Ethereum developers have postponed the Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi testnet while they investigate whether proposed gas-accounting changes could undermine safeguards in existing smart contracts. The Ethereum Foundation announced the decision on October 22, 2026, cancelling the planned October 26 activation without setting a replacement date.
Key Takeaways
- Hoodi’s October 26 activation is cancelled, with a new schedule still pending.
- Researchers warned that gas changes could let some contracts permanently record failed operations.
- Hoodi operators need updated configurations; Ethereum mainnet users and ETH holders need take no action.
Table of Contents
- Why the Glamsterdam upgrade was postponed
- How gas changes could affect contract safeguards
- What Hoodi operators need to change
- Conclusion
Why the Glamsterdam upgrade was postponed
The Ethereum Foundation’s Hoodi postponement announcement says core developers delayed activation to investigate how EIP-8037 interacts with existing mainnet smart contracts. The decision removes the scheduled execution-layer and consensus-layer upgrades from Hoodi’s configuration.
The change also cancels the accompanying increase in Hoodi’s gas limit. It is a revision to a future upgrade configuration, not a reversal of the testnet’s chain history.
Glamsterdam had already activated on Sepolia on October 6. Developers had been considering early December for mainnet, with scheduling dependent on successful Hoodi testing, but no mainnet activation date had been agreed. The postponement leaves that tentative timeline uncertain.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Cancelled activation time | October 26, 2026, at 17:42:48 UTC |
| Cancelled activation epoch | 132,352 |
| Removed execution-layer activation | Amsterdam |
| Removed consensus-layer activation | Gloas |
| Cancelled gas-limit target | 200 million |
How gas changes could affect contract safeguards
Blockchain security firm ChainSecurity warned on October 13 that EIP-8037 and EIP-8038 could weaken protections against insufficient gas griefing. In this type of attack, a malicious caller supplies too little gas for a legitimate contract operation to succeed.
Under the proposed rules, gas could be returned to a contract after an operation fails, allowing execution to continue where it previously would have stopped. ChainSecurity said this could interfere with safeguards that check how much gas remains during a transaction.
An affected contract could consequently record a failed operation permanently, remove a user’s claim or disable a retry. That could prevent a user from completing an otherwise valid operation. The warning does not mean every gas-related safeguard would fail; developers need to review whether their checks remain effective under the proposed rules.
On October 23, ChainSecurity said it had identified 13 real-world examples and was coordinating responsible disclosure with affected projects. It did not identify those projects or publish details of the examples.
What Hoodi operators need to change
The Foundation instructed Hoodi node and validator operators to check both execution-layer and consensus-layer client guidance before October 26. Software or custom configurations that still contain the cancelled activation must be updated to match the revised schedule.
Operators should use release notes that explicitly confirm removal of the October 26 activation, rather than assume versions listed in the earlier announcement include the postponement. Validator operators should also review instructions for validator clients and builder infrastructure.
Application developers should not plan Hoodi testing around the cancelled date. The announcement concerns the testnet only and requires no action from Ethereum mainnet users or ETH holders.
Conclusion
The next confirmed scheduling step is a separate announcement of Hoodi’s replacement activation date. Until then, operators need to remove the old activation settings while developers investigate the contract-compatibility risks.
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