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Zcash NU7: Testnet Status, Mainnet Timing, and Wallet Readiness

As of October 7, 2026, NU7’s Testnet milestones had passed without independent confirmation of activation, while Mainnet had no assigned activation height. Here’s what operators and wallet users should know about the proposals, Zebra readiness, and Sprout funds.
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As of October 7, 2026, Zcash NU7’s planned Testnet activation height, 4,465,026, and the community timeline’s October 6 date had passed, but the sources available by that date did not independently confirm that activation on-chain. Mainnet had no activation height set. The community timeline listed October 20 for a final decision and November 5 as a target, not confirmed activation dates. Wallet users should check with their provider before assuming compatibility; node operators should distinguish a release candidate from a stable release.

What is confirmed about NU7 timing?

NU7 is a planned Zcash network upgrade. The Zcash Foundation’s October 2, 2026 announcement for Zebra 7.0.0-rc.0 gave Testnet operators an activation height of 4,465,026 and instructed them to upgrade before that height. A Zcash community timeline listed October 6, 2026 as the Testnet date. Both milestones were in the past on October 7, but the available sources did not independently verify the resulting chain status. A scheduled date or height is not, by itself, confirmation that activation occurred.

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Mainnet timing was less settled: the official NU7 page and Foundation announcement said no Mainnet activation height had been set. The community timeline listed October 20 for a final decision and November 5 as a target Mainnet date. As of October 7, those were future milestones, not a finalized height or confirmed activation date.

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What changes are proposed for NU7?

ZIP 259 is a draft deployment proposal, and the final deployment decision determines which changes are included. The Zcash ZIP index lists the following planned NU7 proposal set; these should be treated as proposed rather than guaranteed protocol changes until the deployment is finalized.

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ZIP 237 Use a halving-preserving issuance design.
ZIP 2003 Disable version 4 transactions.
ZIP 2008 Update an address list.
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The Foundation described the timing change as moving from a 75-second average first-confirmation wait to a 25-second target block spacing. These are different measures: a target interval does not guarantee that every payment will be included or confirmed within 25 seconds.

Would faster blocks mean more ZEC is issued each year?

Not necessarily. Shorter target spacing means blocks are targeted more frequently, but annual issuance cannot be inferred from block frequency alone. The proposed set includes ZIP 237’s halving-preserving issuance design, which is intended to account for the new schedule through the per-block reward and issuance design. The available proposal summary does not provide enough detail to calculate annual issuance, so a precise yearly amount should not be assumed from the 25-second target.

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What should node operators do?

Testnet operators

The Foundation’s October 2 announcement instructed Testnet operators to upgrade before height 4,465,026. Because the listed height and October 6 date had passed by October 7, operators should check the current Testnet chain status and release guidance rather than rely on the planned date alone.

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Mainnet operators

The official NU7 page says that if the expected major consensus changes are included, NU7 will not be supported by zcashd, which is being deprecated; operators should prepare to move to Zebra. However, the cited Zebra 7.0.0-rc.0 is a release candidate, not a stable release, and no Mainnet activation height had been set. The Foundation’s October 2 guidance was that Mainnet operators did not need to act yet. Before changing a production node, check the current release channel, upgrade instructions, and official Mainnet activation status.

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What does NU7 mean for wallets and transactions?

Wallet readiness needs confirmation from each provider

The Foundation said NU7 introduces no new transaction format, and draft ZIP 259 says version 5 and version 6 transaction structures remain unchanged. That does not establish that every wallet is ready or that every transaction will work across activation. ZIP 259 notes that signatures commit to a consensus branch ID, so an unchanged transaction structure does not automatically make a transaction valid across the upgrade boundary.

Zcash Labs’ NU7 coinholder-vote site identified Vizor, Zodl, and Zkool as supporting its voting flow and said Keystone hardware wallets work with that system. This is evidence about that vote flow, not a general compatibility certification for NU7 use. For wallet versions, migration requirements, and payment support, follow the wallet provider’s own current guidance.

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Remaining Sprout funds are a specific concern

If the proposal to disable version 4 transactions is adopted, Sprout funds still in the Sprout pool become unspendable: Sprout transfers can only be represented by version 4 transactions. This warning is specific to funds in the Sprout pool; it does not mean that all shielded ZEC or all shielded transaction formats are affected. Anyone who may still hold Sprout funds should consult current Zcash and wallet-provider guidance before the upgrade.

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What to check before the activation decision

  • For Testnet, verify the current chain status rather than treating the scheduled height or date as proof of activation.
  • For Mainnet, look for an official decision and assigned activation height; the October 7 information did not establish either.
  • For node software, distinguish a stable Zebra release from the 7.0.0-rc.0 release candidate and follow the current operator instructions.
  • For a wallet, seek provider-specific NU7 readiness and migration guidance instead of relying on participation in the coinholder vote.
  • If you may have Sprout funds, determine whether any remain in the Sprout pool and act on current guidance before version 4 transactions are disabled.

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