Ethereum Delays Glamsterdam Hoodi Testnet Upgrade Over Gas Risks

Ethereum developers have postponed the Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi testnet after identifying potential compatibility risks involving proposed gas-accounting changes. The decision removes a near-term technical catalyst for ETH and leaves the next activation date open while developers investigate how EIP-8037 could interact with smart contracts already deployed on Ethereum.

ETH was trading at $2,375 on Saturday, October 24, 2026, down 1.33% over 24 hours. Ethereum’s market capitalization stood at approximately $290.1 billion, while the Crypto Fear and Greed Index registered 51, or Neutral. That combination points to a market that is cautious rather than panicked, but the Glamsterdam delay adds another source of uncertainty for traders assessing the near-term Ethereum outlook.

Why Ethereum postponed the Hoodi activation

According to the Ethereum Foundation, core developers decided on Thursday, October 22, to postpone Glamsterdam’s Hoodi testnet activation, which had been scheduled for Monday, October 26. The upgrade will not activate on that date, and developers have not announced a replacement schedule.

The review focuses on interactions between EIP-8037 and existing mainnet smart contracts. EIP-8037 changes how Ethereum accounts for gas used when contracts create new blockchain state, such as storage entries. The proposal is designed to align costs more closely with the resources used by the network, but it also changes assumptions that some older contracts may make about gas consumption and failed operations.

CoinDesk reported that developers became concerned that the new rules could allow certain contracts to permanently record failed operations. The issue is not that every application would fail, but that contracts written under the existing gas model could behave differently after the accounting changes are introduced.

What the EIP-8037 risk involves

The technical concern centers on how gas is charged, restored, and made available when a contract call runs out of gas or is reverted. A contract may call another contract and expect a particular amount of gas to remain after the operation fails. If the new accounting model changes that balance, applications relying on hardcoded limits, fixed stipends, or assumptions about remaining gas could handle errors incorrectly.

ChainSecurity’s analysis, published October 13 and cited in recent coverage by CoinDesk and Cointelegraph, identified potential effects involving EIP-8037 and EIP-8038. Reports on the delay said ChainSecurity identified 13 potential real-world contract risks associated with the proposed changes. Developers are now reviewing those cases and determining whether the proposals need clarification, modification, or additional testing before Hoodi proceeds.

• Failed transactions: Gas behavior after a reverted or unsuccessful call could differ from current assumptions.
• Gas-limit handling: Existing contracts may have insufficient gas under the revised accounting model for some state-creating operations.
• Compatibility: Applications that rely on fixed gas values may need code changes or additional safeguards.
• Testing scope: The issue must be evaluated against contracts already deployed on Ethereum, not only newly written test applications.

This is why the postponement matters beyond a testnet calendar. Hoodi is a staging environment, but its purpose is to expose problems before a major upgrade reaches broader networks. Delaying activation can therefore be read as a risk-control measure rather than evidence that Glamsterdam has been abandoned.

The 200 million gas limit is not a mainnet change

The planned increase to a 200 million gas limit applies to the Hoodi testnet, not Ethereum mainnet. The Ethereum Foundation’s announcement said the scheduled gas-limit change would have occurred at the same Hoodi epoch as the Glamsterdam activation, but that schedule was removed when the upgrade was postponed.

That distinction is important for ETH holders. The delay does not mean Ethereum mainnet suddenly moved to a 200 million gas limit, nor does it immediately change transaction capacity, fees, or execution behavior on mainnet. The current market impact is primarily about development timing, confidence in the upgrade process, and uncertainty around when the next testing milestone will occur.

What the delay means for ETH price and sentiment

ETH’s move to $2,375 and its 1.33% daily decline show that the market has not treated the announcement as an isolated technical footnote. The Fear and Greed reading of 51 remains neutral, suggesting that investors are weighing the delay against broader market conditions rather than responding with indiscriminate selling.

The immediate implications are mixed:

• Near-term catalyst removed: The October 26 Hoodi activation had provided a visible milestone for Ethereum’s roadmap. With that date withdrawn, traders have less reason to price in an imminent upgrade-related narrative.
• Execution risk increases: The postponement highlights the difficulty of changing Ethereum’s gas model while preserving compatibility with existing applications.
• Long-term confidence may benefit: Catching contract risks on a testnet is preferable to discovering them after a mainnet deployment.
• Timing uncertainty grows: Without a replacement date, markets cannot easily estimate when the next development catalyst will arrive.

For short-term traders, the most relevant signal is not simply that Glamsterdam was delayed, but that there is no confirmed new activation date. ETH may therefore remain sensitive to follow-up developer updates, testing results, and broader crypto market direction.

Key Ethereum levels and indicators to monitor

Investors should avoid treating the $2,375 figure as a standalone technical support or resistance level without additional verified market data. The more dependable near-term catalysts are likely to be official Ethereum developer communications, confirmation of the risks identified by ChainSecurity, and publication of a revised Hoodi schedule.

Portfolio allocation considerations

The Glamsterdam delay does not by itself invalidate an Ethereum investment thesis, but it is relevant to portfolio allocation because it adds execution uncertainty to an asset whose value depends partly on continued protocol development. Investors evaluating an ETH allocation may want to distinguish between short-term catalyst exposure and long-term network exposure.

A short-term trader may focus on the absence of a replacement date and the possibility of additional volatility around developer updates. A longer-term investor may view the postponement as evidence that developers are testing compatibility risks before mainnet deployment. Those are different interpretations of the same event, and they imply different risk-management decisions.

Position sizing, diversification, liquidity needs, and tolerance for protocol and market volatility remain more important than attempting to predict the next announcement. The delay also reinforces the need to avoid assuming that a planned upgrade date will translate directly into an ETH price rally.

What to watch next

• An official replacement date for Glamsterdam’s Hoodi activation.
• Developer findings on the 13 potential contract risks identified by ChainSecurity.
• Any revisions to EIP-8037 or related gas-accounting proposals.
• Testing results involving failed transactions, gas-limit handling, and existing contract behavior.
• Whether ETH remains near $2,375 as sentiment holds in the neutral zone.

Frequently asked questions

What is Glamsterdam?

Glamsterdam is a planned Ethereum upgrade package being tested on the Hoodi network. It includes execution-layer and consensus-layer changes, including proposals related to gas pricing and state management.

Why was the Hoodi upgrade postponed?

Developers postponed the October 26 activation to investigate how EIP-8037’s gas-accounting changes could affect existing smart contracts, including behavior after failed transactions.

What did ChainSecurity identify?

Recent reports said ChainSecurity identified 13 potential real-world contract risks associated with the proposed changes and raised concerns involving gas assumptions and compatibility.

Does the 200 million gas limit apply to Ethereum mainnet?

No. The planned 200 million gas limit was for the Hoodi testnet. It was removed from the schedule when the Glamsterdam activation was postponed.

Is the delay bullish or bearish for ETH?

It is a near-term negative for upgrade-related momentum because a scheduled catalyst was removed. Over a longer horizon, identifying and resolving compatibility risks before mainnet deployment could support confidence in Ethereum’s development process.

Not financial advice: This article is for information only and does not recommend buying, selling, or changing any cryptocurrency position. Crypto assets are volatile, and readers should conduct independent research and consider their own financial circumstances.