# Running a Sentinel

In our section on [Liquidations & TOGA](/superfluid/sentinels/liquidations-and-toga.md), we described how the Superfluid protocol handles solvency & liquidations. Sentinels play a vital role in this process. This page provides links to various resources that will aid you on your journey to help secure the protocol 🛡⚔️

### Who Should Run a Sentinel?

1. Crypto enthusiasts who want to help secure a new, innovative primitive for web3 😁
2. Teams that have a service running on Superfluid. Perhaps you’ve launched your own dapp or your own Super Token, and you want to be 100% certain that your users are in good standing.
3. Professional operators who want to run profitable enterprises. If you have DevOps skills and/or you’re able to acquire capital to become the PIC for several tokens, participating in this process could be a good opportunity!

## Getting Started

### Running a Sentinel - Step By Step Guide

{% embed url="<https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1147s&v=COo9IoVU9A0>" %}
A Step by Step Guide to Running a Sentinel
{% endembed %}

### Sentinel Repository

If you want to start running a Sentinel today, you can clone [this repo](https://github.com/superfluid-finance/superfluid-sentinel) and customize your own `.env` file before starting the software. At minimum, you're going to need a reliable RPC URL, and a private key with native tokens to pay for gas when performing liquidations. Detailed instructions for running your Sentinel can be found in the repository's README and in the above video.

{% embed url="<https://github.com/superfluid-finance/superfluid-sentinel>" %}
The Superfluid Sentinel Repo
{% endembed %}

### Becoming the PIC

You can become the PIC by connecting your wallet at the [TOGA dashboard.](https://toga.superfluid.finance/) There, you'll also see information on the current PIC stake amount, stream data by token, and a real time list of all liquidations. TOGA contract addresses are also available in our [directory](/superfluid/developers/networks.md) for each network.

{% embed url="<https://toga.superfluid.finance>" %}
The TOGA Dashboard
{% endembed %}

### Additional Resources

Running sentinels does require some active management.&#x20;

We recommend you to join our discord server, and specifically the sentinels channel to keep in touch with any news and updates!

{% embed url="<http://discord.superfluid.finance>" %}

## Glossary of Terms:

**Buffer**: The amount of tokens that an account must temporarily lock up when a stream is started.

**Liquidation**: Occurs when a stream is closed by a sentinel once an account's token balance hits zero while still streaming funds

**Sentinel**: A node that watches the Superfluid network & closes streams when they become critical or insolvent. Anyone can become a Sentinel by running a node

**PIC**: The Patrician in Charge who receives rewards each time a stream is closed in the priority period when an account goes critical

**TOGA**: the Transparent Ongoing Auction which allows anyone to become the Patrician in Charge (PIC) if they put up a higher staked amount than the previous PIC

**Stake**: The amount of funds locked in the TOGA contract by the Patrician in Charge (PIC)


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