TheBlock
The Ethereum Foundation Protocol cluster published a tier list evaluating 62 Ethereum Improvement Proposals for the upcoming Hegotá upgrade and used the same blog post to lock in a December 2029 target for full quantum resistance across Ethereum L1's execution, consensus, and data layers. Two EIPs were rated S-tier, the must-ship headliners the rest of the schedule bends around: EIP-7805 (FOCIL, Fork-Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists) on the consensus layer, and EIP-8141 (Frame Transactions) on the execution layer. FOCIL lets a validator committee force inclusion of valid public-mempool transactions so a dominant builder cannot quietly censor them. Frame Transactions make account abstraction native by splitting a transaction into programmable frames for validation, gas payment, and execution, which lets wallets use custom signatures, sponsored gas, and batched actions without relying on offchain operators.
Why it matters
The 2029 deadline is the headline, but Hegotá is not the post-quantum fork itself. EF Protocol explicitly calls it the fork that decides whether later post-quantum upgrades stay on schedule, with a minimum-viable post-quantum milestone parked at J* and full resistance targeted at L*. Reaching December 2029 from a Q4 2026 Glamsterdam ship would require an average cadence of 7.2 months per fork, and the clusters running J* through L* research have to move in parallel with Hegotá's own delivery, which leaves almost no slack. EF Protocol also aligned the 2029 target with public migration timelines from Google, Cloudflare, and Microsoft, and labeled Q-day planning as deliberately aggressive while keeping the date fixed.
Market impact
A-tier items commit alongside the headliners unless engineering forces a cut, including VOPS Profiles for FOCIL eligibility, Keyed Nonces for Frame Transactions, and Recent Roots for Frame Transactions. 28 EIPs were marked DFI, declined for inclusion.
Frequently asked questions
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What is the Hegotá upgrade and when does it ship?
Hegotá is Ethereum's next major hard fork. The Ethereum Foundation Protocol cluster published a tier list evaluating 62 EIPs and rated FOCIL (EIP-7805) and Frame Transactions (EIP-8141) as the must-ship headliners. The fork has to ship before the 2029 quantum resistance target while J* through L* research runs in…
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What does FOCIL (EIP-7805) actually do?
FOCIL, or Fork-Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists, lets a validator committee force inclusion of valid public-mempool transactions in each block. The mechanism prevents a dominant block builder from quietly censoring transactions and strengthens Ethereum's censorship resistance at the consensus layer.
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How do Frame Transactions (EIP-8141) make account abstraction native?
Frame Transactions split a single transaction into programmable frames for validation, gas payment, and execution. Wallets can then use custom signatures, sponsored gas, and batched actions directly onchain without depending on offchain relayers or operator infrastructure.
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When does Ethereum plan to be quantum resistant?
The Ethereum Foundation set December 2029 as the target for quantum resistance across all three layers: execution, consensus, and data. EF aligned the date with independent migration targets from Google, Cloudflare, and Microsoft, and called the 2030 Q-day assumption deliberately aggressive while keeping the deadline…
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Is Hegotá the post-quantum fork?
No. EF Protocol describes Hegotá as the fork that determines whether later post-quantum upgrades stay on schedule. A minimum-viable post-quantum milestone sits at J*, and full quantum resistance is targeted at L*, with both forks still in research alongside Hegotá delivery.
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