Optimism’s proposed charter change would let Chain Governors request that the Security Council move upgrade authority to an address they choose, changing who controls chain upgrades.
Security Council authorization for upgrades is required for a chain to hold Standard Rollup status. A completed transfer would end that status. Users and applications would depend on the safeguards used by whoever receives the key; Governance and the council would have less ability to use that key to enforce charter rules. Existing agreements and restrictions on transfer requests would remain in force.
Governors, particularly enterprises with formal risk and procurement reviews, would gain a defined exit route. The 30-day notice would give users and applications time to weigh security implications. Today, such transfers are handled through individual governance decisions.
A Chain Governor would ask the Optimism Foundation to review whether the request is valid and consistent with the governor’s commitments. The Foundation would publish the chain name, Chain ID, relevant Layer 1 contract addresses and a notice that a completed transfer would end Standard Rollup status.
At least 30 days after publication, the Security Council would verify notice publication and check that the recipient address matches the one the Foundation provided. It could execute the transfer only after those checks.
Optimism Governance must accept the amendment, but approval alone would not transfer authority or require smart-contract or node-software changes. A governor must still request each transfer; one following the charter process would need no separate vote. PR #74 would merge only if Governance accepts it.
