The Ethereum Foundation’s (EF) Protocol cluster has officially unveiled its comprehensive tier list for the upcoming Hegot network upgrade. Marking a significant departure from previous years of fragmented, team-specific roadmaps, this release represents a unified strategic vision from the roughly 60 researchers and engineers comprising the EF Protocol cluster. By evaluating 62 distinct Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs), the cluster has established a rigorous framework to determine which technical enhancements will define the next chapter of the Ethereum network.
This unified approach reflects a maturing governance process within the ecosystem. While execution layer clients like Geth will continue to publish their own standalone evaluations, the collaborative effort behind this document provides a singular "steelman" perspective. It serves as a definitive roadmap, detailing not only what the network intends to implement but also the specific criteria required for "on-the-bubble" proposals to reach production.
I. Main Facts: A New Governance Paradigm
The Hegot upgrade process is governed by a focus on "delivery expectations" rather than abstract technical merit. Each of the 62 EIPs was subjected to a scoring system where contributors—spanning nine core teams and various domain experts—assigned grades ranging from S (essential) to DFI (declined/deferred).
The headline items for the upgrade are clear: EIP-7805 (FOCIL) and EIP-8141 (Frame Transactions). FOCIL, or "Fork Choice Inclusion List," is designed to provide users with a permissionless path to transaction inclusion, effectively mitigating concerns regarding centralized block builders. Simultaneously, EIP-8141 introduces native account abstraction through "Frame Transactions," a major leap forward for user security that enables post-quantum (PQ) signature schemes and improved transaction aggregation.
The scoring methodology was exhaustive. With 397 individual grades cast, each EIP received an average of 6.4 evaluations. The process was not merely a mechanical tally; it involved extensive debate, including a 90-minute working session dedicated to resolving conflicts and ensuring that the final list reflects the most current, shared understanding of Ethereum’s technical debt and future requirements.
II. Chronology: The Road to Consensus
The journey toward the Hegot tier list began long before the final publication. The EF Protocol cluster derived critical lessons from the previous Glamsterdam upgrade, which highlighted the dangers of underestimating integration complexity. The current process was structured to avoid these pitfalls by emphasizing "integration depth" and recognizing that testing surface area is a finite, scarce resource.
Following the Glamsterdam retrospective, the cluster engaged in a series of group calls throughout August 2026, culminating in the formalization of the scoring template. The process followed a strict cadence:
- Early August: Contribution templates were distributed to nine teams, resulting in 16 comprehensive submissions.
- Late August: An intensive series of group discussions and a high-stakes 90-minute working session were held to debate contested items, as outlined in the August 28 process document.
- Early September: The unified view was synthesized, with the final list published on September 7, 2026, alongside the companion document, EF Protocol: Current and Emerging Priorities.
- September 8: A minor correction was issued to the notes regarding EIP-7716, underscoring the team’s commitment to ongoing transparency and refinement.
III. Supporting Data: Decoding the Tiers
The Hegot tier list acts as a binary filter: it informs the community of what is coming, what is being sidelined, and what is "on the bubble."
Consensus Layer Highlights
The consensus layer is focused on robustness and long-term sustainability. EIP-7805 (FOCIL) stands at the top with an S-tier rating and unanimous support. Other notable entries include EIP-8369, which provides the necessary framework for FOCIL, and EIP-8365, which addresses the urgent need to retire vulnerable withdrawal credentials.
Conversely, several proposals were rejected or deferred. EIP-7716 (Anti-Correlation Attestation Penalties) was moved to DFI (Declined/Deferred). While recognized as a valid concept, the cluster determined that the impact on the staker landscape requires significantly more research before it can be integrated into a lightweight protocol fork. Similarly, EIP-8142 (Block-in-Blobs) was unanimously rejected for deepening reliance on structures that conflict with the long-term J-star roadmap.
Execution Layer Highlights
The execution layer is dominated by the "Frame" ecosystem. EIP-8141, EIP-8250 (Keyed Nonces), and EIP-8272 (Recent Roots) form a cohesive, high-priority package. These proposals collectively aim to modernize how accounts interact with the EVM.
For the "Cleanup & Deprecations" category, EIP-3298 (Removal of Refunds) earned an A-tier rating for its ability to eliminate an entire class of metering edge cases. In contrast, EIP-2488 (Deprecate the CALLCODE Opcode) was declined; despite its merits as a cleanup task, it lacked the immediate urgency required for the Hegot scope and posed unnecessary risks to the existing application layer.
IV. Official Responses and Community Engagement
The EF Protocol cluster is acutely aware that a top-down list can invite skepticism. To address this, they have proactively scheduled an "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) session on the r/ethereum subreddit, slated for September 16, 2026, at 2pm UTC. This session is specifically designed to solicit pushback from developers, researchers, and project maintainers who may disagree with the assigned grades.
The organizers have provided a dedicated submission form for the community to voice concerns ahead of the AMA. By creating this feedback loop, the EF seeks to ensure that even those EIPs marked as "declined" are given a fair hearing, provided their champions can address the specific technical barriers identified by the cluster.
The EF Protocol: Current and Emerging Priorities companion document is cited as the "north star" for this process. It explicitly details why certain features, such as those related to issuance policy or specific privacy mechanisms, are better handled through broader ecosystem processes rather than being shoehorned into a single fork. This separation of concerns is a core tenet of the Hegot philosophy: maintain focus, limit the blast radius, and prioritize the most impactful upgrades.
V. Implications: What This Means for Ethereum
The implications of this unified tier list are profound for the Ethereum ecosystem. First, it provides much-needed clarity for client developers. By setting clear delivery expectations, the EF Protocol cluster allows teams (like those behind Reth, Besu, Nethermind, and Geth) to allocate engineering resources effectively for the coming year.
Second, the Hegot list signals a shift toward a more disciplined, security-first approach. By repeatedly citing the need for "complete protocol design" before implementing specific features—such as in the case of Hash-Chain RANDAO (EIP-8321)—the EF is signaling that it will no longer tolerate "feature creep" that introduces premature, unoptimized code.
Third, the success of this model will be measured by the "decline" rate as much as the "ship" rate. By rejecting 28 proposals, the cluster is actively pruning the protocol’s complexity, which is essential for maintaining the long-term viability of the network. This "less is more" approach is intended to ensure that when Hegot finally goes live, the risk of technical debt or unforeseen security vulnerabilities is minimized.
Ultimately, the Hegot upgrade is more than a collection of code changes; it is a declaration of maturity. The Ethereum Foundation has moved away from the "move fast and break things" mentality, replacing it with a rigorous, transparent, and collaborative process that acknowledges the immense responsibility of managing a decentralized global computer.
As the industry looks toward the September 16 AMA, the sentiment among core contributors is one of cautious optimism. The Hegot upgrade, if executed according to this tier list, will leave Ethereum more secure, more performant, and significantly more resilient against the challenges of the coming decade. Whether the community agrees with every individual grade or not, the process itself stands as a testament to the power of open, debate-driven governance in the world of decentralized finance and infrastructure.
For now, the focus remains on the "must-ship" items, the ongoing refinement of the B-tier requirements, and the continued, rigorous vetting of the entire 62-proposal slate. The Hegot era is officially underway.
