fast tag instead of repurposing safe for fast-confirmed blocks.
Meeting Time: Monday, September 28, 2026 at 14:00 UTC (60 minutes)
The meeting focused on DevNet updates and technical discussions regarding the Ethereum network. Stefan provided updates on network stability, noting that recent attacks over the weekend did not significantly impact nodes, with most clients processing blocks in around 6 seconds on average. The team discussed the 200 million gas limit safety, with Maria explaining that based on benchmarks and DevNet observations, the current limit remains safe from an execution time perspective. Julian proposed creating a new FastBlock tag instead of repurposing the Safe tag for FCR (Fast Confirmation Rule) to address backwards compatibility issues with RPC providers. The group debated implementation approaches, with some clients suggesting keeping it optional without changing the engine API for most nodes. The conversation ended with discussions about performance issues related to jump test analysis, where participants agreed to further analyze the differences between Benchmark Core tests and DevNet performance, particularly regarding debug tracing effects.
The team discussed who would present the DevNet updates, initially considering Barnabas but deciding that Stephan would be better suited for the task. Justin Traglia agreed to update the agent about the change, and the meeting began with welcoming attendees to ACDET 98, followed by plans to start with DevNet updates.
Stefan reported that the network ran stably over the weekend despite three different attack variations, with most clients processing blocks in around 6 seconds. The security team fixed a memory-explosion bug in EtherX, and releases for Sepolia are expected by end of day tomorrow to prepare for the Shadow Fork. Multiple client teams including Lodestar, Reth, Besu, Nimbus, Masu, and Grantine confirmed they will have releases ready by the deadline, with Barnabas adding that they will roll out releases on DevNet 8 before reverting to the latest CLAB version after the Sepolia fork.
The team discussed the safety of the 200 million gas limit based on recent testing and analysis. Maria explained that previous concerns about slow blocks were addressed after a deep dive revealed two separate attack scenarios - one by Pavel that took at most 2.5 seconds, and another by Jochem that caused memory issues only when combined with debug traces. The team agreed to re-validate the findings by testing without debug traces on DevNet 8, with Lucas confirming this should be done. They also discussed the differences between testing environments, particularly between DevNet and Benchmark Core, and decided to address these details in follow-up discussions on Discord.
Julian proposed creating a new FastBlock tag instead of repurposing the existing safe tag for FCR (Fast Confirmation Rule) due to backwards compatibility concerns with some RPC providers’ customers. The team discussed potential tag names, with options including FCR, confirmed, and fast, though no final decision was made. Julian suggested continuing the discussion either through Mikael’s draft implementation or on the ETH R&D Discord, as some RPC providers plan to serve both the safe tag and FCR simultaneously.
The team discussed implementing fast confirmation (FCR) functionality, with Mikhail asking about the best approach and coordination points. The group debated whether a hard fork was necessary, with Potuz and Enrico suggesting it could remain optional without changing FCU, while Julian explained the need for JSON RPC integration for RPC providers. The team agreed to make it manual and optional, relying on node operators to run compatible clients, and Julian committed to further investigate the implementation details before providing an update.
The team discussed two main issues: JSON file formatting with missing ZRX prefixes and new boot nodes. Parithosh announced that EF is migrating boot node management from PandaOps to another EF team, with existing nodes continuing until mainnet Amsterdam. The team also examined performance concerns regarding block execution times, particularly around 5 seconds, which was attributed to debug tracing and contract loading. They agreed to disable debug tracing on DevNet and switch to the main branch before conducting further tests to better understand the performance impact.
.U7@dhtd).U7@dhtd).U7@dhtd)YouTube recording available: https://youtu.be/-7l2yAQQSm8
CL breakout YouTube recording available: https://youtu.be/Lp6PzaGdJCg