Curator checkpoint

Curation exists primarily to:

It is a scheduling mechanism with capital behind it. A new subgraph has no queries until it is indexed, so somebody has to forecast, and the forecast has to cost something for it to carry information.

The curation deposit charge goes to:

Burned. Paying it to earlier curators would make recruiting the next curator more profitable than forecasting demand, and signal would stop carrying information about demand.

Curation on Arbitrum One uses a flat curve. The main consequence is:

No early discount, no late penalty. Timing stopped being a source of return, which makes forecasting query demand the only remaining edge.

You signalled on a subgraph. It has queries, but you have earned nothing. First thing to check:

Signal makes a subgraph attractive to index but compels nobody. If nothing is allocated, no fees are generated no matter how much demand exists. Check allocations as well as signal when reviewing a position.

The most common way a curator loses money is:

A slow, silent opportunity cost, with the entry charge already burned. Nothing liquidates and nothing warns you, which is exactly why a scheduled review matters more here than in roles with visible failure modes.