Upgrade Cadence
Tempo ships protocol upgrades on a bi-weekly to monthly cadence. Each upgrade bundles one or more protocol changes (TIPs) into a named hardfork (T1, T2, T3, …).
Rollout timeline
Every upgrade follows the same two-stage rollout:
| Stage | Lead time | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Testnet (Moderato) | Announced at least 3 days before activation | The upgrade activates on the Moderato testnet first so operators and integrators can validate. |
| Mainnet (Presto) | Announced at least 7 days before activation | After a successful testnet activation, the same release is scheduled for mainnet — typically one week later. |
Operators should use the window between testnet and mainnet activation to upgrade their testnet node, verify it syncs past the activation block, and confirm their applications work against the new protocol rules.
Patch releases
Between hardforks, Tempo publishes patch releases (e.g. v1.5.1, v1.5.2) for security fixes, performance improvements, and non-consensus bug fixes. Patch releases do not require a hardfork and can be adopted at your own pace, subject to the priority level.
Upgrade priority levels
Each release on the Network Upgrades and Releases page carries a priority badge:
| Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Required | Consensus-breaking change — nodes must upgrade before the activation block or they will fork off the network. |
| Recommended | Non-consensus improvement (performance, hardening, bug fixes). Nodes continue to function without upgrading, but the update is strongly encouraged. |
| RPC only | Only affects RPC-serving nodes (e.g. security patches for public endpoints). Validators without public RPC exposure can skip. |
How you will be notified
- GitHub releases — every release is published to tempoxyz/tempo releases with a full changelog.
- Operator channels — the Tempo team shares activation timestamps and migration checklists in dedicated operator channels ahead of each upgrade.
- Docs — the Network Upgrades and Releases page is updated with dates, TIP references, and priority badges as soon as an upgrade is scheduled.
Operator checklist
Review the release
Read the changelog and upgrade page to understand what is changing and whether any migration steps are required.
Upgrade your testnet node
Update your Moderato node to the new release and confirm it syncs past the testnet activation block.
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