ACDE #247 · Quantum-resistant EOA migration path CFI

AllCoreDevs - Execution #247 · 2026-10-08

A path for moving regular accounts to quantum-resistant signatures was put on the candidate list for the next fork

The Glamsterdam fork on the Hoodi testnet was set for October 26, and in the final scoping of the next fork Hegotá, eight EIPs were moved to Considered for Inclusion (CFI) and three were declined (DFI). In particular, EIP-8151 and EIP-8298 survived as a bundled quantum-resistant migration path for regular accounts (EOAs).

Why it matters

As the outline of Hegotá takes shape, what Ethereum will change after Glamsterdam is being decided. A path for regular user accounts to move into the quantum computer era has opened, while the lattice-based signature precompile was dropped, strengthening the conservative hash-based route.

Decisions

Hoodi fork schedule: Set the Glamsterdam fork on Hoodi for Monday, October 26, 2026 at 17:42 UTC, with client releases due by October 16. This fixes the upgrade date for the second testnet after Sepolia.
Gas limit activation timing: Confirmed that the gas limit change activates at the fork epoch on both Hoodi and mainnet. This means block capacity grows from the moment of the fork.
EIP-7907 metering: Added EIP-7907 (contract size metering) to the PFI list and deferred the decision to the next call. The proposal aims to close the DoS gap created when Glamsterdam raised only the contract size limit and dropped size-based charging.
EIP-5920 PAY: Raised EIP-5920 (PAY opcode) to a Hegotá candidate for consideration. Its complexity is medium and most clients supported it, so there were no objections.
EIP-8151·8298: EIP-8151 (ecRecover restriction) and EIP-8298 (SETCODEFROM) were bundled as a pair and put up for review. Together they open a path for regular accounts to migrate to post-quantum security without relying on ECDSA.
EIP-8360·4758: EIP-8360 (TCREATE) and EIP-4758 (SELFDESTRUCT deactivation) were bundled and put up for review. This is a fix for a problem introduced in Glamsterdam.
EIP-7709 Blockhash: EIP-7709 (read BLOCKHASH from storage) was put up for review. Nethermind rated it grade A, and it benefits BAL-based light client use.
EIP-8077 Mempool: EIP-8077 (eth/xx mempool networking) was put up for review on the condition of an in-depth analysis that includes the frame and fee fields. It is a networking improvement that helps the mempool hold up when the gas limit rises.
EIP-8116 Receipts: EIP-8116 (replacing the cumulative receipt field) was put up for review but placed at the bottom of the priority list. It was judged to be technical debt cleanup, so it is not urgent.
EIP-7666 Declined: EIP-7666 (moving the identity precompile to the EVM) was removed from the candidates. The reasons were gas pricing edge cases and the small value it delivers.
EIP-8355 ML-DSA: EIP-8355 (ML-DSA precompile) was removed from the candidates. There is no consensus on lattice-based signatures, and zkEVM cost concerns were large, so a hash-based approach was preferred.
EIP-8374 Warm Set: EIP-8374 (keeping the warm access set after a revert) was removed from the candidates. Support was lukewarm, and the view was that a deep change at the fork boundary is not worth its complexity.

Discussion

Hoodi fork date and release deadline

In setting the fork date for Hoodi, the testnet after Sepolia, the contentious point was how much time to give operators to upgrade.

Outcome: Schedule confirmed 00:21:44

How much AI can speed up fork development

Nethermind proposed shortening the hard fork cycle with AI tools, and a debate followed over where to spend the freed-up capacity and over the role of the spec.

Post-quantum migration path for EOAs: EIP-8151 and EIP-8298

Whether to bundle the ecRecover restriction and SETCODEFROM as a pair to serve as the post-quantum (PQ) migration path for regular accounts (EOAs) was the key issue in Hegotá scoping.

Outcome: CFI decision 01:03:00

The ML-DSA precompile debate: lattice or hash

Among post-quantum signatures, the argument over whether to add lattice-based ML-DSA as a precompile pitted cryptographic agility reasoning against a conservative hash-based line.

Outcome: DFI decision 01:33:59

Glossary

SFI: Scheduled for Inclusion. The status where inclusion in the fork is confirmed
CFI: Considered for Inclusion. Under review on the premise of inclusion
PFI: Proposed for Inclusion. The status where inclusion has been proposed and accepted as a candidate
DFI: Declined for Inclusion. Removed from candidates for this fork
Precompile: A special contract built in outside the EVM to provide frequently used operations cheaply
BAL: Block Access List. A list of the state a block reads and writes
ePBS: Separation of the proposer and block builder roles built into the protocol
EOA: Externally owned account. A regular wallet account controlled by a private key

EIPs covered

Forkcast record · Recording · ← Core Dev Calls