Ethereum On-Chain Upgrade Signaling EIP: Community Consensus Drives Upgrades
2024-12-22
This proposal introduces an on-chain mechanism allowing Ethereum clients to signal their readiness for protocol upgrades by embedding a "vote" indicator in the extraData field of newly mined blocks. Future fork activation blocks only occur if enough blocks within a specified window signal "for" the upgrade. This shifts upgrade decisions from the Ethereum Foundation to network participants, enhancing decentralization and mitigating centralization risks. The proposal also addresses trademark concerns and potential security vulnerabilities.