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Ethereum’s next major upgrade is starting to take shape, and the Foundation just gave the clearest signal yet about what it considers non-negotiable. After evaluating 62 proposed improvements with input from roughly 60 researchers and engineers, the Ethereum Foundation has designated two EIPs as “must-ship” for the upcoming Hegotá upgrade — a first-of-its-kind unified ranking that replaces the usual patchwork of team-by-team opinions.
The move signals a more disciplined approach to scoping Ethereum’s upgrades, with censorship resistance and account flexibility emerging as the two priorities the network can’t ship without.
The Two Proposals That Define Hegotá
At the top of the list is EIP-7805, known as FOCIL, which the Foundation has positioned as the consensus-layer headliner. FOCIL tackles one of Ethereum’s longer-standing concerns: giving users a way to get eligible transactions included in a block without depending on centralized block builders. That matters because heavy reliance on a small number of builders creates a potential chokepoint where transactions could be filtered or delayed — exactly the kind of censorship risk Ethereum has been trying to design around.
The second must-ship proposal, EIP-8141 or Frame Transactions, serves as the execution-layer counterpart. It introduces native account abstraction directly into the protocol and lays groundwork for post-quantum authentication methods. Paired with two companion proposals, Frame Transactions could also give developers protocol-level tools for building privacy-focused applications — an area where Ethereum has historically leaned on layer-2 solutions rather than base-layer support.
The “must-ship” label carries real weight here. The Foundation said that if either proposal runs into serious development trouble, Hegotá’s entire timeline would need to shift rather than simply dropping the feature.
How the Rest of the Field Stacks Up
Beyond the two headliners, the Foundation sorted the remaining proposals into a tiered system. Fifteen EIPs landed in the A-tier, meaning they’re expected to make it into Hegotá unless testing or development constraints force the team to cut them. Another eight remain in consideration, seven were placed below that threshold but haven’t been ruled out entirely, and 28 proposals were declined outright.
Two additional proposals are still unranked, pending data from Glamsterdam — the upgrade scheduled to precede Hegotá, which focuses on scalability improvements and strengthening Ethereum’s base layer. Client teams are expected to begin building out Hegotá in late 2026, once Glamsterdam’s mainnet performance provides clearer signals.
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Building on Fusaka’s Foundation
This scoping exercise follows Ethereum’s most recent major upgrade, Fusaka, which went live on December 3, 2025. That upgrade’s centerpiece, PeerDAS, changed how nodes process rollup data, cutting the amount each node needs to download and upload while boosting data capacity for layer-2 networks.
Hegotá appears to be picking up where Fusaka left off, shifting focus from raw scalability toward the user-facing mechanics of censorship resistance and account flexibility. With the scope still being finalized and real implementation work not starting until after Glamsterdam ships, the two must-ship designations offer the clearest early look at where Ethereum’s development priorities are headed next.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is for general purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. The author’s views are personal and may not reflect the views of Chain Affairs. Before making any investment decisions, you should always conduct your own research. Chain Affairs is not responsible for any financial losses.
