Protocol Cluster has released a tiered list of Ethereum Improvement Proposals for the Hegotá upgrade, the network's 2027 hard fork. The ranking is the first public signal of which EIPs are being treated as priorities and which ones may have to wait. It also offers a window into how Ethereum's governance is shifting as the upgrade cycle gets underway.
How the tiers work
The list sorts EIPs into tiers rather than a simple yes-or-no pile. That structure lets the community see not just what's in, but how strongly each proposal is backed. Higher-tier items are positioned as the core of Hegotá, while lower-tier entries are still in play but not guaranteed a slot.
Protocol Cluster didn't frame the list as a final decision. It reads more like a starting point — a way to focus the conversation before the formal inclusion process begins. The tiering itself is the news, because it tells developers and users where the upgrade's center of gravity sits.
A governance signal
The prioritization process is drawing attention for what it says about Ethereum's governance. The upgrade isn't being driven by a single team or a top-down roadmap. Instead, the tier list reflects a broader negotiation among stakeholders, with Protocol Cluster acting as a coordinator rather than a decision-maker.
That's a notable shift. Ethereum's governance has always been messy and distributed, but the Hegotá process makes that explicit. The tier list is less a decree and more an invitation to argue — which is, in practice, how Ethereum upgrades have gotten built for years.
Decentralization and future-proofing
The stated priorities behind the tier list are decentralization and future-proofing. That's a deliberate framing. It means proposals that strengthen the network's resilience or reduce reliance on any single point of failure are likely to rank higher. It also suggests the upgrade is being designed with an eye past 2027, not just toward the next fork.
That emphasis matters for how the community reads the tiers. An EIP that improves validator diversity, for example, fits the decentralization brief. One that adds short-term convenience but locks in technical debt would be a harder sell. The criteria are broad, but they give reviewers a lens.
The list is now out for community discussion. The next step is for the broader Ethereum ecosystem to react — to push back on the tiers, argue for reordering, and make the case for proposals that didn't rank high. Whether the final Hegotá scope matches this early list will depend on how that conversation goes. For now, the tier list sets the terms of the debate.
