FLOP devnet is open for builders, Arthur Hayes says

Update, November 4: @flop_labs now calls the devnet "100% permissionless", and the explorer has taken the validator package offline. See our follow-up.

The FLOP devnet is open for builders. Arthur Hayes posted on X at 08:04 UTC on November 3, 2026: "FLOP devnet is open for builders." The next line reads "Get test FLOP, explore blocks, and call verified inference from your agent." Forty minutes later @flop_labs quoted him with "Devnet is now open to public".

FLOP devnet is open for builders 🧪
Get test FLOP, explore blocks, and call verified inference from your agent:
• Explorer: https://t.co/cJIrZhbGFR
• Faucet: https://t.co/oJ70rWQeNz
• API: https://t.co/WmXQSVUbVH
• MCP: https://t.co/Of1A0WEnqu
• SDK: npm i @flop-labs/sdk ·

— Arthur Hayes (@CryptoHayes) November 3, 2026

It's the opening Hayes first trailed on October 26 and Flop Labs said on October 29 would come "by early next week" (our earlier story). We've written three setup guides from Flop's own docs, collected in the FLOP devnet guide.

What did Hayes link to?

His post lists five tools. Every address sits on flop.network, a domain that Flop's official links page lists as its own.

Tool	Address	What it does
Explorer	explorer.devnet.flop.network	Devnet blocks, transactions, the compute market and the validator package
Faucet	faucet.flop.network	Free test FLOP for a devnet address
API	api.flop.network/v1/models	The public gateway's list of models you can call
MCP	mcp.flop.network/mcp	A hosted, read-only MCP server for agents
SDK	npm i @flop-labs/sdk	Flop's TypeScript package for chain-level work

We checked each one on the morning of November 3. The explorer and faucet loaded, the MCP server answered a standard handshake as "flop-network" version 0.2.0, and the model list returned one model, Qwen2.5 0.5B Instruct, labelled "devnet-ts".

What can builders do on the devnet today?

The faucet offers a quick grant of 25 FLOP "for dev testing", or 500 to 2,000 FLOP if you prove you're a person with a Human Passport or Guild score, BrightID or Self. Funds go to a Polkadot-style SS58 address. The faucet suggests the Polkadot.js, Talisman and SubWallet extensions, and it can generate a throwaway test address if you don't have one.

Flop's SDK reference says listing models needs no key and chat completions need an API key. The page doesn't say how to get one, so check Ask FLOP or Flop's official channels before you try a paid call. Our devnet builder quickstart walks through the faucet, explorer, API, MCP and SDK step by step.

Can I run a miner or validator on the devnet now?

Yes, with help from Flop's operations team. The docs haven't caught up with "open to public" yet:

• Validators. The validator manual and the explorer's validator page describe "administrator-assisted" onboarding. You download a package, run pnpm onboard prepare, send your hostname and public address to FLOP operations, then wait for network access and funding before you join. Our devnet validator guide covers each step and what a suitable server costs.
• Miners. The miner manual, updated November 2, still calls miner access "invite-only" and says FLOP "has not yet published a contact for miner access requests". Sponsorship, registration and calibration work, but paid sessions aren't open. Our devnet miner guide follows the manual.

Does the devnet count for the airdrop?

No. Flop's timeline FAQ says "Devnet earns nothing. No rewards, no airdrop weight, no scoring." Devnet FLOP is a test balance with no value, and the chain may be reset. The FAQ names the testnet, with a working target of November 3, 2026, as the first network where anyone can earn. Flop hadn't announced the testnet as live when we published. Our testnet hub will carry that news when it comes.

How to stay safe

There is no FLOP token yet. Anyone selling devnet FLOP, or promising airdrop points for devnet activity, is running a scam. FLOP never asks for a seed phrase, and the official links page says security@flop.finance is its only email address. Check every link against flop.finance/official or our official links list, and see FLOP scams for common tricks.