ENS DAO to Vote on Activating Upgraded Ethereum Naming Protocol

Ethereum Name Service is asking its decentralized autonomous organization to greenlight a major protocol overhaul. Founder Nick Johnson has filed an executable draft proposal to switch on ENSv2, the next generation of the naming system, directly on the Ethereum mainnet.

Registration Freeze During Transition Period

If the plan passes, new registrations on the current registrar would freeze while existing holders keep renewing as usual. Johnson cautioned that fresh .eth sign-ups would be unavailable on both versions for several hours while domain records sync over. Current owners face no migration requirement, and their names will keep working normally.

Architecture Redesign and DAO Control Transfer

The upgrade brings a rebuilt registry designed for more flexible domain management and permissions. After activation, ENS Labs intends to hand its remaining administrative powers over the new contracts to the DAO. Existing .eth names are already reserved for their owners on the upgraded system, so users can move whenever they choose.

Governance Rules and Voting Timeline

The proposal still needs to reach an onchain vote. Executable measures demand at least 1% turnout one million ENS votes plus majority support across a seven day window. Approval triggers a minimum two-day timelock before execution. No voting date has been set yet.