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- Stellar network validators have scheduled the vote for Protocol 27 Zipper for this coming July 8.
- The proposal introduces native authentication delegation directly at the Stellar network level.
- The upgrade includes a security fix using address-bound credentials to mitigate replay vulnerabilities in Soroban.
Stellar network validators will hold a vote on the upgrade proposal known as Protocol 27 Zipper this coming July 8. Official information indicates that with this technical change, they aim to modify the account authorization system and optimize developer access within the $XLM ecosystem.
⚙️ Stellar $XLM Votes on Protocol 27 This Wednesday
A major milestone is approaching for the Stellar $XLM network as validators prepare to vote on Protocol 27 ("Zipper") on July 8.
The core upgrade introduces native authentication delegation, allowing one account to securely… pic.twitter.com/k04GjqFqxV
— Scopuly – Stellar Wallet (@scopuly) July 6, 2026
Native Delegation and Tool Optimization
The core of the technical proposal focuses on native authentication delegation. Stellar’s report notes that this feature will allow one account to directly authorize another to act on its behalf through a process integrated into the network. With the structure prior to Protocol 27, developers had to resort to complex methods that limited practicality in production environments. The current trend indicates that this change will facilitate the design of digital wallets and payment applications with more direct workflows.
The new protocol will enable specific use cases such as social recovery for wallets. Through this feature, users will be able to regain access to their funds via previously approved trusted accounts. This could mitigate common incidents related to the loss of private keys in the ecosystem.
On the other hand, the upgrade will support delegated signing permissions under configurable rules. According to the presented technical design, this mechanism will allow companies and applications to manage shared access in a simplified manner. Developers also project improvements in multi-signature (multisig) configurations, reducing intermediate steps in transactions. This simplification of the authorization process could influence the reduction of the final data size on the chain and, consequently, operational costs per transaction.
Security in Soroban and Transition toward Protocol 28
The Zipper technical patch includes a specific security fix for the Soroban smart contract environment. The proposal details the resolution of a replay vulnerability through the implementation of credentials strictly bound to a specific address. According to organization reports, the use of address-linked credentials prevents a valid authorization from being copied and reused in a different context within the network.
Protocol 27 also functions as a technical transition phase toward Protocol 28. The development team’s plans envision that the next upgrade will introduce contract-based authentication for standard Stellar accounts. Thus, the approval of Zipper stands as the indispensable initial step for the definitive deployment of advanced smart account features.
If validators approve the proposal on the established date, the change will execute immediately on the testnet before its general deployment. Application and infrastructure developers connected to Stellar must update their nodes and software tools to ensure compatibility with the new consensus rules following the vote.