Ethereum core developers have delayed the implementation of the Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi testnet until security concerns tied to eight smart contract invariants are resolved. The pause halts the planned fork to allow more time for identifying potential issues before the upgrade progresses toward mainnet deployment.
Gas pricing changes raise compatibility concerns
The delay follows an Oct. 13 report from smart contract auditor ChainSecurity, which found that two Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) included in the upgrade could break smart contracts that rely on fixed gas-related assumptions when external calls fail. The Ethereum Foundation confirmed in a Friday blog post that existing projects depend on assumptions about specific operation costs, which would be invalidated by Glamsterdam’s EIP-8037 and EIP-8038 because they change how gas is charged for certain operations.
The foundation stated that the Hoodi fork will not proceed until these issues are resolved. Delaying the testnet fork provides developers additional time to determine whether code changes are necessary to maintain compatibility with the new gas pricing model.
Upgrade status and roadmap
Ethereum’s Glamsterdam upgrade previously went live on the Sepolia testnet on Oct. 6, serving as one of its final major rehearsals prior to the Hoodi phase. The upgrade aims to advance Ethereum’s layer-1 scaling roadmap through enshrined proposer-builder separation, block-level access lists, and changes to gas pricing designed to better reflect the cost of execution, according to a Sept. 28 announcement by the Ethereum Foundation.
