a very long time; treating it as already zero is healthier than refreshing announcements.

4. Fully abandoned. Site down, community gone. Here the only thing that matters is cleanup — see below.

The cleanup checklist, do it now

Regardless of which case, do these, and sooner rather than later:

Uninstall the extension and client. An unmaintained browser extension is an ongoing risk: it still holds the permissions you granted (reading browsing data, proxying traffic), and abandoned extensions are prime acquisition-and-poisoning targets — there is a long history of extensions changing hands and shipping malicious code afterwards.

Revoke any wallet approvals. If you approved anything to bind an account or claim, revoke it now. See What is token approval, and how do you revoke it?

Unlink account connections. If you registered with your main email or Google account, consider removing the third-party login authorisation.

Archive evidence, stop investing. Screenshot the points and announcements, then stop buying devices, proxies or extra accounts for it.

Three things not to do

Don't trust any "claim on your behalf" or "unlock your rewards faster" service. The moment a project dies, scams targeting disappointed users appear, using exactly the playbook in How to spot fake airdrop claim sites: connect your wallet, sign an approval, or pay a fee first.

Don't double down to break even. "I've farmed six months, maybe a bit longer" — sunk cost shouldn't drive a new decision. There's only one test: from today, is the marginal cost of continuing above or below the marginal expected return?

Don't connect your main wallet to any "compensation claim" page. If compensation is real, claim it with an empty wallet.

Turn it into a screening rule

The real value of a zero is the filter it gives you next time. Looking back, ask:

  1. Did it ever have real revenue? Or did income depend entirely on fundraising and the token itself?
  2. Did it ever pay out? Projects that have paid real money (fiat or stablecoins) convert at a far higher rate than pure-points projects.
  3. How many times did the rules change? Frequent points-rule revisions usually mean the reward budget is tightening.
  4. Was my marginal cost really zero? If you bought hardware or proxies for it, no. The maths is in Is idle node farming worth it?

One rule you can apply directly: participate only with devices already running and your existing home connection, and never spend a cent on a farming project. Then every zero costs you nothing, and every payout is pure upside.

FAQ

Could the points come back?

A few projects have resumed after stopping, but the rate is low. Decide as if they won't, and treat a reversal as a bonus.

Should I keep farming?

If the marginal cost genuinely is zero — device already on, official client, no proxies — the only cost is the extension's permission risk. If you've already uninstalled it, there's no reason to reinstall for a long-shot.

How do I know an announcement is real?

Only the project's own site, official blog and verified official accounts. Community relays and "insider news" are especially unreliable at this stage.

Further reading

References