Ethereum Foundation researcher Toni Wahrstätter has called for two proposals to be prioritised in the network’s next major upgrade, Hegotá, scheduled for 2027, with a package that could allow privacy pools to cover their own transaction fees without relying on third-party intermediaries.
Frame Transactions and FOCIL Take Centre Stage
In a post on X on Monday, Wahrstätter said the Protocol Architecture team wants to advance Frame Transactions (EIP-8141) and Fork-Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists, known as FOCIL (EIP-7805), for the Hegotá hard fork.
Frame Transactions would give wallets greater control over how transactions are structured and executed. Wahrstätter described the format as a ‘much more expressive transaction format’ and a foundational building block for Ethereum’s next-generation transaction experience.
FOCIL, which would make it harder to censor eligible transactions, is currently the only proposal formally confirmed for Hegotá.
‘Together with Frames, these enable privacy pools where the pool itself can pay fees, removing the need for intermediaries,’ Wahrstätter wrote. ‘Add FOCIL support and privacy transactions also gain protocol-level inclusion guarantees.’
How the Package Works
Frame Transactions would operate alongside two companion proposals. Keyed Nonces and Recent Roots (EIP-8272) would together allow privacy pools to self-fund their own on-chain fees, while Transaction Assertions (EIP-7906) would let wallets attach conditions specifying what a transaction can do after it is submitted.
The combination is designed to eliminate the need for relays or other intermediary services that currently handle fee payment on behalf of shielded pools.
A Crowded Field of Proposals
Developers are weighing 66 proposals in total for the 2027 upgrade. Wahrstätter cautioned in an earlier post on Saturday that choices must be disciplined: ‘A fork can’t be a wishlist by the community or core devs jamming on what Ethereum should eventually become. Instead, we have to decide what Ethereum should become next, and what has to wait.’
The Hegotá timeline is shaped in part by progress on the preceding upgrade, Glamsterdam. Wahrstätter noted that developers are 256 days into Glamsterdam and are targeting a ship date before the end of 2026. ‘Hegotá will need to ship in 2027, and that’s what makes the next few decisions so important,’ he wrote.
Scaling Proposals Also in the Mix
Other proposals under consideration for Hegotá target scaling, including adjustments to how Ethereum prices transactions as the network’s gas limit climbs toward 500 million to 600 million. Developers are also evaluating a separation of block-access-list data from the execution payload and the testing of optional zkEVM proofs on Ethereum mainnet.
Vitalik Buterin’s Broader Push
The privacy and inclusion-list focus aligns with priorities set out by Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin. Earlier this month, Buterin identified privacy and quantum resistance as elevated priorities alongside simplification and scaling. In February, he outlined plans to replace cryptography vulnerable to quantum computers, while Ethereum researchers separately proposed a multi-fork roadmap stretching through 2029 targeting faster transactions, native privacy, and quantum-resistant security.
