Ethereum developers are grappling with the possibility of scaling back the upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade to adhere to a mid-2026 deadline. Christine D. Kim, the founder of Protocol Watch, highlighted this concern in a newsletter on January 23, 2026, shared on platforms such as X and Substack. During the recent All Core Developer Consensus (ACDC) call, it became evident that several planned features for the Glamsterdam upgrade might not be ready in time, echoing challenges faced during the previous Pectra upgrade.
The Glamsterdam upgrade is significant as it marks Ethereum“s first substantial test of the new twice-yearly upgrade schedule initiated in 2025. This upgrade is expected to follow the successful implementation of the Fusaka upgrade and aims to enhance the network”s fairness and processing capabilities.
Should the deadline for Glamsterdam be missed, one of the key features, EIP 7732—known as enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS) Devnet-0—may see its scope diminished or entirely eliminated. This feature is crucial as it seeks to mitigate risks associated with manipulation and centralization in Ethereum”s maximum extractable value economy. Developers concurred during the ACDC discussion to aim for interoperable implementations by the end of February, although they acknowledged that this may not be feasible within the designated timeframe.
Another vital component, EIP-7928, which pertains to block-level access lists (BALs), is intended to facilitate parallel processing capabilities to boost the network”s throughput. However, progress on this front has been hindered by technical obstacles encountered among consensus layer client teams. Toni Wahrstatter, the lead of the Ethereum Foundation protocol prototyping team, reported that changes to the engine API are affecting the implementations of consensus layer clients for EIP 7928.
Additionally, stress tests conducted by the Ethereum Foundation”s EthPandaOps team have revealed issues within the Teku client, as noted by Enrico del Fante, a developer at Consensys. Del Fante indicated that his team is actively working to resolve these known issues and has requested a pause on further mainnet stress testing until mitigations are developed, which has further delayed work on Glamsterdam.
As the February deadline approaches, developers have yet to publicly recognize a disconnect between Glamsterdam”s proposed scope and its timeline. However, there is an acknowledgment of potential issues, and the team has committed to addressing them by the month”s end. While the Nimbus and Lodestar teams have made progress on their preliminary work, other client teams are still in the process of updating their systems, according to developer Etan Kissling from Nimbus.
The potential delays in the Glamsterdam upgrade may also impact the subsequent Hegota upgrade, which is scheduled to follow the successful rollout of Glamsterdam. Alex Stokes, co-lead of the Ethereum Foundation”s Protocol Coordination team, has urged proposal authors to present their concepts at upcoming ACDC meetings.
