# Rejected and stale mining shares: reading a pool dashboard A mining share is evidence of work submitted to a pool under its target and job rules. An accepted share is credited according to the pool’s method; a rejected share did not pass the relevant checks. A stale share relates to work that is no longer current, often after a new block or delayed job update. Examine the reported reason and time window before concluding that a device is defective. Evidence: [Mining](https://developer.bitcoin.org/devguide/mining.html); [Mining Protocol](https://stratumprotocol.org/specification/05-mining-protocol/); [Farm Proxy FAQs](https://academy.braiins.com/farm-proxy/faqs) Canonical: https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/bitcoin-rejected-mining-shares/ Published: 2026-10-02 Substantively modified: 2026-10-02 Independently verified by an automated reviewer: 2026-10-02T19:29:20.637Z Data current through: 2026-10-02 AI-assisted research and drafting with a separate automated source-verification pass; no external expert or named human review is implied. ## Key facts - **Share:** Work meeting a pool’s submission target ([Mining](https://developer.bitcoin.org/devguide/mining.html)) - **Stale work:** The submitted job is no longer current ([Mining Protocol](https://stratumprotocol.org/specification/05-mining-protocol/)) - **Display variance:** Short sampling windows can differ substantially ([Farm Proxy FAQs](https://academy.braiins.com/farm-proxy/faqs)) ## Separate timing problems from invalid results Stratum V2 distinguishes successful submissions from errors and can reject submissions against invalidated jobs or hashes above the required target. Braiins documents connectivity, latency and stale jobs among causes of rejected work in its proxy setup. A rejection total alone does not identify the cause. Compare error messages, pool-side accepted work, connectivity and the timing of job changes. Avoid applying a product-specific threshold as a universal Bitcoin rule. Evidence: [Mining Protocol](https://stratumprotocol.org/specification/05-mining-protocol/); [Farm Proxy FAQs](https://academy.braiins.com/farm-proxy/faqs) ## Use matching work units and time windows Suppose a period contains 10,000 submissions at the same share difficulty, of which 150 are rejected. The rejected submission rate is 1.5%. If submissions have different difficulties, counting them equally can misrepresent the proportion of work rejected. Compare like-for-like intervals. A lifetime device counter and a pool’s recent five-minute estimate are not measurements of the same period. Evidence: [Mining Protocol](https://stratumprotocol.org/specification/05-mining-protocol/) ## Pool hash rate is inferred from successful submissions A device can report local calculations while the pool estimates work from shares it receives. Random variation, aggregation and reporting intervals affect the second display. Braiins explains why upstream and downstream estimates can have different short-run volatility. A short dip alone is not proof that physical hashing stopped. Persistent discrepancies deserve investigation using actual logs and accepted-work records, especially if connection failures or rejected work rise at the same time. Evidence: [Farm Proxy FAQs](https://academy.braiins.com/farm-proxy/faqs); [Mining](https://developer.bitcoin.org/devguide/mining.html) ## Questions ### Is every rejected share caused by broken hardware? No. Latency, stale jobs and connectivity can also cause rejection. Inspect the reason and compare the machine and pool records before assigning a cause. Evidence: [Farm Proxy FAQs](https://academy.braiins.com/farm-proxy/faqs); [Mining Protocol](https://stratumprotocol.org/specification/05-mining-protocol/) ### Is one accepted share the same thing as finding a Bitcoin block? Usually not. A pool uses an easier share target to measure work. Only a subset also meets the Bitcoin network target and can be part of a valid candidate block. Evidence: [Mining](https://developer.bitcoin.org/devguide/mining.html) ## Claims and scope ### bitcoin-rejected-mining-shares-quick-answer A mining share is evidence of work submitted to a pool under its target and job rules. An accepted share is credited according to the pool’s method; a rejected share did not pass the relevant checks. A stale share relates to work that is no longer current, often after a new block or delayed job update. Examine the reported reason and time window before concluding that a device is defective. Educational explanation. Product-specific behavior is scoped to the cited documentation, checked 2026-10-02. Scope: {"collection":"bitcoin","dataAsOf":"2026-10-02","blockHeight":null} ### bitcoin-rejected-mining-shares-fact-share Share: Work meeting a pool’s submission target Scope: {"collection":"bitcoin","dataAsOf":"2026-10-02","blockHeight":null} ### bitcoin-rejected-mining-shares-fact-stale-work Stale work: The submitted job is no longer current Scope: {"collection":"bitcoin","dataAsOf":"2026-10-02","blockHeight":null} ### bitcoin-rejected-mining-shares-fact-display-variance Display variance: Short sampling windows can differ substantially Scope: {"collection":"bitcoin","dataAsOf":"2026-10-02","blockHeight":null} ## Sources - [Mining](https://developer.bitcoin.org/devguide/mining.html) — Bitcoin developer documentation. Hardware work, candidate blocks and pool shares; historical examples are not current equipment recommendations. Locator: Mining; Solo Mining; Pool Mining; Block Prototypes. Retrieved: 2026-10-02T18:53:53.955Z. - [Mining Protocol](https://stratumprotocol.org/specification/05-mining-protocol/) — Stratum V2 specification. Mining jobs, channel types, share submission and custom-job support. Locator: 5.1 Job; 5.3.11–14 SubmitShares messages; 5.3.17 SetNewPrevHash; 5.3.21 SetTarget. Retrieved: 2026-10-02T18:53:58.669Z. - [Farm Proxy FAQs](https://academy.braiins.com/farm-proxy/faqs) — Braiins. Pool reporting distinguishes estimated submitted work and rejection diagnostics. Locator: Invalid hashrate; Flat downstream hashrate vs volatile upstream hashrate. Retrieved: 2026-10-02T18:54:54.246Z. ## Revision history - 2026-10-02: First publication after primary-source research and separate automated verification. ## Cite this entry Degrees of Satoshi editorial project. “Rejected and stale mining shares: reading a pool dashboard.” Published 2026-10-02; updated 2026-10-02. https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/bitcoin-rejected-mining-shares/