InvestIndependently confirmed4 publishers2 min readPublished Updated
ENS Labs would hand its DAO every ENSv2 admin key under a draft that closes ENSv1 to new .eth names
ENS Labs posted a draft DAO proposal on October 11 to stop new .eth registrations on ENSv1 and activate ENSv2 on Ethereum mainnet. Existing owners could renew on v1 with no deadline, and the DAO would receive every ENSv2 admin role.
The Investor · Invest desk
Before and after chart of the renewal grace period after a name expires: ENSv1 allows 90 days, ENSv2 allows 28 days, a decrease.
| Measure | Value | As of | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENSv1 grace period to renew | 90 days | 13 | |
| ENSv2 grace period to renew | 28 days | 13 |
What happened
- Before v2 opens for registrations and resolution, ENS Labs would run a pre-migration sync meant to preserve every active v1 name for its current owner.
- ENS Labs plans to publish scripts that let anyone verify onchain where the ENSv2 administrative roles sit.
- In February 2026 ENS Labs said it would build ENSv2 only on Ethereum mainnet and stop work on Namechain.
Why it matters
- decision DAO voters get one vote covering the v1 freeze, the v2 activation and the admin handover together, so objections to any single part have to be raised in forum feedback before it.
- exposure Once the roles move, the DAO is the party responsible for every future ENSv2 change, with ENS Labs' privileged positions removed.
- constraint Apps and resolvers must keep supporting both registrars for the foreseeable future, because v1 names can renew indefinitely.
- cost Fees tied to new .eth registrations would move to v2 once it launches, leaving v1 with renewals only.
The design makes v1 a closed pool. After activation no new .eth name can be registered there [2], renewals of existing names run through ETHRenewerV1 with no cutoff date [4], and the one way out is expiry, at which point the name becomes available for registration on v2 [5]. The v1 count can fall and cannot rise. We think the fee base moves to v2 by attrition, or rather by lapse. That is slower than a deadline would make it and cheaper to run: with no cutoff, ENS Labs has no migration date to police [4].
ENS Labs has one chain left to build for. In February 2026 it announced that ENSv2 would be developed only on Ethereum mainnet and that work on Namechain would stop, citing higher gas limits and much lower registration costs [17].
The plain reading could fail in a few places. Crypto Briefing notes that the pre-migration sync must run without errors: if v1 ownership and v2 records disagree anywhere, confidence in the new system would suffer [15]. The draft could change: community feedback and any revisions from ENS Labs come before the vote [9], and a revision that added a cutoff date would end the attrition argument above. Owners could also simply stay. The renewal grace period is 28 days on v2 against 90 on v1 [13], a gap of 62 days [19], and we'd expect an owner who values the longer window to keep renewing on v1 for as long as the proposal allows.
The report does not give a vote date, fee levels, or the point in the lapse window at which an expired name opens on v2. Until the vote passes, v1 registrations continue as usual [12].
What to watch
- Forum feedback and any ENS Labs revisions to the draft, in particular whether a v1 cutoff date is added.
- The DAO vote date and result, since v1 registrations continue as usual until it passes.
- Results of the pre-migration sync, specifically any mismatch between v1 ownership and v2 records.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence62
- Adoption
- Insufficient
- Hype gap+8
- Incentives
- Insufficient
- Confidence70
Perspective Coverage
4 publishers- Builder
- Builder 31%
- Operator
- Operator 38%
- Investor
- Investor 31%
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
On October 11, 2026, the team behind the Ethereum Name Service posted a draft proposal to the ENS DAO Governance Forum.
ReportedSupportedSource: Crypto Briefing4 sources— create a free account to open themView cited source - [2]
The draft proposal would activate ENSv2 on Ethereum mainnet and stop new .eth registrations on the current v1 registrar.
ReportedSupportedSource: Crypto Briefing4 sources— create a free account to open themView cited source - [3]
Existing owners would keep their names and could renew them on v1 with no deadline to move.
ReportedSupportedSource: Crypto Briefing4 sources— create a free account to open themView cited source - [4]
Renewals for existing v1 names would run through a new contract called ETHRenewerV1; there is no forced migration and no cutoff date.
ReportedSupportedSource: Crypto Briefing4 sources— create a free account to open themView cited source - [5]
If a v1 name expires, it becomes available for registration on v2.
ReportedSupportedSource: Crypto Briefing4 sources— create a free account to open themView cited source - [6]
Before v2 opens for registrations and resolution, ENS Labs would run a pre-migration sync intended to preserve every active v1 name for its current owner.
ReportedSupportedSource: Crypto Briefing3 sources— create a free account to open themView cited source - [7]
The proposal needs only a single DAO vote to put the changes into effect.
ReportedSupportedSource: Crypto Briefing3 sources— create a free account to open themView cited source - [8]
After activation, every administrative role tied to ENSv2 would move to the ENS DAO, removing the privileged positions ENS Labs currently holds.
ReportedSupportedSource: Crypto Briefing3 sources— create a free account to open themView cited source - [9]
The proposal is still a draft on the governance forum; the next markers are community feedback, any revisions ENS Labs makes in response, and the single DAO vote.
ReportedSupportedSource: Crypto Briefing4 sources— create a free account to open themView cited source - [10]
ENS Labs plans to publish scripts that let anyone verify where the administrative roles sit onchain.
ReportedSupportedSource: Crypto Briefing3 sources— create a free account to open themView cited source - [11]
If approved, the ENS DAO would hold full governance over both versions of the protocol.
ReportedSupportedSource: Crypto Briefing3 sources— create a free account to open themView cited source - [12]
Until the DAO vote passes, v1 registrations continue as usual.
ReportedSupportedSource: Crypto Briefing4 sources— create a free account to open themView cited source - [13]
ENSv2 offers 28 days after expiration to renew, compared with 90 days on v1.
ReportedSupportedSource: Crypto Briefing3 sources— create a free account to open themView cited source - [14]
Running two versions side by side, with v1 names renewing indefinitely, means apps and resolvers will need to support both for the foreseeable future.
ReportedSupportedSource: Crypto Briefing3 sources— create a free account to open themView cited source - [15]
The pre-migration sync has to work cleanly, since any mismatch between v1 ownership and v2 records would undermine trust in the new system.
ReportedSupportedSource: Crypto Briefing3 sources— create a free account to open themView cited source - [16]
Moving every v2 admin role to the DAO means the DAO would carry full responsibility for the protocol's future changes.
ReportedSupportedSource: Crypto Briefing3 sources— create a free account to open themView cited source - [17]
In February 2026, ENS Labs announced it would develop ENSv2 exclusively on Ethereum mainnet and stop work on Namechain, with the reasoning centered on base-layer improvements including higher gas limits and much lower registration costs.
ReportedSupportedSource: Crypto Briefing2 sources— create a free account to open themView cited source - [18]
With fresh .eth registrations frozen on v1, every new name after activation would land on v2, shifting new user activity and the fees attached to it toward ENSv2 once it launches.
ReportedSupportedSource: Crypto Briefing2 sources— create a free account to open themView cited source - [19]
The ENSv2 renewal grace period is 62 days shorter than ENSv1's.
Sources
4 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.
- cointelegraph.comENS seeks DAO approval to activate upgraded Ethereum naming system
1 article · October 13, 2026
- crypto.newsENS seeks approval for major .eth domain upgrade
1 article · October 13, 2026
- cryptobriefing.comENS Labs proposes ENSv2 activation that would halt new ENSv1 registrations
1 article · October 12, 2026
- cryptoslate.comEthereum Name Service plans major .eth overhaul with one irreversible catch for domain holders
1 article · October 13, 2026
Topics and entities
Follow any of these and your For You feed starts watching them — no settings page required.
Topics
- Ethereum protocol upgradesFollow
- DAO GovernanceFollow
- Decentralized namingFollow