The highly anticipated Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi testnet, which was previously locked in for October 26, 2026, at precisely 17:42:48 UTC during epoch 132,352, has been officially postponed. Core developers have announced that a new activation date has not yet been established. This sudden scheduling change completely supersedes all prior timelines, configuration guidelines, and activation instructions that were previously outlined in the initial Hoodi testnet announcement.
The decision to hit the brakes on the rollout was reached during All Core Developers Execution (ACDE) meeting #248. According to the discussions, developers decided to delay the upcoming network upgrade to allow for a much deeper and more comprehensive investigation into how Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 8037 interacts with existing smart contracts deployed on the mainnet. Ensuring backward compatibility, security, and stability remains a paramount priority for the core development team before pushing significant upgrades down the pipeline, even in testing environments.
This postponement effectively strips out the scheduled execution layer activation under the Amsterdam framework, as well as the consensus layer activation known as Gloas. Furthermore, the delay rolls back a specific gas-limit schedule that was set to coincide with the upgrade. Under the original plans, the Hoodi testnet’s gas limit was slated to be raised to an aggressive 200 million at the exact same epoch, a change that is now also on hold while engineers re-evaluate the parameters.
Despite the sweeping changes to the configuration roadmap, officials emphasize that this action merely rolls back the configuration for a future upgrade and does not revert the historical ledger or chain history of Hoodi. The network continues to operate normally, but the October 26 activation date is entirely off the table. At present, the configuration files contain no replacement activation epoch or timestamp. The rescheduling of the replacement upgrade will be determined through future governance and developer coordination calls, with a new timeline to be publicly announced once consensus is reached.
Hoodi Node and Validator Operators
For individuals and organizations operating a Hoodi node or validator, immediate action is required to review system configurations. Operators must check both their execution layer and consensus layer clients to ensure their setups reflect the postponed activation well ahead of the original October 26 deadline. Any software builds, custom scripts, or local network configurations that still hardcode or schedule Glamsterdam at the previous activation timestamp must be manually updated to align with the newly revised Hoodi network configuration.
Furthermore, node operators are strongly advised not to rely on older client release tables found in previous announcements as confirmation that those specific versions incorporate this sudden postponement. Instead, operators must carefully follow their respective client engineering teams’ latest release notes, patches, and deployment instructions tailored to the revised Hoodi schedule. Validator operators must also perform thorough reviews of any operational instructions concerning their dedicated validator clients and external builder infrastructure to prevent unexpected misconfigurations when the testnet eventually reaches the legacy activation point without the upgrade trigger.
Client Releases
As client engineering teams work to adapt their software to the postponed Hoodi activation, newly updated client releases will be made available. Node and validator operators are instructed to update both their execution layer and consensus layer clients exclusively to software versions whose official release notes explicitly confirm that the October 26 Glamsterdam activation on Hoodi has been successfully removed or disabled.
Because client updates are rolling out incrementally following the decision made at ACDE #248, operators should monitor official communications channels for direct links to verified consensus layer beacon nodes, validator clients, and execution layer software builds. In the meantime, specialized builder and validator tooling guidance will be continuously updated and published as technical specifications for the postponed Hoodi activation are finalized. Operators who rely on external block-building infrastructure and third-party relay services should remain closely aligned with their specific tooling providers to ensure seamless operational continuity.
Application Developers and Mainnet Users
Application developers who have been utilizing the Hoodi testnet for staging, integration testing, or experimental protocol deployments must immediately adjust their testing strategies. Testing schedules should no longer be planned around an October 26 Glamsterdam activation, as a revised rollout schedule will be communicated through official developer forums and network announcement boards once a new date is formally agreed upon.
It is important to note that this postponement applies strictly to the Hoodi testnet environment. This announcement does not establish, alter, or hint at a Glamsterdam mainnet activation date. Consequently, no operational changes, software updates, or manual actions of any kind are required from everyday Ethereum mainnet users, decentralized application users, or ether (ETH) holders as a direct result of this testnet scheduling adjustment.
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