NanoFarmer: farm Chia without a full node
Farm with XCHPool without a full node
XCHPool NanoFarmer · Windows, macOS, Linux
NanoFarmer is a free app that farms your plots with Chia's own farmer and harvester, without downloading the blockchain. XCHPool sends it the signage points and takes your proofs to its full nodes. Your keys stay on your computer.
No full node, no blockchain to sync
Your keys never leave your computer
Your plot NFT for free, paid by the pool
Four steps to farming
The app guides you through each step and tells you what happens next.
Your key
Create a new 24-word key or use the one you have. Write the words on paper: they are the only backup of your farm and your rewards.
Your plot NFT
NanoFarmer finds your plot NFT and joins it to XCHPool if needed. No plot NFT yet? The pool creates one for you for free, in about two minutes.
Your plots
Point NanoFarmer at your plot folders. It checks every plot and explains anything to fix. No plots yet? The plotter guide gives you the exact command.
Farming
The dashboard shows signage points, proofs and points. One click opens My Farm here, already logged in.
What you need
A computer that stays on while you farm: Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), macOS 15 or newer, or 64-bit Linux (x86-64 or ARM64 with glibc 2.28 or newer, such as Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 10+ or Raspberry Pi OS 64-bit).
Plots made for a plot NFT, or the plan to make them. OG plots are not farmed.
About 1 GB of free disk space for the app and its farming engine, which it downloads on first start.
An ordinary internet connection. No open ports, no full node, no blockchain download.
Opening it the first time
NanoFarmer is not code-signed yet, so your computer asks you to confirm once. Check the SHA-256 of your download first.
Downloaded the program file rather than the app? Make it executable first: in Terminal, type chmod +x and the file name.
Open XCHPool NanoFarmer. macOS says it cannot check it for malware: click Done.
Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security.
Scroll down to Security and click Open Anyway next to the message about XCHPool NanoFarmer.
Confirm with your password or Touch ID and click Open. macOS asks only once.
If your browser says the file is not commonly downloaded, choose Keep.
Open the file. Windows may show "Windows protected your PC" (SmartScreen).
Click More info and check that the app is the NanoFarmer file you downloaded.
Click Run anyway. Windows asks only the first time.
Make the file executable: chmod +x and the file name.
Run it. Without arguments it opens the app in your browser; "nanofarmer help" lists the commands for use over SSH, for example on a Raspberry Pi.
Making plots
NanoFarmer farms plots but does not make them. In the app, step 3 has a plotter guide that picks a plotter for your hardware and fills in the exact command: your farmer key after -f and your pool contract address after -c.
BladeBit CUDA
NVIDIA GPU with 8 GB or more and 128 GB RAM (256 GB for full speed). 1 to 5 minutes per plot. Windows and Linux.
BladeBit RAM
Machines with 416 GB RAM. 2 to 5 minutes per plot, no temporary disk.
BladeBit disk
A normal PC with a fast SSD for temporary files. 15 to 60 minutes per plot, uncompressed plots.
madMAx
CPU plotter for a PC or a Mac with a fast SSD. 15 to 60 minutes per plot, uncompressed plots.
Chia's plotter
Built into the Chia app. Slow (hours per plot), fine for trying one plot.
Not compatible with NanoFarmer
Gigahorse compressed plots (they need the Gigahorse node), NoSSD plots (they only farm on the NoSSD pool) and DrPlotter plots (they need their own harvester and server).
Compression: C0 to C3 without a GPU. Never above C7: Chia does not farm those plots.
Chia 3.0 brings a new plot format. After that fork, today's plots phase out over about 256 days. With pooling V2, NanoFarmer will most likely make the new plots itself.
Questions and answers
Do my keys leave my computer?
No. Your 24 words stay in Chia's own keyring on your computer, and every signature is made there. XCHPool never asks for your words; anyone who does is trying to steal your farm.
Do I need a full node?
No. NanoFarmer does not download or sync the blockchain. XCHPool's full nodes send the signage points and build the block when you win one.
Who pays for the plot NFT?
XCHPool pays the 1 mojo and the fee when NanoFarmer creates your plot NFT: at most once per internet address per 24 hours and once per key. The plot NFT is yours: the Chia wallet shows it, and you can leave the pool with standard tools.
Which plots can I farm?
Plots made for a plot NFT, with the pool contract address (-c). OG plots, made with a pool public key (-p), are not farmed; NanoFarmer lists them so you know which ones.
Can I keep the Chia app on the same computer?
Yes. NanoFarmer uses its own folders and ports, so it runs next to an official Chia install without touching it.
How does NanoFarmer stay up to date?
It checks for updates every 6 hours and only installs versions signed by XCHPool.
Need help?
Ask on the XCHPool Discord. Already farming? Your farm is on My Farm.
NanoFarmer 0.1.0-beta.11 (2026-10-01) · Changelog · How NanoFarmer works