Ethereum Protocol Cluster Unveils Ambitious Post-Quantum Roadmap and HegotÃ¡ Fork Priorities

In May, the Ethereum Protocol cluster welcomed a trio of new cluster coordinators, signaling a new phase of strategic planning and execution. Following months of internal alignment and ecosystem-wide consultations, the cluster has now articulated its core priorities, outlining its fundamental purpose, the commitments guiding its work through 2029, and the specific requirements for upcoming…

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September 30, 2026

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In May, the Ethereum Protocol cluster welcomed a trio of new cluster coordinators, signaling a new phase of strategic planning and execution. Following months of internal alignment and ecosystem-wide consultations, the cluster has now articulated its core priorities, outlining its fundamental purpose, the commitments guiding its work through 2029, and the specific requirements for upcoming protocol upgrades. This comprehensive strategy is anchored by a decisive "North Star" objective: ensuring Ethereum’s Layer 1 (L1) is quantum-resistant across its execution, consensus, and data layers by December 2029. This ambitious timeline aligns with independent post-quantum migration targets set by major technology leaders such as Google, Cloudflare, and Microsoft, underscoring a shared sense of urgency within the technological landscape.

The Protocol cluster’s strategic vision is rooted in the looming threat of quantum computing, which has the potential to break current cryptographic standards, rendering existing blockchain security vulnerable. While the exact timing of "Q-day," the theoretical point at which quantum computers become capable of such an attack, remains uncertain, the Ethereum Foundation’s Protocol cluster has adopted a proactive stance. They are planning for Q-day as early as 2030, a deliberately aggressive assumption designed to instill a sense of urgency and ensure readiness well in advance of any potential threat. This commitment to early post-quantum readiness is framed not just as a security imperative but as a strategic declaration of Ethereum’s long-term viability, aiming to secure its existence for centuries to come. The self-imposed deadline of December 2029 will be re-evaluated in January 2027, with input from external quantum computing experts, to allow for adjustments based on the latest scientific advancements.

This strategic reset has ushered in the "HegotÃ¡ scoping season," a critical period for defining the next protocol upgrade. Drawing upon a methodology detailed in an August 28 post, the process has involved the proposal of 62 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs), extensive retrospectives on previous upgrades (such as the forthcoming Glamsterdam hard fork), the development of 16 contribution templates, and numerous cluster-wide working sessions. These collaborative efforts have engaged approximately 60 researchers and engineers in establishing a shared set of priorities. These priorities are not only geared towards the immediate HegotÃ¡ upgrade but also encompass a longer-term roadmap, with a clear critical path beginning with the scoping of HegotÃ¡ itself. A companion post, "EF Protocol: The HegotÃ¡ EIP Opinion Post and Tier List," provides detailed evaluations of each proposed EIP for HegotÃ¡.

The Plan: A Two-Cadence Approach to December 2029

The Protocol cluster’s roadmap to quantum resistance is structured around two distinct cadences, both aiming for the December 2029 deadline. Client teams are projected to begin HegotÃ¡ implementation in late Q4 2026. The July Strawmap, a high-level plan for Ethereum’s development, initially placed full post-quantum readiness at L, five hard forks after Glamsterdam. Achieving this, with Glamsterdam shipping in December 2026 and L in December 2029, would necessitate an average cadence of 7.2 months per fork. This aggressive schedule leaves minimal room for delays.

Recognizing the ambitious nature of this timeline, an August 19 Strawmap update introduced a crucial intermediate milestone: Minimum Viable Post-Quantum (MV-PQ) readiness at J. This milestone includes the post-quantum public-key registry (I), the post-quantum heartbeat on the consensus layer, leanDA sampling on the data layer, and leanSPHINCS transactions on the execution layer (J*). Adopting a 12-month cadence from Glamsterdam allows Ethereum to reach this contingency milestone by December 2029. MV-PQ is envisioned as a safeguard, ensuring Ethereum can operate through Q-day with reduced guarantees, even if full post-quantum resistance across all layers is not yet achieved.

The flexibility of the fork order beyond J is also being considered. The Strawmap may see a reordering of K and L, potentially advancing lean consensus to K and pushing mandatory execution proofs back to L. This could enable full post-quantum readiness by K in December 2029, requiring a 9-month cadence. The current plan treats HegotÃ¡, I, and J as a unified delivery sequence, with the final ordering to be solidified as research matures and client capacity becomes clearer.

Crucially, meeting these demanding cadences will necessitate a significant shift towards parallel delivery across the entire Ethereum ecosystem. The tight timelines mean that forks will inevitably overlap. HegotÃ¡ will be developed simultaneously with the maturation of I specifications, and research for J through L* will produce testable components concurrently. A linear, sequential approach to shipping forks will not suffice. This requires enhanced communication within the Protocol cluster and intensified engagement with client teams, grant recipients, academic institutions, and the broader community to accelerate the pipeline from research to mainnet. The endeavor will demand a larger workforce than any previous upgrade sequence, comprising cryptographers, client developers, researchers, security reviewers, and testing specialists from both within and beyond the Ethereum Foundation.

The Five Multi-Fork Research Arcs

To manage its interconnected work, both immediate and long-term, the Protocol cluster is organizing its efforts around five distinct multi-fork research arcs. These arcs extend beyond the immediate push for minimum viable post-quantum readiness and represent the foundational pillars of Ethereum’s future development:

Fast Finality: This arc aims to drastically reduce Ethereum’s time to finality from minutes to seconds. The current direction involves decoupling finality from block production and rebuilding the consensus layer around an available chain and a "finality gadget." Specifications and prototypes are being developed for inclusion in the I* upgrade, where decoupled consensus is expected to be a primary feature.
Post-Quantum: As detailed in the plan, this arc is dedicated to meeting the December 2029 commitment for quantum resistance across consensus, data, and execution layers. Cryptographic agility is paramount for the execution layer, with native account abstraction enabling signature scheme swaps without hard forks. The consensus layer, however, requires a different approach, involving battle-tested cryptography and aggregation schemes that can only be updated via hard forks. Consensus components will undergo rigorous hardening before deployment, awaiting the complete post-quantum design rather than incremental updates.
Privacy: The privacy arc is focused on establishing privacy as a fundamental protocol guarantee, allowing users to transact, hold balances, and interact with applications without exposing their financial history or relying on third parties. Initial efforts are concentrated on HegotÃ¡, aiming to deliver native, trustless, and censorship-resistant private transactions on Ethereum L1. Subsequent work will address post-quantum privacy at scale and encrypted mempools.
State: This arc tackles the challenge of state growth and access, ensuring they do not become limiting factors for Ethereum. Key initiatives include migrating to a new trie structure, promoting sustainable state growth, and enabling decentralized access to both current and historical state. Significant design and migration work is anticipated to commence with the I* upgrade and continue thereafter.
zkEVM: The zkEVM arc focuses on transitioning execution proofs from an optional feature to a mandatory requirement. Eventually, validators will verify succinct proofs rather than re-executing every block. Under the current Strawmap ordering, mandatory proofs are slated for K*. A potential reordering is under consideration, which would swap the post-quantum attestation and mandatory proof milestones. Regardless of the exact order, the development of an L1 zkEVM will drive advancements in formal verification tooling, workflows, and verified cryptographic components, benefiting other research arcs, particularly post-quantum initiatives.

Setting Priorities and Shipping Them: The Protocol Mandate

The overarching directive for the Protocol cluster, first articulated in an early July update, remains: "Concentrate Protocol on what only Protocol can do and will do, and complete the Strawmap items that allow Ethereum to uphold the Mandate." The Mandate, as defined by the Ethereum Foundation, outlines the cluster’s responsibilities through CROPS: Censorship Resistance (CR), Open Source and Free (O), Privacy (P), and Security (S). These properties constitute a core set of protocol guarantees, with open-source development and participation serving as the bedrock for all upgrades.

The completion of Glamsterdam and the commitment to the December 2029 post-quantum deadline have shifted quantum work from a long-term research concern to an immediate delivery priority. This shift is reflected in a revised priority ladder, which now places formal verification as a cross-cutting tooling effort across the remaining research arcs.

Priority Level	As of Q2 2026	Post-Glamsterdam
P0	Keep mainnet safe	Keep mainnet safe (unchanged)
P1	Ship Glamsterdam and HegotÃ¡ without security or stability issues and in a timely manner	Ship the critical components of HegotÃ¡, I, and J: the path to MV-PQ
P2	Hold research and engineering capacity for the fork after next (I*)	Hold research and engineering capacity for K and L, focused on accelerating the remaining PQ items
P3	Hold research capability for the five multi-year arcs	Hold research capability for the four remaining arcs (fast finality, privacy, state, and zkEVM), with formal verification as cross-cutting tooling

The inclusion of new work into protocol upgrades is governed by a maturity pipeline: Research -> EIP -> Prototype -> Devnet -> PFI -> CFI -> SFI -> Mainnet. Each stage is designed to generate evidence, reduce uncertainty, and establish clear ownership before proceeding. Devnet stages, for example, can trigger a return to the research phase if issues arise. Pre-fork Incentives (PFI), Client Incentives (CFI), and Specified Fork Incentives (SFI) indicate growing confidence among core developers but do not replace the need for concrete implementation evidence. A significant portion of the Protocol cluster’s unique contributions lies in guiding ideas through this entire pipeline.

HegotÃ¡: The First Test of the New Cadence

The upcoming HegotÃ¡ fork serves as the immediate test of the Protocol cluster’s refined priorities and shipping mechanisms. This fork is not intended to be the full post-quantum upgrade but rather the critical enabler for the timely execution of subsequent post-quantum forks. The headline EIPs for HegotÃ¡ are EIP-7805, "Fork-choice enforced Inclusion Lists (FOCIL)" for the consensus layer, and EIP-8141, "Frame Transaction," for the execution layer. The safe and simultaneous shipping of these two EIPs, along with rigorous testing of their interaction, forms the core engineering undertaking for HegotÃ¡.

There is a pronounced reluctance to introduce additional scope to the consensus layer for HegotÃ¡. FOCIL is considered the centerpiece for the consensus layer. Any further additions are unlikely unless they directly contribute to post-quantum readiness. Each new consensus-layer item would draw from the limited pool of researchers and client developers required for specifying and prototyping decoupled consensus, and for preparing the I and J upgrades once HegotÃ¡ implementations are complete.

Preserving CROPS: Commitments in HegotÃ¡

HegotÃ¡ will make specific commitments across Censorship Resistance (CR), Privacy (P), and Security (S), building upon the foundational principles of open-source development and open participation.

Censorship Resistance (CR): FOCIL aims to enhance transaction inclusion guarantees by empowering multiple validators to impose constraints on block builders. Through Inclusion Lists (ILs), validators will specify transactions that must be included for a block to be considered valid by attesters. EIP-8369, "VOPS Profiles for FOCIL Eligibility," defines eligible transactions and validator verification requirements, ensuring FOCIL’s guarantees extend to future transaction types. Together, FOCIL and EIP-8369 represent HegotÃ¡’s direct contribution to resisting censorship and capture.
Privacy (P): Ethereum currently lacks essential protocol support for privacy applications. EIP-8250, "Keyed Nonces," will enable multiple users to share a single sender address for improved anonymity while maintaining distinct nonces for their transactions, preventing blocking issues. EIP-8272, "Recent Roots," will allow private transactions to reference recent on-chain state in a FOCIL-checkable format, thus benefiting from inclusion guarantees. These two EIPs, along with Frames, aim to remove significant barriers to trustless and censorship-resistant private activity on L1.
Security (S): The Frames Transaction model transforms transaction validation, execution, and gas payment into programmable elements at the protocol level. It offers accounts a native pathway away from vulnerable secp256k1 keys, supports signature aggregation, and allows for the introduction of new signature schemes without requiring hard forks for each. This ensures account validation and fee payment remain permissionless. Keyed nonces and recent roots are integral to the Frames core functionality for HegotÃ¡.

Furthermore, EIP-8365, "BLS Withdrawal Credential Retirement," initiates the process of retiring withdrawal credentials tied to vulnerable cryptography, a step that can commence independently of the full post-quantum consensus design. The Frames-extension package directly hardens accounts. EIP-7906, "Transaction Assertions via State Diff Opcode," permits transactions to verify specified effects before commitment, mitigating attacks. EIP-8298, "SETCODEFROM Code Reuse Instruction," enables delegated accounts to function as full smart-contract accounts. EIP-8151, "Account Code Restricted ecRecover," blocks legacy key authentication once an account has executable code. These latter two EIPs pave the way for retiring secp256k1 as a master key.

For worst-case block construction, EIP-8279, "Block Access List Byte Floor," and EIP-8131, "Unified Transaction Content Floor," introduce predictable gas floors for adversarial block content. Any subsequent utilization of the resulting headroom will be subject to separate scope decisions. The successful and safe delivery of FOCIL and Frames, along with thorough testing of their interplay, is HegotÃ¡’s primary engineering commitment, with any additional EIPs needing to meet a high bar of necessity to avoid complicating this critical testing surface.

What to Expect Next

The companion post, "EF Protocol: The HegotÃ¡ EIP Opinion Post and Tier List," provides the Protocol cluster’s detailed evaluation of every HegotÃ¡ EIP. Readers are encouraged to consult this resource for in-depth analysis.

To foster further discussion and address community queries, an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session is scheduled to take place on r/ethereum on September 16 at 2 PM UTC. Participants are invited to submit questions in advance via a dedicated form, ensuring a productive and focused discussion on the outlined priorities, the HegotÃ¡ tier list, and other related topics. The Protocol cluster emphasizes that sharper questions will lead to a more insightful community exchange.