You mine XTM with Tari Universe on an ordinary Mac or PC, standalone with the Minotari miner, or merge-mined alongside Monero via the merge mining proxy and XMRig. Mainnet runs four independent proof-of-work algorithms, each with its own difficulty target and roughly a quarter of the blocks.
Last refreshed September 9, 2026
| Coverage scope | Answer family | Mining | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stable fields | hybrid algorithm design, LWMA difficulty method and 90-block window, miner allocation, tail emission | Dynamic fields | algorithm set and per-algorithm target times, which change by consensus-constants activation height, block height and per-algorithm hash rate, Tari Universe and miner client versions, pool availability and ASIC support |
Tari Universe, the desktop route. Tari's own application mines on an ordinary Mac or PC. It is the path the project built for people who are not running mining infrastructure, and it requires no separate miner setup.
Standalone with the Minotari miner. The Minotari miner mines Tari on its own on any of the three standalone algorithms: SHA3x, triple-hashed Keccak chosen as the GPU and ASIC friendly option because a simple, well-understood function is unlikely to hide an optimisation that hands one miner a large advantage; RandomX on Tari alone for CPUs; and Cuckaroo 29.
Merge mining with Monero. The Minotari merge mining proxy sits between XMRig and a Tari base node, letting the same RandomX work earn on both chains at once. RandomX must be configured identically to Monero.
Protocol rules from RFC-0131, marked Implemented, and the mainnet consensus constants. Not client settings.
The split is a defence, not a convenience. Because the algorithms are independent, an attacker who dominates one of them reaches at most the fraction of blocks apportioned to that algorithm, a quarter, rather than the whole chain. Concentrating all security in a single merge-mined algorithm would have exposed Tari to whoever holds that hash power.
That is the trade being made. Merge mining borrows security from an established chain; running additional independent algorithms means no single borrowed hash rate is decisive. Tari does both rather than choosing.
Launch to block 15,000: two algorithms SHA3x and RandomX merge-mined with Monero, each targeting 240 seconds, so half the blocks each.
Block 15,000 to 95,000: three RandomX on Tari alone was added, with all three targeting 360 seconds.
From block 95,000: four Cuckaroo 29 was added, with all four targeting 480 seconds, a quarter of the blocks each. This is the current configuration; the chain passed block 341,000 in September 2026.
Older material still says 50/50 Tari's tokenomics page and most third-party write-ups describe the launch-era split, half to merge mining and half to SHA3x. That was accurate before block 15,000 and is not the current apportionment.
| Reward asset | XTM, on the Minotari layer 1 |
|---|---|
| Algorithms | SHA3x, RandomX with Monero, RandomX with Tari, Cuckaroo 29 |
| Share of blocks per algorithm | About one in four |
| Per-algorithm target block time | 480 seconds |
| Combined target block time | 120 seconds |
| Difficulty window | 90 blocks, LWMA, per algorithm |
| Miner allocation | 70% of initial emissions |
| Reward trend | Decreases block by block via exponential decay, then a 1% annual tail emission indefinitely |
What share of blocks goes to merge mining versus standalone mining?
About a quarter each. Since block 95,000, mainnet runs SHA3x, RandomX merge-mined with Monero, RandomX on Tari alone, and Cuckaroo 29, each with an independent 480-second target, so each produces roughly one block in four. The 50/50 figure describes the two-algorithm configuration at launch.
Do I need special hardware to mine XTM?
No. Tari launched with a desktop application that mines on an ordinary Mac or PC, which was the explicit design goal. Dedicated hardware is relevant to the SHA3x path, which was chosen to be GPU and ASIC friendly, rather than to the desktop route.
Does merge mining Monero cost me Monero rewards?
No. Merge mining means the same RandomX proof of work is submitted to both chains, so Tari rewards are additional to Monero mining rather than taken from it. It does require running the merge mining proxy alongside XMRig and a Tari base node.
Will the Ootle layer 2 change how I mine?
No. Mining happens on the Minotari layer 1, which continues to run proof of work and pay XTM. Ootle validators are a separate role with separate rewards, and nothing in the protocol documentation requires miners to reconfigure for the layer 2.
Do mining rewards run out?
No. Block rewards decay exponentially through the initial emission period, after which a 1% annual tail emission continues indefinitely, so mining remains compensated rather than terminating at the supply cap.