# Staking ## Staking Mechanism Athena's staking mechanism allows users to deposit ATEN tokens to earn more ATEN. This feature helps token holders hedge against inflation from liquidity farming campaigns, maintaining their proportional ownership of the protocol. ## DAO Staking and Governance Users can stake through the DAO, choosing a lock duration for their tokens. Longer locks yield more vATEN tokens, representing both voting power and revenue shares. This system rewards long-term commitment with greater influence and benefits. ## Importance of the Mechanism This staking model is crucial for Athena's tokenomics and governance. It balances inflationary pressures, encourages active participation, and aligns user interests with the protocol's long-term success. By linking voting power and revenue sharing to locked tokens, Athena fosters a community of engaged stakeholders. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://doc.athenains.io/protocol-governance/staking.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.