The Graph Foundation set 8 October 2026 as the day Subgraph Studio stopped serving staging queries for Subgraphs on BNB Smart Chain and Polygon. Those Subgraphs now have to be published to The Graph Network, where independent Indexers serve them and collect the query fees. This is the first stage of a wider move, and other chains are expected to follow.
What changed
Until now, much of the developers' query traffic ran through Subgraph Studio's staging environment. A centralised indexer served it, so network Indexers never saw it. Under its new mandate as an operator of the network, the Foundation decided that this traffic belongs on the network:
- For BNB Smart Chain and Polygon, querying through the Studio staging endpoint ended on 8 October 2026.
- Subgraphs that were already published and queried on the network were not affected.
- Developers using only the staging environment had to publish to the network, set up billing and an API key in Studio, and switch to Gateway endpoints.
- Studio stays the place to manage Subgraph versions, billing and API keys.
To help Indexers see which Subgraphs matter, the Foundation said it would curate newly published Subgraphs on these chains with an automated bot and publish the full list of Subgraphs it curates. Subgraphs on other chains are expected to follow, starting with chains already supported by protocol issuance.
What it means for Indexers and Delegators
More query volume on the network means more query fees for Indexers who sync and serve these Subgraphs. It also matters for indexing rewards. Since the Rewards Eligibility Oracle (REO) went live, an Indexer only stays eligible for indexing rewards if it serves at least one qualifying query on five or more days in a rolling 28-day window. Eligibility lasts 14 days after each renewal. On 22 September, the Foundation announced a first tightening: Indexers must begin indexing at least five qualifying Subgraphs per active day.
Delegated stake follows its Indexer. If an Indexer is not eligible, its Delegators receive no indexing rewards either. Undelegating has a thawing period of 28 epochs, so Delegators should check their Indexer's REO status before it lapses rather than after.
Total issuance is unchanged. Separately, GIP-0089, approved by The Graph Council, directs 20% of protocol issuance to an Innovation Allocation managed by the Foundation.
Indexer stake on The Graph is tracked at https://bitbasic.com/the-graph.
Sources
- The Graph: Bringing Subgraph Studio Traffic to The Graph Network
- The Graph: Q3 2026 on The Graph: The Network Is the Product
- The Graph: A New Service Standard for Subgraph Indexing Rewards
- BitBasic: The Graph dashboard
