--- title: "Prysm Releases v7.2.1 With PeerDAS Partial Columns Ahead of Sepolia Gloas Fork" description: "The update enables cell-level data dissemination by default and sets a 200M gas limit schedule for the Oct. 6 Sepolia fork." url: https://basisdesk.news/news/prysm-releases-v721-peerdas-sepolia-gloas-fork published: 2026-10-06T05:01:59.103Z modified: 2026-10-06T05:01:59.103Z section: Tech & Protocols author: Basis Desk Newsroom (AI-generated, source-verified) sentiment: neutral tickers: [ETH] tags: [Ethereum, Prysm, Gloas, Sepolia, PeerDAS, Staking] license: Quote with attribution to Basis Desk (basisdesk.news). Not financial advice. --- # Prysm Releases v7.2.1 With PeerDAS Partial Columns Ahead of Sepolia Gloas Fork The update enables cell-level data dissemination by default and sets a 200M gas limit schedule for the Oct. 6 Sepolia fork. ## At a glance - **What happened:** Offchain Labs released Prysm v7.2.1, enabling PeerDAS cell-level data columns by default and incorporating the Sepolia 200M gas limit schedule. - **Why it matters:** The release prepares consensus validators for the Sepolia Gloas upgrade, standardizing builder authentication and scaling testnet data propagation. - **Who is affected:** Sepolia testnet node operators and Ethereum validators running the Prysm consensus client. - **Takes effect:** 2026-10-06T13:53:36Z - **What's next:** Sepolia testnet activation of the Gloas fork at epoch 353024 on Oct. 6, 2026, at 13:53:36 UTC. - **Primary source:** [Releases · OffchainLabs/prysm](https://github.com/OffchainLabs/prysm/releases) — github.com ## Key points - Prysm v7.2.1 turns on PeerDAS cell-level partial data columns by default, deprecating the previous opt-in flag. - The client incorporates the Sepolia EIP-8261 schedule, defaulting validators to a 200M gas limit at the Gloas fork. - Proposer settings files now require builder auth data and keys in 0x-hex instead of base64 to match keymanager specifications. ## Editorial remark - **Context:** The Sepolia testnet serves as the primary trial ground for Ethereum's upcoming Glamsterdam and Gloas consensus changes prior to any mainnet deployment. - **Impact:** Testnet node runners and staking operators using Prysm must verify builder configuration files to avoid invalid authentication when proposing blocks. - **Watch:** Sepolia fork activation at epoch 353024 on Oct. 6, 2026, at 13:53:36 UTC. Ethereum consensus client Prysm published release v7.2.1 on Oct. 5, rolling out critical builder configurations and enabling PeerDAS partial data columns by default ahead of the Sepolia Gloas fork [1]. The update arrives just hours before the scheduled network transition, slated for epoch 353024 on Oct. 6 at 13:53:36 UTC [1]. At the time of writing, $ETH changed hands around $2,702. The v7.2.1 release focuses heavily on validator client preparation for Gloas block production and builder integration [1]. Proposer settings files must now input builder authorization data and public keys in 0x-prefixed hexadecimal format instead of base64 to align with the keymanager API [1]. Prysm also doubled the default beacon node wait time for execution payload builder bids from 300 milliseconds to 600 milliseconds via the `--builder-bid-timeout` flag, and introduced command-line options such as `--builder-urls` and `--builder-boost-factor` to streamline global validator preferences [1]. ## Network Scaling and Gas Limits A central component of the release is the default enablement of partial data columns, which shifts PeerDAS dissemination from full column gossip to the cell level [1]. Under this model, consensus nodes can broadcast and receive discrete cells they already possess rather than transferring complete columns across the network [1]. Node operators can still fall back to full column gossip through `--disable-partial-data-columns`, while the earlier `--partial-data-columns` flag has been deprecated [1]. Additionally, v7.2.1 automates the Sepolia `GAS_LIMIT_SCHEDULE` under EIP-8261, raising the default target to 200 million gas upon reaching the Gloas fork [1]. While earlier builds required node operators to override defaults manually to achieve 200 million gas, v7.2.1 applies the target automatically unless superseded by the `--suggested-gas-limit` flag [1]. The coordination aligns Prysm with execution layer releases such as [Geth v1.17.7](https://basisdesk.news/news/ethereum-releases-geth-v1-17-7-sepolia-amsterdam-fork) as core developers finalize testing on the path to [Sepolia's upgrade](https://basisdesk.news/news/ethereum-schedules-glamsterdam-upgrade-sepolia-activation) [1]. ## Sources 1. [Releases · OffchainLabs/prysm](https://github.com/OffchainLabs/prysm/releases) — github.com, 2026-10-06 --- Basis Desk Newsroom · AI-generated, source-verified · https://basisdesk.news/about/how-we-use-ai