Draft NU7 Proposal Sets Oct. 20 for Zcash Mainnet Height Decision

Zcash’s NU7 upgrade is approaching a public Testnet milestone, while its Mainnet activation height remains unassigned. The first release candidate, Zebra 7.0.0-rc.0, is available for testing ahead of an expected Testnet activation around Oct. 6.

NU7 is expected to activate on public Testnet at block 4,465,026. Testnet operators are advised to upgrade before that height; the date is an estimate tied to the block target, not a fixed activation time. The release candidate is not a stable version.

The proposed upgrade would shorten Zcash’s target block spacing from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. The average wait for a first confirmation is expected to fall from 75 seconds to 25 seconds.

NU7 would also set limits on shielded activity: up to 330 Orchard or Ironwood actions per block, 300 Sapling inputs and outputs, and a shared cap of 330 across pools. The plan would put 60% of each block’s transaction fees into a reserve, with miners retaining 40%. A small, predictable portion of the reserve would later be reissued alongside the normal reward.

Mainnet operators do not need to act yet because no activation height has been assigned. The draft deployment proposal schedules Oct. 20 for setting that height; it does not establish the Mainnet activation date.

The schedule follows earlier coverage of Zcash’s September rally and Gemini’s infrastructure move.