Optimism has introduced a new governance proposal that aims to reduce the power of its Security Council over standalone chains. The proposed Charter policy would require at least 30 days' public notice before a Standard Rollup chain can transfer its upgrade authority. This change would allow qualifying transfers to proceed without additional governance approval, shifting the responsibility for upgrades to the new key holder.
The proposal, published on November 5, 2026, outlines a process where a Chain Governor can request control over upgrades. The Optimism Foundation would first validate the request and publish a notice on the Governance Forum. The Security Council would then have to wait at least 30 days before executing the transfer, ensuring users have time to assess the changes.
A completed transfer would end the chain's Standard Rollup status, meaning users would rely on the security model of the new upgrade key holder. The Optimism Governance and Security Council would no longer have the ability to enforce Charter policies on that chain. The proposal preserves existing agreements with the Foundation but removes the need for separate governance votes for each handover.
The next step is for governance to accept the proposal, followed by the merger of the Charter amendment. The policy would not require changes to smart contracts or node software, and any future handover would begin with a separate request and public notice.