The Zcash Foundation has released Zebra 7.0.0, the first stable node version supporting NU7 on mainnet. The upgrade is set to activate at block 3,543,405, expected around November 5. This moves NU7 from a proposed activation height into executable production software.
The Zebra release notice instructs every mainnet operator to upgrade before activation. Nodes remaining on older software will follow a different consensus chain after the fork point. The release also changes the state-database format and includes breaking configuration and RPC changes.
NU7 cuts target block spacing from 75 seconds to 25 seconds while keeping daily issuance and the 21 million ZEC supply cap unchanged. Block rewards are divided by three, and remaining issuance periods are extended to account for the faster blocks.
The upgrade creates a Network Sustainability Mechanism. Sixty percent of each block’s transaction fees will enter a reserve and miners will receive the remaining 40%. Future reissuance from that reserve is scheduled to begin much later, at block 8,939,664.
Shielded transaction limits more than double the Foundation’s stated Orchard throughput from 2.9 to 6.6 transactions per second while reducing worst-case light-wallet synchronization bandwidth. Version 4 transactions will become invalid. Because Sprout transfers depend on version 4, funds left in the Sprout pool will become unspendable after activation.
TOKEN RECON ASSESSMENT
The activation is now operationally real: the height is in stable node software and non-upgraded operators face a chain split. Exchanges, mining pools and wallet providers have less than two weeks to prove readiness. Node adoption, Sprout migration and chain continuity at block 3,543,405 matter more than ZEC price reaction. Any operator still treating November 5 as a discussion date is behind the release state.
