diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 64ad1e079..83b109275 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ Subnet 1 is the most intelligent inference model on Bittensor. As the first agen
 
 ---
 
-## Installation
+## Run Validator
 
 1. **Clone the repository:**
    ```bash
@@ -32,33 +32,26 @@ Subnet 1 is the most intelligent inference model on Bittensor. As the first agen
    cd apex
    ```
 
-2. **Install `uv`:**
-   Follow the instructions at [https://github.com/astral-sh/uv](https://github.com/astral-sh/uv) to install `uv`. For example:
+
+2. **Prepare config file:**
    ```bash
-   curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
+   cp config/mainnet.yaml.example config/mainnet.yaml
+   # Fill in the required values in config/mainnet.yaml
    ```
 
-3. **Install the project and its development dependencies:**
+3. **[Recommended] Run validator with auto-updater:**
    ```bash
-   uv venv --python=3.11 && uv pip install '.[dev]'
+   python scripts/autoupdater.py -c config/mainnet.yaml
    ```
 
-4. **Activate python environment:**
-  ```bash
-  . .venv/bin/activate
-  ```
-
-## Run Mainnet Validator
-
-1. Prepare config file:
+4. **[Alternative #1] Run validator with pm2 and auto-updater:**
    ```bash
-   cp config/mainnet.yaml.example config/mainnet.yaml
-   # Fill in the required values in config/mainnet.yaml
+   bash scripts/autoupdater_pm2.sh
    ```
 
-2. **Run the validator:**
+5. **[Alternative #2] Install dependencies and run validator without auto-updater:**
    ```bash
-   python validator.py -c config/mainnet.yaml
+   uv venv --python 3.11 && uv pip install '.[dev]' && python validator.py -c config/mainnet.yaml
    ```
 
 ## Run Testnet Validator
@@ -69,9 +62,9 @@ Subnet 1 is the most intelligent inference model on Bittensor. As the first agen
    # Fill in the required values in config/testnet.yaml
    ```
 
-2. **Run the validator:**
+2. Install dependencies and run validator:
    ```bash
-   python validator.py -c config/testnet.yaml
+   uv venv --python 3.11 && uv pip install '.[dev]' && python validator.py -c config/testnet.yaml
    ```
 
 ## Base Miner (for showcase purposes only)
diff --git a/apex/validator/pipeline.py b/apex/validator/pipeline.py
index 5b695d7ea..a87b9cf28 100644
--- a/apex/validator/pipeline.py
+++ b/apex/validator/pipeline.py
@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@ def __init__(
         deep_research: DeepResearchBase,
         logger_apex: LoggerApex | None = None,
         num_consumers: int = 5,
-        timeout_consumer: float = 180,
-        timeout_producer: float = 36,
+        timeout_consumer: float = 1200,
+        timeout_producer: float = 240,
         queue_size: int = 10_000,
         redundancy_rate: float = 0.05,  # The rate that references are generated in addition to generator steps
         reference_rate: float = 0.5,  # The rate that references are generated as opposed to generator steps
diff --git a/apex/validator/weight_syncer.py b/apex/validator/weight_syncer.py
index 05b85599c..72a46974b 100644
--- a/apex/validator/weight_syncer.py
+++ b/apex/validator/weight_syncer.py
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import asyncio
-import os
 import time
 from typing import cast
 
@@ -71,7 +70,7 @@ async def start(self) -> None:
             )
             self.server = uvicorn.Server(config)
             self.server_task = asyncio.create_task(self.server.serve())
-            logger.info(f"Started weight synchronization API on port {self.port}. pid={os.getpid()} self_id={id(self)}")
+            logger.info(f"Started weight synchronization API on port {self.port}")
 
             # Announce the axon on the network.
             external_ip = requests.get("https://checkip.amazonaws.com").text.strip()
@@ -124,10 +123,6 @@ async def compute_weighted_rewards(self, hotkey_rewards: dict[str, float]) -> di
         """Computes weighted rewards by fetching rewards from other validators and averaging them by stake."""
         self.hotkey_rewards = hotkey_rewards
         self.last_update_time = time.time()
-        # logger.debug(f"Updating rewards at: {self.last_update_time}")
-        import os
-
-        logger.debug(f"Updating rewards at: {self.last_update_time} pid={os.getpid()} self_id={id(self)}")
         if not self.receive_enabled:
             logger.warning("Rewards weight averaging is disable, using raw rewards")
             return hotkey_rewards
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 832ad83e3..f8602d46a 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -16,10 +16,11 @@ dependencies = [
     "aiohttp>=3.8.3",
     "beautifulsoup4>=4.13.3",
     "langchain>=0.3.26",
+    "langchain-core>=0.3.68",
     "langchain-community>=0.0.59",
-    "faiss-cpu>=1.8.0",
     "langchain-openai>=0.3.28",
     "langchain-sandbox>=0.0.6",
+    "faiss-cpu>=1.8.0",
     "dotenv>=0.9.9",
     "rich>=14.0.0",
     "loguru>=0.7.3",
@@ -29,6 +30,10 @@ dependencies = [
     "rouge>=1.0.1",
     "substrate-interface>=1.7.11",
     "types-netaddr>=1.3.0.20240530",
+    "types-pyyaml>=6.0.12.20250516",
+    "types-cachetools>=6.0.0.20250525",
+    "dotenv>=0.9.9",
+    "pytest-mock>=3.14.1",
 ]
 
 
@@ -36,13 +41,6 @@ dependencies = [
 dev = [
     "mypy==1.17.0",
     "ruff==0.12.5",
-    "types-pyyaml>=6.0.12.20250516",
-    "types-cachetools>=6.0.0.20250525",
-    "langchain>=0.3.26",
-    "dotenv>=0.9.9",
-    "langchain-openai>=0.3.28",
-    "langchain-core>=0.3.68",
-    "langchain-sandbox>=0.0.6",
     "pytest>=8.4.1",
     "pytest-asyncio>=1.0.0",
     "pytest-cov>=5.0.0",
@@ -203,5 +201,6 @@ dev = [
     "pydantic>=2.11.7",
     "pytest>=8.4.1",
     "pytest-asyncio>=1.0.0",
+    "pytest-mock>=3.14.1",
     "types-pyyaml>=6.0.12.20250516",
 ]
diff --git a/scripts/autoupdater.py b/scripts/autoupdater.py
index e69de29bb..b700db9d5 100644
--- a/scripts/autoupdater.py
+++ b/scripts/autoupdater.py
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+import argparse
+import os
+import signal
+import subprocess
+import sys
+import time
+from pathlib import Path
+
+CHECK_INTERVAL = 15 * 60
+
+
+def venv_python() -> str:
+    return os.path.join(".venv", "bin", "python")
+
+
+def read_python_version() -> str | None:
+    try:
+        with open(".python-version", encoding="utf-8") as f:
+            # Take first non-empty token (pyenv format e.g. "3.11.9").
+            return f.read().strip().split()[0]
+    except FileNotFoundError:
+        return None
+
+
+def start_proc(config: Path) -> subprocess.Popen:
+    py_ver = read_python_version()
+    if py_ver:
+        subprocess.run(["uv", "venv", "--python", py_ver], check=True)
+    else:
+        subprocess.run(["uv", "venv"], check=True)
+
+    # Install project in dev mode into the venv.
+    subprocess.run(["uv", "pip", "install", ".[dev]"], check=True)
+
+    # Run validator.
+    return subprocess.Popen([venv_python(), "validator.py", "-c", str(config)])
+
+
+def stop_proc(process: subprocess.Popen) -> None:
+    if process and process.poll() is None:
+        process.terminate()
+        try:
+            process.wait(timeout=10)
+        except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
+            process.kill()
+
+
+def remote_has_updates() -> bool:
+    try:
+        subprocess.run(["git", "fetch", "--quiet"], check=True)
+        out = subprocess.check_output(
+            ["git", "rev-list", "--left-right", "--count", "@{u}...HEAD"], stderr=subprocess.STDOUT, text=True
+        ).strip()
+        left, right = map(int, out.split())
+        # Remote is ahead.
+        return left > 0
+    except subprocess.CalledProcessError:
+        # No upstream or git issue; treat as no updates.
+        return False
+
+
+def git_pull_ff_only() -> None:
+    try:
+        subprocess.run(["git", "pull", "--ff-only"], check=True)
+    except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
+        print(f"Error: Git pull failed due to conflicts or other issues: {e}", file=sys.stderr)
+        print("Staying on the current version.", file=sys.stderr)
+
+
+def read_args() -> argparse.Namespace:
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Apex validator")
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "-c",
+        "--config",
+        # default="config/testnet.yaml",
+        default="config/mainnet.yaml",
+        help="Config file path (e.g. config/mainnet.yaml).",
+        type=Path,
+    )
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+    return args
+
+
+def main() -> None:
+    args = read_args()
+    proc = start_proc(config=args.config)
+
+    def handle_sigint(sig, frame):
+        stop_proc(proc)
+        sys.exit(0)
+
+    signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, handle_sigint)
+
+    while True:
+        time.sleep(CHECK_INTERVAL)
+        print("Checking for updates...")
+
+        # If child exited, propagate its code.
+        if proc.poll() is not None:
+            sys.exit(proc.returncode)
+
+        if remote_has_updates():
+            print("Updates detected, restarting validator")
+            stop_proc(proc)
+            git_pull_ff_only()
+            proc = start_proc(config=args.config)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/scripts/autoupdater_pm2.sh b/scripts/autoupdater_pm2.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7adca2022
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/autoupdater_pm2.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+APP_NAME="sn1"
+CONFIG="config/mainnet.yaml"
+# CONFIG="config/testnet.yaml"
+
+UV_INSTALL_URL="https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh"
+
+# Ensure common user bin dirs are in PATH.
+export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$HOME/.cargo/bin:$HOME/bin:$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$PATH"
+
+# 1) Ensure uv exists.
+if ! command -v uv >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "[info] uv not found; installing..."
+  if ! command -v curl >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "[error] curl is required to install uv." >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  curl -LsSf "$UV_INSTALL_URL" | sh
+  hash -r
+  if ! command -v uv >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "[error] uv installation completed but 'uv' not found in PATH." >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+else
+  echo "[info] uv found: $(command -v uv)"
+fi
+
+# 2) Ensure pm2 exists.
+if ! command -v pm2 >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "[info] pm2 not found; installing globally with npm..."
+  if ! command -v npm >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "[error] npm is required to install pm2. Please install Node.js first." >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  npm install -g pm2
+  hash -r
+  if ! command -v pm2 >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "[error] pm2 installation completed but 'pm2' not found in PATH." >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+else
+  echo "[info] pm2 found: $(command -v pm2)"
+fi
+
+pm2 start scripts/autoupdater.py --interpreter .venv/bin/python --name sn1 -- -c $CONFIG
+pm2 logs sn1
diff --git a/tests/scripts/test_autoupdater.py b/tests/scripts/test_autoupdater.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..84412aa7d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/scripts/test_autoupdater.py
@@ -0,0 +1,203 @@
+import os
+import subprocess
+import sys
+from unittest import mock
+
+import pytest
+
+sys.path.append(os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "../../scripts")))
+import autoupdater  # isort: skip
+
+
+def test_venv_python(mocker):
+    mocker.patch("autoupdater.os.path.join", return_value=".venv/bin/python")
+    assert autoupdater.venv_python() == ".venv/bin/python"
+    autoupdater.os.path.join.assert_called_once_with(".venv", "bin", "python")
+
+
+def test_read_python_version_exists(mocker):
+    mocker.patch("autoupdater.open", mocker.mock_open(read_data="3.11.9"))
+    assert autoupdater.read_python_version() == "3.11.9"
+    autoupdater.open.assert_called_once_with(".python-version", encoding="utf-8")
+
+
+def test_read_python_version_not_found(mocker):
+    mocker.patch("autoupdater.open", side_effect=FileNotFoundError)
+    assert autoupdater.read_python_version() is None
+    autoupdater.open.assert_called_once_with(".python-version", encoding="utf-8")
+
+
+def test_start_proc_with_version(mocker):
+    mocker.patch("autoupdater.read_python_version", return_value="3.11.9")
+    mock_run = mocker.patch("subprocess.run")
+    mock_popen = mocker.patch("subprocess.Popen", return_value=mocker.Mock())
+    mocker.patch("autoupdater.venv_python", return_value="mock_python")
+
+    proc = autoupdater.start_proc(config="mock.yaml")
+    autoupdater.read_python_version.assert_called_once()
+    mock_run.assert_has_calls(
+        [
+            mock.call(["uv", "venv", "--python", "3.11.9"], check=True),
+            mock.call(["uv", "pip", "install", ".[dev]"], check=True),
+        ]
+    )
+    mock_popen.assert_called_once_with(["mock_python", "validator.py", "-c", "mock.yaml"])
+    assert proc is not None
+
+
+def test_start_proc_without_version(mocker):
+    mocker.patch("autoupdater.read_python_version", return_value=None)
+    mock_run = mocker.patch("subprocess.run")
+    mock_popen = mocker.patch("subprocess.Popen", return_value=mocker.Mock())
+    mocker.patch("autoupdater.venv_python", return_value="mock_python")
+
+    proc = autoupdater.start_proc(config="mock.yaml")
+    autoupdater.read_python_version.assert_called_once()
+    mock_run.assert_has_calls(
+        [
+            mock.call(["uv", "venv"], check=True),
+            mock.call(["uv", "pip", "install", ".[dev]"], check=True),
+        ]
+    )
+    mock_popen.assert_called_once_with(["mock_python", "validator.py", "-c", "mock.yaml"])
+    assert proc is not None
+
+
+def test_stop_proc_running():
+    mock_proc = mock.Mock()
+    mock_proc.poll.return_value = None  # Process is running
+    autoupdater.stop_proc(mock_proc)
+    mock_proc.terminate.assert_called_once()
+    mock_proc.wait.assert_called_once_with(timeout=10)
+    mock_proc.kill.assert_not_called()
+
+
+def test_stop_proc_timeout():
+    mock_proc = mock.Mock()
+    mock_proc.poll.return_value = None  # Process is running
+    mock_proc.wait.side_effect = subprocess.TimeoutExpired(cmd="test", timeout=10)
+    autoupdater.stop_proc(mock_proc)
+    mock_proc.terminate.assert_called_once()
+    mock_proc.wait.assert_called_once_with(timeout=10)
+    mock_proc.kill.assert_called_once()
+
+
+def test_stop_proc_already_stopped():
+    mock_proc = mock.Mock()
+    mock_proc.poll.return_value = 0  # Process already stopped
+    autoupdater.stop_proc(mock_proc)
+    mock_proc.terminate.assert_not_called()
+    mock_proc.wait.assert_not_called()
+    mock_proc.kill.assert_not_called()
+
+
+def test_remote_has_updates_true(mocker):
+    mock_run = mocker.patch("subprocess.run")
+    mock_check_output = mocker.patch("subprocess.check_output", return_value="1\t0")
+    assert autoupdater.remote_has_updates() is True
+    mock_run.assert_called_once_with(["git", "fetch", "--quiet"], check=True)
+    mock_check_output.assert_called_once_with(
+        ["git", "rev-list", "--left-right", "--count", "@{u}...HEAD"], stderr=subprocess.STDOUT, text=True
+    )
+
+
+def test_remote_has_updates_false_no_diff(mocker):
+    mocker.patch("subprocess.run")
+    mocker.patch("subprocess.check_output", return_value="0\t0")
+    assert autoupdater.remote_has_updates() is False
+
+
+def test_remote_has_updates_error(mocker):
+    mock_run = mocker.patch("subprocess.run")
+    mocker.patch("subprocess.check_output", side_effect=subprocess.CalledProcessError(1, "cmd"))
+    assert autoupdater.remote_has_updates() is False
+    mock_run.assert_called_once_with(["git", "fetch", "--quiet"], check=True)
+    autoupdater.subprocess.check_output.assert_called_once()
+
+
+def test_git_pull_ff_only_success(mocker):
+    mock_run = mocker.patch("subprocess.run")
+    autoupdater.git_pull_ff_only()
+    mock_run.assert_called_once_with(["git", "pull", "--ff-only"], check=True)
+
+
+def test_git_pull_ff_only_conflict(mocker):
+    mocker.patch("subprocess.run", side_effect=subprocess.CalledProcessError(1, "cmd", stderr="conflict"))
+    mock_stderr = mocker.patch("sys.stderr", new_callable=mock.MagicMock)
+    autoupdater.git_pull_ff_only()
+    autoupdater.subprocess.run.assert_called_once_with(["git", "pull", "--ff-only"], check=True)
+    # Check for individual calls to write, as print adds newlines separately
+    mock_stderr.write.assert_any_call(
+        "Error: Git pull failed due to conflicts or other issues: Command 'cmd' returned non-zero exit status 1."
+    )
+    mock_stderr.write.assert_any_call("\n")
+    mock_stderr.write.assert_any_call("Staying on the current version.")
+    mock_stderr.write.assert_any_call("\n")
+
+
+def test_main_loop_with_update(mocker):
+    # start_proc returns the same Mock proc; we drive its poll() via side_effect
+    mock_start_proc = mocker.patch("autoupdater.start_proc", return_value=mocker.Mock())
+    mock_start_proc.return_value.returncode = 0
+    mock_stop_proc = mocker.patch("autoupdater.stop_proc")
+    mock_remote_updates = mocker.patch("autoupdater.remote_has_updates", side_effect=[False, True])
+    mock_git_pull = mocker.patch("autoupdater.git_pull_ff_only")
+    mock_sleep = mocker.patch("time.sleep", return_value=None)
+
+    def _raise(code=0):
+        raise SystemExit(code)
+
+    mock_sys_exit = mocker.patch("sys.exit", side_effect=_raise)
+
+    mock_args = mocker.Mock()
+    mock_args.config = "mock.yaml"
+    mocker.patch("autoupdater.read_args", return_value=mock_args)
+
+    # First loop: running (None), no update
+    # Second loop: still running (None), update happens -> restart
+    # Third loop: process seen as exited (0) -> sys.exit(0)
+    mock_start_proc.return_value.poll.side_effect = [None, None, 0]
+
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit) as pytest_wrapped_e:
+        autoupdater.main()
+    assert pytest_wrapped_e.type is SystemExit
+    assert pytest_wrapped_e.value.code == 0
+
+    assert mock_sleep.call_count == 3  # before each iteration, including after restart
+    assert mock_remote_updates.call_count == 2
+    mock_stop_proc.assert_called_once_with(mock_start_proc.return_value)
+    mock_git_pull.assert_called_once()
+    mock_start_proc.assert_called_with(config=mock.ANY)
+    mock_sys_exit.assert_called_once_with(0)
+
+
+def test_main_loop_no_update(mocker):
+    mock_start_proc = mocker.patch("autoupdater.start_proc", return_value=mocker.Mock())
+    mock_start_proc.return_value.returncode = 0
+    mock_stop_proc = mocker.patch("autoupdater.stop_proc")
+    mock_remote_updates = mocker.patch("autoupdater.remote_has_updates", return_value=False)
+    mock_git_pull = mocker.patch("autoupdater.git_pull_ff_only")
+    mock_sleep = mocker.patch("time.sleep", return_value=None)
+
+    def _raise(code=0):
+        raise SystemExit(code)
+
+    mock_sys_exit = mocker.patch("sys.exit", side_effect=_raise)
+
+    mock_args = mocker.Mock()
+    mock_args.config = "mock.yaml"
+    mocker.patch("autoupdater.read_args", return_value=mock_args)
+
+    # First loop running; second loop exits -> sys.exit(0) before checking for updates
+    mock_start_proc.return_value.poll.side_effect = [None, 0]
+
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit) as pytest_wrapped_e:
+        autoupdater.main()
+    assert pytest_wrapped_e.type is SystemExit
+    assert pytest_wrapped_e.value.code == 0
+
+    assert mock_sleep.call_count == 2
+    assert mock_remote_updates.call_count == 1  # second loop exits before calling this
+    mock_stop_proc.assert_not_called()
+    mock_git_pull.assert_not_called()
+    mock_sys_exit.assert_called_once_with(0)
diff --git a/uv.lock b/uv.lock
index f81505ed0..70e3f580f 100644
--- a/uv.lock
+++ b/uv.lock
@@ -153,6 +153,7 @@ dependencies = [
     { name = "faiss-cpu" },
     { name = "langchain" },
     { name = "langchain-community" },
+    { name = "langchain-core" },
     { name = "langchain-openai" },
     { name = "langchain-sandbox" },
     { name = "loguru" },
@@ -162,30 +163,26 @@ dependencies = [
     { name = "numpy", version = "2.3.1", source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }, marker = "python_full_version >= '3.13'" },
     { name = "pip" },
     { name = "pydantic" },
+    { name = "pytest-mock" },
     { name = "pyyaml" },
     { name = "requests" },
     { name = "rich" },
     { name = "rouge" },
     { name = "substrate-interface" },
     { name = "tavily-python" },
+    { name = "types-cachetools" },
     { name = "types-netaddr" },
+    { name = "types-pyyaml" },
 ]
 
 [package.optional-dependencies]
 dev = [
-    { name = "dotenv" },
-    { name = "langchain" },
-    { name = "langchain-core" },
-    { name = "langchain-openai" },
-    { name = "langchain-sandbox" },
     { name = "mypy" },
     { name = "pre-commit" },
     { name = "pytest" },
     { name = "pytest-asyncio" },
     { name = "pytest-cov" },
     { name = "ruff" },
-    { name = "types-cachetools" },
-    { name = "types-pyyaml" },
 ]
 
 [package.dev-dependencies]
@@ -196,6 +193,7 @@ dev = [
     { name = "pydantic" },
     { name = "pytest" },
     { name = "pytest-asyncio" },
+    { name = "pytest-mock" },
     { name = "types-pyyaml" },
 ]
 
@@ -207,16 +205,12 @@ requires-dist = [
     { name = "bittensor", specifier = ">=9.7.0" },
     { name = "cachetools", specifier = ">=5.0.0" },
     { name = "dotenv", specifier = ">=0.9.9" },
-    { name = "dotenv", marker = "extra == 'dev'", specifier = ">=0.9.9" },
     { name = "faiss-cpu", specifier = ">=1.8.0" },
     { name = "langchain", specifier = ">=0.3.26" },
-    { name = "langchain", marker = "extra == 'dev'", specifier = ">=0.3.26" },
     { name = "langchain-community", specifier = ">=0.0.59" },
-    { name = "langchain-core", marker = "extra == 'dev'", specifier = ">=0.3.68" },
+    { name = "langchain-core", specifier = ">=0.3.68" },
     { name = "langchain-openai", specifier = ">=0.3.28" },
-    { name = "langchain-openai", marker = "extra == 'dev'", specifier = ">=0.3.28" },
     { name = "langchain-sandbox", specifier = ">=0.0.6" },
-    { name = "langchain-sandbox", marker = "extra == 'dev'", specifier = ">=0.0.6" },
     { name = "loguru", specifier = ">=0.7.3" },
     { name = "macrocosmos", specifier = ">=0.1.0" },
     { name = "mypy", marker = "extra == 'dev'", specifier = "==1.17.0" },
@@ -228,6 +222,7 @@ requires-dist = [
     { name = "pytest", marker = "extra == 'dev'", specifier = ">=8.4.1" },
     { name = "pytest-asyncio", marker = "extra == 'dev'", specifier = ">=1.0.0" },
     { name = "pytest-cov", marker = "extra == 'dev'", specifier = ">=5.0.0" },
+    { name = "pytest-mock", specifier = ">=3.14.1" },
     { name = "pyyaml", specifier = ">=6.0.0" },
     { name = "requests", specifier = ">=2.31.0" },
     { name = "rich", specifier = ">=14.0.0" },
@@ -235,9 +230,9 @@ requires-dist = [
     { name = "ruff", marker = "extra == 'dev'", specifier = "==0.12.5" },
     { name = "substrate-interface", specifier = ">=1.7.11" },
     { name = "tavily-python", specifier = ">=0.7.10" },
-    { name = "types-cachetools", marker = "extra == 'dev'", specifier = ">=6.0.0.20250525" },
+    { name = "types-cachetools", specifier = ">=6.0.0.20250525" },
     { name = "types-netaddr", specifier = ">=1.3.0.20240530" },
-    { name = "types-pyyaml", marker = "extra == 'dev'", specifier = ">=6.0.12.20250516" },
+    { name = "types-pyyaml", specifier = ">=6.0.12.20250516" },
 ]
 provides-extras = ["dev"]
 
@@ -249,6 +244,7 @@ dev = [
     { name = "pydantic", specifier = ">=2.11.7" },
     { name = "pytest", specifier = ">=8.4.1" },
     { name = "pytest-asyncio", specifier = ">=1.0.0" },
+    { name = "pytest-mock", specifier = ">=3.14.1" },
     { name = "types-pyyaml", specifier = ">=6.0.12.20250516" },
 ]
 
@@ -2414,6 +2410,18 @@ wheels = [
     { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/bc/16/4ea354101abb1287856baa4af2732be351c7bee728065aed451b678153fd/pytest_cov-6.2.1-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:f5bc4c23f42f1cdd23c70b1dab1bbaef4fc505ba950d53e0081d0730dd7e86d5", size = 24644 },
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "pytest-mock"
+version = "3.14.1"
+source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }
+dependencies = [
+    { name = "pytest" },
+]
+sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/71/28/67172c96ba684058a4d24ffe144d64783d2a270d0af0d9e792737bddc75c/pytest_mock-3.14.1.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:159e9edac4c451ce77a5cdb9fc5d1100708d2dd4ba3c3df572f14097351af80e", size = 33241 }
+wheels = [
+    { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/b2/05/77b60e520511c53d1c1ca75f1930c7dd8e971d0c4379b7f4b3f9644685ba/pytest_mock-3.14.1-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:178aefcd11307d874b4cd3100344e7e2d888d9791a6a1d9bfe90fbc1b74fd1d0", size = 9923 },
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "python-dotenv"
 version = "1.1.1"
diff --git a/validator.py b/validator.py
index 177c58ff7..8076fec97 100644
--- a/validator.py
+++ b/validator.py
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ async def main() -> None:
         await chain.shutdown()
         await logger_db.shutdown()
         await miner_scorer.shutdown()
+        await weight_syncer.shutdown()
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":