Ethereum devs won’t fork Glamsterdam on Hoodi until smart contract risks are resolved
Security concerns regarding smart contract invariants prompt postponement of the testnet fork
Quick Look
- Ethereum core developers have delayed the Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi testnet to address security risks identified by ChainSecurity.
- The EIP-8037 and EIP-8038 proposals could break smart contracts relying on specific gas cost assumptions.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Glamsterdam upgrade aims to improve layer-1 scaling through proposer-builder separation and gas pricing adjustments. ChainSecurity identified that EIP-8037 and EIP-8038 could invalidate existing smart contract gas assumptions.
Ethereum core developers delayed the Glamsterdam upgrade’s implementation on the Hoodi testnet until security concerns tied to eight smart contract invariants are resolved.
Some existing Ethereum projects rely on assumptions that certain operations would cost a specific amount of gas, which would be invalidated by Glamsterdam’s EIP-8037 and EIP-8038 because they change how gas is charged for certain operations, the Ethereum Foundation said in a Friday blog post.
The decision followed an Oct. 13 report from smart contract auditor ChainSecurity, which found that the two Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) could break smart contracts that rely on fixed gas-related assumptions when external calls fail.
Delaying the Hoodi testnet fork gives developers more time to identify potential smart contract issues and determine whether changes are needed before Glamsterdam progresses toward mainnet deployment. The Hoodi fork will not proceed until the issues are resolved, added the Ethereum Foundation’s post.
Ethereum’s Glamsterdam upgrade went live on the Sepolia testnet on Oct. 6, in one of its final major rehearsals. The upgrade aims to advance Ethereum’s layer-1 scaling roadmap with enshrined proposer-builder separation, block-level access lists and changes to gas pricing that better reflect the cost of execution, the Ethereum Foundation announced in a Sept. 28 blog post.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Hoodi testnet fork will remain delayed until the identified smart contract issues are resolved.
Very likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- When will the security issues be resolved?
- Will the mainnet deployment date be pushed back?
