Base developers roll back propagation change after transactions lost and delayed

Published: 2026-02-04 05:37:13 |

Base Network experienced transaction loss and packaging delays on January 31 after a change to transaction propagation configuration caused block builders to repeatedly fetch transactions that could not execute due to rapidly rising base fees. The team rolled back the configuration change, validated that network stability was restored, and is implementing measures to prevent recurrence. Planned fixes include optimizing the transaction pipeline, removing unnecessary P2P overhead, and adjusting the mempool queue; these upgrades are expected to take about one month. The team is also improving alarms and change-monitoring during infrastructure deployments. No financial figures or specific timelines beyond the one-month estimate were provided. This incident affected transaction throughput and could have temporarily increased failed or delayed transactions for users and builders on Base.

Neutral

The announcement is operational and corrective: developers identified a configuration change that caused transaction fetches to fail when base fees spiked, then rolled back the change and outlined remediation steps. That limits systemic risk — there was no security breach, exploit, or long-term protocol change. Short-term impact: temporary increases in failed or delayed transactions could reduce user confidence and lower on-chain activity on Base, creating minor selling pressure on related assets or reducing demand for transaction-dependent services. Long-term impact: if the fixes (mempool tuning, P2P overhead removal, improved alerts) are implemented successfully, network reliability should improve, which is neutral-to-slightly-bullish for trader sentiment. Similar past incidents (mempool/configuration regressions on Ethereum testnets or layer-2s) caused brief volatility or drops in usage but did not materially change long-term valuations. Therefore the overall market reaction is likely limited and short-lived while infrastructure work completes over the coming month.