Ethereum Warns Glamsterdam Upgrade Could Break Wallets and Gas Estimators

Highlights:

• Ethereum developers must update tools that rely on fixed gas limits before the new rules reach mainnet.
• Platåberget lets developers test wallets, validators, and other tools before wider Ethereum testing begins.
• The Glamsterdam upgrade changes gas costs and how Ethereum handles new network state.

The Ethereum Foundation warned developers that the Glamsterdam upgrade will change how some Ethereum transactions use gas. The changes could affect wallets, indexers and gas estimators that rely on fixed gas limits. Developers can test the new rules when Platåberget activates them through a scheduled fork on Aug. 20. The Foundation wants developers to find software problems during testing before Ethereum introduces the changes on mainnet.

Ethereum developers issued a warning that the glamsterdam upgrade may break wallets, indexers, and gas estimators. The upgrade, set for the platåberget testnet on august 20, alters the 21,000-gas assumption for some ETH transfers. Good to know before pressing send. pic.twitter.com/X1qAh1orpO

— TitanTech Investments (@TitanTechIn) August 18, 2026

EIP-8037 introduces separate state gas for Ethereum operations that create permanent network data. The proposal charges state gas when transactions create accounts, add storage slots, or deploy contract code. Ethereum calculates the charge according to how much new state each operation creates. The Foundation also highlighted EIP-2780 and EIP-8038 because they change how Ethereum calculates costs for individual operations.

EIP-8037 also changes a common assumption about basic ETH transfers. Sending ETH to an existing account will still require 21,000 gas under the planned rules. However, Ethereum must create an account when someone sends ETH to an unused address. That process adds permanent state and triggers an additional state-gas charge.

Wallets could underestimate transaction requirements if developers automatically set 21,000 gas for every ETH transfer. Gas estimators could also return incorrect results if they calculate transaction costs using only one gas dimension. The Foundation urged application and infrastructure developers to test these calculations on Platåberget before the changes reach established Ethereum testnets.

Ethereum developers designed the model to limit permanent state growth while preparing Layer 1 for greater capacity. Earlier parameters targeted roughly 60 GiB of annual state growth under a 300 million gas block limit. Developers also designed the wider repricing package around a gas floor of roughly 200 million.

Platåberget Opens Testing to More Developers

The Ethereum Foundation launched Platåberget to give developers a public network for testing the upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade protocol changes. The Foundation expects the testnet to remain online for several months before the changes advance to established Ethereum testnets. Unlike earlier private devnets, Platåberget allows developers and infrastructure operators to participate directly. The longer testing period gives teams more time to identify software problems before Sepolia and Hoodi testing.

UPDATE: Ethereum Foundation opens Platåberget testnet for Glamsterdam upgrade, scheduled to fork mainnet Aug.

20.@ethereum pic.twitter.com/ITN6aN2EVy

— MSB Intel (@MSBIntel) August 18, 2026

Platåberget launched under Ethereum’s current protocol rules instead of starting with the new rules already active. The scheduled Aug. 20 fork will switch the testnet to the new protocol while developers operate their software.

Platåberget also allows users to deposit validators and test builder-deposit workflows before later network deployments. The Foundation invited solo stakers, DVT projects, custom software operators and large staking providers to test their infrastructure. These participants can identify validator and builder compatibility problems before Ethereum moves the changes to longer-running testnets.

Ethereum developers will use feedback from Platåberget to revise specifications and address client problems before the next testing stage. Developers will later deploy the changes on Sepolia and Hoodi after the earlier testing networks remain stable.

Glamsterdam Upgrade Brings More Network Changes

The Glamsterdam Upgrade also introduces EIP-7732 to change how Ethereum coordinates block builders and validators that propose blocks. EIP-7732 brings proposer-builder separation directly into Ethereum’s core protocol instead of relying mainly on external coordination. Everstake estimates that MEV-Boost relays currently assemble about 88% of Ethereum blocks through off-chain infrastructure.

The Glamsterdam upgrade also introduces new builder API workflows and payload-timeliness checks for Ethereum’s block-production process. Validators, staking providers, and other infrastructure operators must test these changes before the new rules reach mainnet.