Ethereum Glamsterdam Hoodi Fork Stays on Hold Over Gas Risks

Ethereum core developers say the Glamsterdam upgrade will not be forked on the Hoodi testnet until a set of smart contract concerns is resolved. The issue centres on eight contract assumptions, called invariants, that could stop holding once new gas rules arrive. For traders, it is a reminder that Ethereum's roadmap can slip for security reasons, even when the market is focused on price.

Key takeaways

• The Hoodi testnet fork for Glamsterdam is on hold until concerns tied to EIP-8037 and EIP-8038 are addressed.
• The worry is that some existing contracts assume fixed gas costs, and the new rules change how gas is charged.
• Hoodi is a testnet, so this is not an active exploit on Ethereum mainnet.
• ETH was trading lower on the day, but the verified data does not tie that move to this news.

What happened and why gas matters

According to Cointelegraph and the Ethereum Foundation's post, some existing Ethereum projects rely on assumptions that certain operations cost a specific amount of gas. EIP-8037 and EIP-8038 would invalidate those assumptions because they change how gas is charged. Gas is simply the fee paid for computing work on Ethereum.

The warning followed a report from smart contract auditor ChainSecurity. It found that the two proposals could break contracts that rely on fixed gas-related assumptions when external calls fail. The Foundation has also asked builders to check their code. It urges contract developers and auditors to see whether their projects depend on any of the eight invariants, and it created a GitHub repository with guidance, examples and self-check prompts.

Background: a delay that has been building

This is not the first postponement. The Foundation's earlier notice said the Glamsterdam upgrade on Hoodi, previously scheduled for October 26, 2026, was postponed, and that no new activation date had been set. That notice also made clear that it did not set a mainnet activation date, and no action was required from Ethereum mainnet users or ETH holders.

Glamsterdam has already reached another test network. It went live on the Sepolia testnet on Oct. 6, in one of its final major rehearsals. Developers had hoped for more. They aimed to ship Glamsterdam on mainnet by the end of 2026, ahead of the Hegotá upgrade expected in 2027. With Hoodi stalled and no new date, that timeline is something to watch rather than assume.

Some coverage stresses the scale of the problem. One report describes the concern as compatibility with a small subset of existing contracts, not evidence of an active exploit on Ethereum today.

Market context

At 15:09 UTC on 6 November 2026, ETH was trading at 2,216.93, down 4.26% on the day, within a range of 2,208.54 to 2,281.41. Bitcoin was at 75,138.00, down 3.11%, and XRP fell 7.16% to 1.1800. Because other major coins also dropped, the weakness looks broad. Nothing in the verified data shows that the Glamsterdam delay caused ETH's move, so traders should be careful about linking the two.

What to watch next

• A new Hoodi date. The fork stays off until the concerns are resolved, and developers have not announced a new schedule.
• Spec changes or contract fixes. Developers are examining whether affected contracts can be updated independently or whether the upgrade specifications must change.
• Audit findings from projects. The Foundation is working with audit firms, but it says it cannot cover all on-chain and off-chain code for every project.
• Mainnet timing. Any slip on Hoodi could affect when Glamsterdam is ready for mainnet, though no revised mainnet date has been given.

Markets are volatile and this article is educational only, not investment advice.