Ethereum postpones Glamsterdam upgrade on Hoodi testnet over smart contract concerns

The delay in Ethereum's testnet upgrade highlights the complexities of protocol changes, potentially impacting the timeline for mainnet improvements.

Core developers delayed the October 26 activation to investigate EIP 8037 interactions with existing smart contracts, with no new date announced.
Thu 22 Oct 2026 · 11:20 EDT · 2 min read
In Ethereum
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The Ethereum Foundation has postponed the Glamsterdam upgrade on its Hoodi testnet, citing the need for further investigation into how a proposed protocol change interacts with existing Ethereum mainnet smart contracts.
The upgrade was originally scheduled for October 26 at 17:42 UTC but has been delayed indefinitely, according to an official announcement published Thursday. Developers have not established a replacement activation date.
Ethereum core developers agreed to the postponement during the All Core Developers Execution meeting #248, focusing on potential interactions involving EIP 8037 and mainnet smart contracts.
The decision also suspends the planned Amsterdam execution layer and Gloas consensus layer activations on Hoodi, alongside a scheduled increase in the testnet’s gas limit to 200 million.
The Ethereum Foundation clarified that the changes only remove the previously scheduled upgrade configuration and do not reverse any existing blockchain history.
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Ethereum developers prepare revised client releases
The Foundation instructed Hoodi node operators and validators to update their execution and consensus layer clients before October 26 to prevent outdated configurations from triggering the previously scheduled activation.
Updated client releases include Lighthouse v8.3.2, Prysm v7.3.1 and Teku 26.10.2 for the consensus layer, alongside go ethereum v1.17.10, Nethermind 2.2.1 and Reth v2.8.1 for the execution layer.
Validators must ensure that both their beacon nodes and validator clients reflect the revised configuration, while operators using external block builders should follow guidance from their infrastructure providers.
The postponement affects only the Hoodi testnet and does not establish or change a mainnet activation date for Glamsterdam. Ethereum mainnet users and ETH holders are not required to take any action.
The Foundation said it will announce a revised testing schedule once developers complete their investigation.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gomez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.