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Optimism published a governance proposal on Nov. 5 that would require at least 30 days of public notice before a Standard Rollup transfers upgrade authority from the shared Security Council to a new address. The proposal amends the Standard Rollup Charter to establish a standardized process for chains that currently hold upgrade authority with the Council.
Transfer Process and Requirements
Under the proposed policy, a Chain Governor would submit a request to the Optimism Foundation to move upgrade control to an address of its choosing. This new address holder could then manage upgrades independently or through a third party. The Foundation would verify that the request is valid and complies with the governor’s existing commitments before proceeding.
Once validated, the Foundation would publish a notice on the Optimism Governance Forum. This notice must identify the specific chain, its Chain ID, and material layer-1 contract addresses. It must also explicitly warn that the chain would cease to be a Standard Rollup if the transfer proceeds. The Security Council is required to wait at least 30 days from the publication of this notice before executing the transaction.
Before executing the transfer, the Security Council must verify three conditions: that the Foundation published the notice, that the minimum 30-day period has elapsed, and that the recipient address matches the one supplied by the Foundation on the governor’s behalf. If these conditions are met, the transfer requires no additional approval from Optimism Governance, removing the need for a separate vote for each individual handover.
Impact on Chain Status and Security
Executing a transfer under this policy would end the chain’s status as a Standard Rollup. The Optimism Foundation would update the chain’s status in the Superchain Registry following the transfer. External assessments of the chain’s decentralization stage could also change as a result.
After the transfer, users would rely on the security model of the new upgrade key holder rather than the shared Security Council. Optimism Governance and the Security Council would lose the practical ability to enforce Charter policies on that chain through upgrade authority. The proposal preserves existing agreements with the Foundation, including legal agreements and restrictions on when a governor may request a transfer.
The accompanying GitHub amendment, PR 74, was still open on Nov. 5. The pull request states it will merge only if governance accepts the proposal. Adopting the policy would require no changes to smart contracts or node software. The next milestone is governance acceptance, followed by the merger of the Charter amendment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the public notice period required by the Optimism proposal?
The proposal requires at least 30 days of public notice before a Standard Rollup can transfer upgrade authority from the Security Council to a new address.
Does transferring upgrade authority require a new governance vote?
No. If the transfer meets the policy’s conditions, including the 30-day notice and Security Council verification, it does not require additional Optimism Governance approval.
