The Ethereum Basis has introduced a step-by-step plan to allow Ethereum’s foremost chain to confirm blocks utilizing zkEVM proofs, decreasing the necessity for validators to re-run all calculations themselves. The proposal, shared by Ethereum Basis co-executive director Tomasz Okay. Stańczak through
zkEVM in L1 – Planning https://t.co/KLz7PoH6q9
— Tomasz Okay. Stańczak (@tkstanczak) January 15, 2026
Ethereum L1 strikes in the direction of zk proof-based verification.
Already in July final 12 months, the Ethereum Basis introduced its “zk-first” strategy. At this time, validators on Ethereum sometimes confirm blocks by re-running transactions and evaluating the outcomes. This plan proposes another. Validators can confirm cryptographic proof that block execution is appropriate.
This doc summarizes the supposed pipeline on the whole phrases. The execution consumer creates a small “witness” package deal for the block, the standardized zkEVM program makes use of that package deal to generate a proof of appropriate execution, and the consensus consumer verifies that proof throughout block verification.
The primary milestone is to create an “ExecutionWitness”, a block-specific information construction that comprises the knowledge wanted to confirm execution with out re-executing it. The plan requires a proper witness format for Ethereum’s implementation specs, conformance testing, and standardized RPC endpoints. The present debug_executionWitness endpoint is already “in manufacturing use in Kona on Optimism,” he notes, suggesting {that a} extra zk-friendly endpoint could also be wanted.
A key dependency is including higher monitoring of what elements of state a block touches through the block-level entry checklist (BAL). In response to the documentation, as of November 2025, this work has not been handled as pressing sufficient to be backported to the earlier fork.
The subsequent milestone is “zkEVM Visitor Program”. That is defined by stateless verification logic, which checks whether or not a block produces a sound state transition when mixed with a witness. The plan emphasizes reproducible builds and compilation to standardized targets so assumptions are clear and testable.
Along with Ethereum-specific code, the plan goals to standardize the interface between zkVM and visitor applications, together with frequent targets, frequent methods to entry precompilation and I/O, and agreed-upon assumptions about how applications must be loaded and executed.
On the consensus facet, the roadmap requires adjustments to permit consensus purchasers to simply accept zk proofs as a part of beacon block verification, together with specs, take a look at vectors, and inner rollout plans. The paper additionally highlights the significance of executable payload availability, together with the “put-a-block-in-a-blob” strategy.
The proposal treats proof era as an operational downside as a lot as a protocol downside. It contains milestones for integrating zkVM into EF instruments resembling Ethproofs and Ere, testing GPU settings (together with “zkboost”), and monitoring stability and bottlenecks.
Benchmarking consists of ongoing work with specific targets resembling measuring witness era time, proof era and verification occasions, and the community influence of proof propagation. These measurements could also be factored into proposed future gasoline worth changes for zk-heavy workloads.
Safety can be marked as persistent by way of planning for formal specs, monitoring, provide chain controls resembling reproducible builds and artifact signatures, and documented belief and risk fashions. This paper proposes a “go/no-go framework” for figuring out when a proof system is mature sufficient for wider use.
One exterior dependency stands out. ePBS, which the doc explains is important to provide attestors extra time. With out it, the plan states that provers may have “one to 2 seconds” to generate a proof. “6 to 9 seconds.” The doc is framed with two sentences that seize the urgency: “This isn’t a undertaking we’re engaged on, however it’s an optimization we’d like.” ePBS is anticipated to be deployed in Glamsterdam by mid-2026.
If these milestones are achieved, Ethereum will transfer in the direction of proof-based verification as a viable choice for L1, whereas the timing and operational complexity of proofs will stay gating elements.
At press time, ETH was buying and selling at $3,300.
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