Key Insights
- Ethereum News: Developers postponed the Glamsterdam upgrade on Hoodi over smart contract security concerns.
- ChainSecurity identified gas-accounting risks involving EIP-8037 and EIP-8038 that could affect existing contracts.
- Developers withdrew Hoodi’s planned 200 million gas-limit increase without announcing a replacement activation date.
Ethereum News shifted toward smart contract safety on Oct. 22, 2026, after developers postponed Glamsterdam’s Hoodi testnet activation. The Ethereum Foundation linked the decision to concerns about EIP-8037 and existing mainnet contracts. Developers had scheduled the upgrade for Oct. 26.
The postponement also removed Hoodi’s planned gas-limit increase to 200 million, scheduled for the same activation. The foundation announced no replacement testnet date, while Ethereum’s mainnet upgrade still lacked a confirmed schedule. Its October 22 notice superseded earlier activation instructions.
Ethereum News: Why Developers Postponed Hoodi
The Ethereum News decision followed discussions during the Oct. 22 All Core Devs Execution meeting. The meeting agenda identified security concerns involving EIP-8037 and EIP-8038, which modify Ethereum’s gas accounting. Developers opted for further investigation before proceeding with the Hoodi upgrade.
Security researcher pcaversaccio had raised the issue in an Oct. 21 comment on the meeting’s GitHub agenda. The researcher cited ChainSecurity’s findings and warned that the gasleft() value could increase under the proposals. That behavior could undermine assumptions embedded in existing smart contracts.
The Ethereum News warning concerned application behavior rather than a confirmed attack on Ethereum’s existing mainnet. ChainSecurity’s Oct. 13 analysis described how failed contract calls could return unexpected gas. Some failure handlers could then complete operations that earlier rules would have reverted.
One example involved contracts that record unsuccessful operations after an external call runs out of gas. Developers sometimes rely on low remaining gas to stop an incorrect failure record. ChainSecurity warned that new accounting rules could weaken those protections under specific conditions.
Smart Contracts Face Gas Accounting Questions
This Ethereum News dispute centers on how Ethereum accounts for computational work and permanent blockchain storage. EIP-8037 introduces separate metering for state creation, while EIP-8038 reprices access to existing state. Their combined effects can alter execution paths without modifying contract code.
ChainSecurity described cases in which gas returned after a failed call could bypass checks based on the remaining gas. The firm also highlighted storage operations that could receive additional usable gas after execution. Such outcomes could let software permanently mark a retryable transaction as unsuccessful.
Ethereum News scrutiny also follows earlier compatibility testing by Ethereum Foundation researchers. Their Aug. 24 assessment replayed historical mainnet transactions under proposed pricing rules. The assessment identified a small group of contracts with hardcoded gas assumptions, despite finding most unaffected.
That earlier assessment distinguished contracts that could be fixed with higher gas limits from those requiring code review. It advised developers to examine fixed gas stipends, remaining-gas checks, and presigned transactions. The foundation provided a contract screening tool and urged affected teams to test adjustments.
Ethereum News: Hoodi Operators Face Revised Instructions
The Ethereum News announcement also created an immediate operational task for Hoodi validators and node operators. The foundation advised teams to inspect execution and consensus clients before the previously scheduled Oct. 26 activation. Configurations retaining the old fork schedule could conflict with updated network settings.
Operators should follow client-specific release notes confirming removal of the planned activation, the foundation said. Validator teams also received guidance to review their builder infrastructure and supporting software. The new configuration removes the scheduled Amsterdam and Gloas activations without reversing earlier Hoodi blocks.
For Ethereum News readers, the canceled 200 million gas-limit step matters because Glamsterdam targets greater network capacity. Block-level access lists aim to help clients process state more efficiently. Enshrined proposer-builder separation would bring a key block-production arrangement into Ethereum’s protocol.
Ethereum’s Sepolia testnet had already activated Glamsterdam on Oct. 6, according to the foundation. However, Sepolia’s activation did not settle Hoodi’s compatibility questions. The postponement delayed another testing milestone before developers could schedule a mainnet deployment.
Mainnet Timing Remains Open After Glamsterdam Delay
The latest Ethereum News leaves the mainnet timetable unresolved rather than establishing a fresh launch deadline. The Oct. 22 announcement expressly limited its instructions to Hoodi. It did not announce a new mainnet activation date or direct Ethereum holders to act.
The immediate focus remains the interaction between the proposed gas rules and deployed applications. Developers have not publicly established how many contracts require changes following ChainSecurity’s warning. Future testing and updated client releases will determine when the Hoodi upgrade can proceed.
Ethereum News coverage will therefore turn to revised specifications, client releases, and the next testnet activation notice. The delay does not establish that mainnet contracts suffered losses or that Glamsterdam has been abandoned.
