In May, the Ethereum Foundation’s Protocol cluster welcomed a new trio of cluster coordinators, signaling a renewed focus and a commitment to transparency regarding the network’s future development. Following an intensive period of alignment and integration across various stakeholders, including the Ethereum Foundation (EF) and the broader Ethereum ecosystem, the cluster has now publicly delineated its strategic priorities. These priorities encompass the fundamental purpose of the Protocol cluster, the guiding commitments that will shape its work through 2029, and the specific requirements for upcoming protocol upgrades, now referred to as forks.
With the Glamsterdam hard fork nearing its mainnet launch, the Protocol cluster has officially entered its Hegotä scoping season. This crucial phase follows the methodology outlined in an August 28th post, which involved the proposal of 62 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs), extensive retrospectives on the Glamsterdam upgrade, the creation of 16 contribution templates, and numerous cluster-wide working sessions. This comprehensive process has enabled approximately 60 researchers and engineers to collaboratively define a shared set of priorities. These priorities not only chart the longer-term roadmap but are strategically focused through a critical path, commencing with the precise scoping of the Hegotä fork.
This detailed announcement aims to communicate these shared cluster-wide priorities. For an in-depth evaluation of each Hegotä candidate, a companion piece, "EF Protocol: The Hegotä EIP Opinion Post and Tier List," provides a comprehensive analysis.
I. The North Star: Securing Ethereum Against Quantum Threats
The overarching objective of the EF Protocol cluster is to ensure Ethereum’s Layer 1 (L1) is quantum-resistant across all its core layers – execution, consensus, and data – by December 2029. This ambitious target aligns with the migration timelines independently set by major technology players such as Google, Cloudflare, and Microsoft, all of whom are preparing for a post-quantum cryptographic landscape. While the exact timing of "Q-day" (the day quantum computers become capable of breaking current encryption standards) remains uncertain, the Ethereum Protocol cluster has adopted a proactive stance, establishing a fixed target rather than waiting for definitive predictions. Current projections suggest that Q-day could occur as early as 2030, a deliberately aggressive assumption that prioritizes preemptive security. Most credible analyses place Q-day later, with some suggesting it may never materialize, but the Protocol cluster emphasizes that early post-quantum readiness is the most secure and strategically responsible course of action. This proactive approach signals Ethereum’s enduring commitment to its long-term viability, aiming to secure its position for the next 50, 100, and even 1,000 years. Acknowledging Ethereum’s inherent distrust of all-in bets, the Protocol cluster has nevertheless made a deliberate commitment to this self-imposed deadline, recognizing that Q-day’s unpredictability necessitates a fixed, proactive timeline. This deadline will be treated as non-negotiable until January 2027, at which point quantum progress will be reassessed with the guidance of external experts.
II. The Plan: A Phased Approach to Post-Quantum Readiness
The path to achieving full post-quantum readiness by December 2029 involves a carefully orchestrated series of protocol upgrades, or forks. Client teams are expected to commence Hegotä implementation in late Q4 2026. According to the July Strawmap, full post-quantum readiness is slated for L, five hard forks after Glamsterdam. This ambitious timeline, aiming to ship Glamsterdam in December 2026 and L in December 2029, necessitates an average cadence of 7.2 months per fork. This aggressive schedule leaves minimal room for unforeseen delays in any given fork.
To mitigate risks and provide contingency, an August 19th Strawmap update introduced a Minimum Viable Post-Quantum (MV-PQ) L1 milestone at J. This milestone includes the post-quantum public-key registry at I, and at J*, the integration of the post-quantum heartbeat on the consensus layer, leanDA sampling on the data layer, and leanSPHINCS transactions on the execution layer. By maintaining a 12-month cadence from Glamsterdam, this contingency milestone can be achieved by December 2029.
MV-PQ serves as a crucial safeguard, designed to ensure Ethereum’s operational continuity through Q-day, albeit with potentially reduced guarantees. Researchers are actively defining the precise implications of this reduction. However, the ultimate goal of full resistance across execution, consensus, and data layers remains firmly set for December 2029. Key components, such as post-quantum attestations required for full economic finality, are still under development within the consensus design.
The ordering of forks after J may exhibit flexibility. The Strawmap allows for the potential swapping of K and L, advancing lean consensus by one fork and mandatory execution proofs back by a fork. Achieving full post-quantum readiness in K by December 2029 would require a 9-month cadence. The Protocol cluster is currently planning Hegotä, I, and J as a unified delivery sequence, with the final ordering to be determined as research matures and client capacity becomes better understood.
This demanding cadence underscores the necessity for extensive collaboration across the entire ecosystem. Forks will overlap, with Hegotä potentially shipping concurrently with the maturation of I specifications and the production of testable components from J through L* research. A linear sequence of fork deliveries will not suffice to meet the December 2029 schedule. This will necessitate enhanced communication within the Protocol cluster and proactive engagement with client teams, grant recipients, academic institutions, and the broader community to accelerate the pipeline from research to mainnet with each subsequent fork.
The successful delivery of post-quantum readiness will require a significant increase in specialized human resources, including cryptographers, client developers, researchers, security reviewers, and testing personnel, both within the EF and across the wider community. This undertaking is envisioned as a truly ecosystem-wide effort.
III. The Five Multi-Fork Research Arcs: Building the Future of Ethereum
To manage its interconnected near-horizon and long-horizon work, the Protocol cluster is pursuing five multi-fork research arcs simultaneously. These arcs extend beyond the immediate push towards minimum viable post-quantum readiness and are fundamental to the continued evolution of Ethereum.
Fast Finality
The fast finality arc aims to dramatically reduce Ethereum’s time to finality from minutes to seconds. The current design direction is focused on decoupling finality from block production and rebuilding the consensus layer around an available chain and a dedicated finality gadget. Specifications and prototypes are actively underway, targeting inclusion in the I* fork, where decoupled consensus is a primary feature.
Post-Quantum
The post-quantum arc, as detailed in the "The Plan" section, is the linchpin for meeting the December 2029 commitment. It spans all three core layers: consensus, data, and execution. Cryptographic agility is paramount for the execution layer, where native account abstraction will allow for the seamless swapping of signature schemes without necessitating a hard fork for each individual scheme. Frames, through its approach to native account abstraction, is designed to provide this critical property. The consensus layer, however, cannot rely on cryptographic agility in the same manner. Its cryptographic and aggregation schemes can only be altered through a hard fork. Consequently, consensus cryptography will undergo a rigorous process of battle-testing and hardening before deployment, with consensus components awaiting the complete post-quantum design rather than being released piecemeal.
Privacy
The privacy arc is dedicated to establishing privacy as a fundamental protocol guarantee, enabling users to conduct transactions, manage balances, and interact with decentralized applications without exposing their financial history or relying on third-party trust. This crucial work is slated to commence with the Hegotä fork, with the goal of delivering native, trustless, and censorship-resistant private transactions directly on Ethereum L1. Subsequent efforts will focus on achieving post-quantum privacy at scale, alongside the implementation of encrypted mempools designed to obscure transaction contents until their inclusion in a block.
State
The state arc addresses the critical challenge of ensuring that state growth and access do not become the limiting constraints for Ethereum’s scalability. Its ongoing work includes the migration to a new trie structure, the implementation of sustainable state growth mechanisms, and the development of decentralized access to both current and historical state data. The most significant design and migration efforts are anticipated to begin with the I* fork and will continue beyond it.
zkEVM
The zkEVM arc focuses on evolving execution proofs from an optional and available feature to an expected and eventually mandatory component of the protocol. The long-term vision is for validators to verify succinct proofs rather than re-executing every block, significantly enhancing efficiency. Under the current Strawmap ordering, mandatory proofs are scheduled for the K fork. A reordering is currently under review, which would swap the post-quantum attestation and mandatory proof milestones. This would advance PQ attestations from L to K, and push mandatory proofs back from K to L*, while the remainder of each fork’s scope would remain unchanged. If this reordering proceeds, mandatory proofs would arrive one fork later, but the largest remaining component of consensus PQ would be integrated one fork sooner. Regardless of the final order, the drive to implement an L1 zkEVM will also propel advancements in formal verification tooling, workflows, and verified cryptographic components, benefiting other research arcs, particularly the post-quantum initiatives.
IV. How Priorities Are Set and Executed
The core imperative for the Protocol cluster, first articulated in a July all-Protocol update, remains unchanged: "Concentrate Protocol on what only Protocol can do and will do, and complete the Strawmap items that allow Ethereum to uphold the Mandate." The successful completion of Glamsterdam and the commitment to the December 2029 post-quantum deadline signify a shift, moving post-quantum work from a long-term research concern to a near-term delivery priority. The post-Glamsterdam priority ladder reflects this change, designating formal verification across the remaining research arcs as a crucial, cross-cutting tooling.
The updated priority ladder delineates the following:
- P0: Keep mainnet safe. This fundamental priority remains unchanged.
- P1: Ship the critical components of Hegotä, I, and J: the path to MV-PQ. This represents the immediate focus following Glamsterdam.
- P2: Hold research and engineering capacity for K and L, focused on accelerating the remaining PQ items. Future capacity will be strategically allocated to complete the post-quantum roadmap.
- P3: Hold research capability for the four remaining arcs (fast finality, privacy, state, and zkEVM), with formal verification as cross-cutting tooling that advances all of them. Research will continue on these vital areas, leveraging formal verification as a unifying tool.
The execution of these priorities is governed by a maturity pipeline, which dictates how work earns its inclusion in upcoming forks. This pipeline progresses through distinct stages: Research → EIP → Prototype → Devnet → PFI (Pre-Fork Integration) → CFI (Core Fork Integration) → SFI (Scheduled Fork Integration) → Mainnet. Each stage is designed to incrementally add evidence, reduce uncertainty, and establish clear ownership before a commitment is made to the next stage. A devnet, for instance, can serve as a feedback mechanism, returning work to the research phase if necessary. PFI, CFI, and SFI are indicators of growing confidence among the AllCoreDevs, but they do not substitute for concrete implementation evidence. A significant portion of the Protocol cluster’s unique mandate involves guiding ideas through this entire pipeline.
V. Hegotä: The Crucial Next Fork
The Hegotä fork represents the immediate test of the Protocol cluster’s ability to execute its roadmap. The companion post, "EF Protocol: The Hegotä EIP Opinion Post and Tier List," offers a detailed assessment of each proposed EIP for Hegotä. This section outlines the underlying priorities, commitments, and scope boundaries that inform these assessments.
Crucially, Hegotä is not the post-quantum fork itself; rather, it is the fork that will determine whether subsequent post-quantum forks can proceed on schedule. Its primary, SFI-level headliners are EIP-7805, Fork-choice enforced Inclusion Lists (FOCIL) on the consensus layer, and EIP-8141, Frame Transaction on the execution layer. The safe and timely co-shipping of these two key EIPs, along with thorough testing of their interaction, forms the core engineering lift for the Hegotä fork.
There is a deliberately limited appetite for additional scope on the consensus layer for Hegotä. FOCIL is the centerpiece, and any additions beyond it will be scrutinized with extreme prejudice, unless they directly contribute to post-quantum readiness. Each proposed consensus-layer addition draws from the same pool of researchers and client developers who are essential for specifying and prototyping decoupled consensus and preparing for the I and J forks once Hegotä implementations are finalized.
Preserving CROPS as a Whole
The Ethereum Foundation’s Mandate defines the core responsibilities of the Protocol cluster through the acronym CROPS: Censorship Resistance (CR), Open Source and Free, as in Freedom (O), Privacy (P), and Security (S). These principles represent a set of fundamental protocol guarantees. Open-source development and open participation are the foundational baseline for all forks. Hegotä specifically addresses commitments across Censorship Resistance, Privacy, and Security.
Censorship Resistance (CR)
The primary goal of FOCIL is to enhance Ethereum’s transaction inclusion guarantees by empowering multiple validators to impose constraints on block builders. This is achieved by defining a set of transactions that must be included via Inclusion Lists (ILs) for a block to be considered valid by attesters. EIP-8369, "VOPS Profiles for FOCIL Eligibility," defines which transactions are eligible and what validators must verify, ensuring that FOCIL’s guarantees can extend to future transaction types. Together, FOCIL and its supporting EIPs represent Hegotä’s direct commitment to resisting censorship and capture.
Privacy (P)
Ethereum currently lacks some essential protocol-level support that privacy applications require. EIP-8250, "Keyed Nonces," will enable multiple users to share the same sender address for enhanced anonymity while maintaining distinct nonces for their transactions, thereby preventing transaction blocking. EIP-8272, "Recent Roots," will allow private transactions to leverage recent on-chain state in a form that FOCIL can verify, thus benefiting from its inclusion guarantees. These two EIPs, when shipped alongside Frames, will remove significant barriers to trustless and censorship-resistant private activity on L1.
Security (S)
The Frame transactions mechanism will introduce programmability at the protocol level for transaction validation, execution, and gas payment. This will provide accounts with a native pathway away from vulnerable secp256k1 keys, support signature aggregation, and enable the introduction of new signature schemes without requiring a hard fork for each. Furthermore, it will ensure that account validation and fee payment remain permissionless. Keyed nonces and recent roots will complement the Frames core functionality required for Hegotä.
EIP-8365, "BLS Withdrawal Credential Retirement," will initiate the process of retiring withdrawal credentials that are currently tied to vulnerable cryptography. This work can commence immediately, without awaiting the full post-quantum consensus design.
The Frames-extension package directly strengthens account security. EIP-7906, "Transaction Assertions via State Diff Opcode," will allow transactions to verify specified effects before committing, thereby protecting against attacks such as drainers. EIP-8298, "SETCODEFROM Code Reuse Instruction," will enable delegated accounts to function as full smart-contract accounts. EIP-8151, "Account Code Restricted ecRecover," will block legacy key authentication once an account possesses actual code. These last two EIPs form the account-centric pathway for retiring secp256k1 as a master key.
The integration of two EIPs, EIP-8279 "Block Access List Byte Floor" and EIP-8131 "Unified Transaction Content Floor," will address worst-case block construction scenarios as a security measure. These EIPs will establish a predictable gas floor under adversarial block content, with any subsequent utilization of the resulting headroom to be determined by separate scope decisions.
The successful and safe delivery of FOCIL and Frames, along with rigorous testing of their interaction, constitutes the core engineering commitment for Hegotä. Any additional scope proposals will be evaluated against this critical testing surface and must meet a high bar of necessity.
VI. What to Expect
The companion post, "EF Protocol: The Hegotä EIP Opinion Post and Tier List," will publish the Protocol cluster’s assessment of every Hegotä EIP, along with detailed explanations for each grade. Readers are encouraged to consult this comprehensive analysis.
Furthermore, the Protocol cluster is hosting a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) on r/ethereum scheduled for September 16th at 2:00 PM UTC. This session will provide an opportunity to discuss the newly outlined priorities, the Hegotä tier list, and address any other questions from the community. Questions can be submitted in advance via the provided form, with sharper inquiries expected to foster more productive discussions.
