# Season 6: Introducing Blockspace Charters: Superchain-first Governance **URL:** \ **Category:** Technical Proposals\ **Tags:** season-6\ **Created:** [May 13, 2024, 10:28am UTC](https://gov.optimism.io/t/season-6-introducing-blockspace-charters-superchain-first-governance/8133 "2024-05-13T10:28:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![system](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/bc41dd/original/2X/3/399c2cdab1be9e0c1ae7481c939f977574c28f5e.svg) [@system](https://gov.optimism.io/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 10:28am UTC](https://gov.optimism.io/t/season-6-introducing-blockspace-charters-superchain-first-governance/8133/1 "2024-05-13T10:28:48Z")
# Season 6: Introducing Blockspace Charters: Superchain-first Governance * * * In Season 6 of Optimism Governance, we intend introduce the **Blockspace Charter** : a new, technical-focused governing document (and framework) for the Superchain. This post will serve as an introduction to Blockspace Charters, explaining what they are and what their purpose is. We will also present, and eventually seek ratification for, the first charter—the _ **Standard Rollup Charter** _—in a parallel post. An initial draft of the Standard Rollup Charter for community feedback can be found [here](https://gov.optimism.io/t/season-6-draft-standard-rollup-charter/8135). The Reflection Period will be used to build understanding of the underlying concepts presented below. Ratification for the Standard Rollup Charter will occur during Season 6, and updates to the corresponding Protocol Upgrade framework will follow. In the meantime, the Foundation will conduct an AMA as part of the Token House Community Call on Tuesday, May 14 to answer any questions and collect community feedback. Followup calls may be scheduled as necessary. # Motivation The Superchain is quickly blossoming into a robust ecosystem of OP Stack-based chains. However, these chains are not all technically equivalent: - Different chains may use different _versions_ of the OP Stack—some projects have made modifications to the stack, and others are on outdated versions of it. - Even within chains that are on the same version, some may be _configured_ differently — that is, deployed with different values for various parameters, admin roles, and so on. Open source, permissionless innovation is key to the Collective’s success. At the same time, ecosystem fragmentation also poses challenges: - Users and developers need an easy way to understand what blockspace has which properties and guarantees. - Optimism Governance needs to understand how to make decisions about these different forms of blockspace, which may make different commitments and have different control structures. [The Law of Chains](https://github.com/ethereum-optimism/OPerating-manual/blob/main/Law%20of%20Chains.md) is a neutrality framework designed to provide a guiding light for the Superchain and its stakeholders to make decisions and uphold protections. However, the Law of Chains is intentionally agnostic to any specific details of the protocol. This allows for it to be [applicable over many iterations of the protocol](https://github.com/ethereum-optimism/OPerating-manual/blob/main/Law%20of%20Chains.md#:~:text=It%20is%20further%20understood%20that%20the%20Law%20of%20Chains%20will%20require%20adaptation%20to%20changing%20circumstances%20as%20the%20Collective%20defines%20itself%2C%20evolves%2C%20and%20grows%20iteratively%20over%20time.%20Accordingly%2C%20the%20Law%20of%20Chains%20adopts%20additional%20interpretive%20principles%3A), but also means that it can fail to provide clear guidance at the granularity described in the above bullets. This makes the Law of Chains analogous to the [Working Constitution of the Optimism Collective](https://gov.optimism.io/t/working-constitution-of-the-optimism-collective/55). It defines the guiding principles for the Collective’s governance, but it does not define the specific mechanisms of voting cycles, quorums, and so forth. Blockspace Charters are the equivalent to the [Operating Manual](https://github.com/ethereum-optimism/OPerating-manual/blob/main/manual.md), providing the specific implementation details for different types of Superchain blockspace. # What is a Blockspace Charter? At a high level, a Blockspace Charter consists of three primary components: **Criteria** , **Governing Policies** , and **Precommitments**. - **Criteria** are the specific technical parameters which define which chains are under the scope of a given charter. The charter’s criteria should provide an _objective definition_ for which chains are under its scope. Generally, there are two components to blockspace criteria: - **Governing Policies** are the specific rules, procedures, and principles which stakeholders participating in the charter’s blockspace follow. - **Precommitments** serve as a commitment mechanism, outlining anticipated changes (or anticipated consistency) for future upgrades to the charter. # How will Blockspace Charters be rolled out? Blockspace Charters will be rolled out alongside two supporting components: the **Superchain Registry** , a Github repository which manages addition of new chains according to Charters’ Criteria, and an **improved upgrade proposal process** which maps upgrade proposals to a particular Charter (see [here](https://gov.optimism.io/t/season-6-draft-charter-aware-upgrade-proposal-template/8134).) ## Superchain Registry The **Superchain Registry** will play a crucial role in the Blockspace Charter framework by serving as an accessible index of what chains are a part of the Superchain. It acts as the source of truth for which chains have been accepted under a specific charter and documents the specific configuration values which have been chosen for each chain. This registry is essential for maintaining transparency and accountability within the Superchain ecosystem. The Superchain Registry implements the **validation logic** referenced in Charters’ Criteria via an automated test suite. This ensures that all chains meet the criteria outlined in their respective Blockspace Charter before being added, ensuring consistency and security across the Superchain. As a public index, the Superchain Registry also serves as **unified, accessible documentation** for what OP Chains exist, and what kind of blockspace they implement (i.e.—what charter, if any, they fall under). Note that the Superchain Registry may include different chains in the superchain which meet different charters’ criteria (or which meet no charters’ criteria). This means that _inclusion in the Superchain Registry only implies inclusion in the Superchain._ The Superchain Registry implements an extensible categorization system to clearly delineate which chains fall under which criteria (and therefore which Blockspace Charter), which further implies what “part” of the Superchain it is in. ### Incremental Rollout (Beta Registry) While the process outlined in this document brings a great deal of clarity to Superchain governance, the Collective already votes on protocol versions independent of the chains in question. As the Security Council currently enacts all Protocol Upgrades, we do not view it as strictly necessary for the Standard Rollup Charter to be ratified before the Phase 1 Security Council becomes responsible for upgrades on additional OP Chains. Therefore, in close coordination with the Security Council and relevant Chain Governors and Servicers, we plan to roll out a “beta registry” and begin onboarding some initial chains to the Phase 1 Security Council and Superchain Registry, if we know they are on the governance-approved version of the OP Stack. We plan to use this as an opportunity to iron out any frictions and get the Security Council comfortable with the end-to-end process, before before the charter is ratified and the process is scaled. ## Improved Upgrade Proposal Process Corresponding to Blockspace Charters being able to rigorously define specific types of blockspace, upgrade proposals will now be changed to correspond to specific charters. Together with the Superchain Registry, this will allow the Collective to clearly understand exactly which chains are in the scope of an upgrade, and rigorously consider the impact on stakeholders. The updated Upgrade Proposal template can be found [here](https://gov.optimism.io/t/season-6-draft-charter-aware-upgrade-proposal-template/8134). The template is relatively similar to that in previous seasons, with the difference that: - Upgrade proposals now specify a Blockspace Charter to be upgraded. - Upgrade proposals must link to a pull request for an updated charter. This will be the version of the charter that, if successful, applies post-upgrade. - The `Impact Summary` section of the upgrade proposal now must provide: This enhanced upgrade proposal process, by aligning closely with Blockspace Charters and the Superchain Registry, ensures a transparent, accountable, and stakeholder-focused approach to evolving the Superchain. It supports to goal that every upgrade is carefully considered, justified, and aligned with the long-term vision and commitments of the Optimism Collective, fostering a stable and innovative ecosystem. ---
**Author:** ![lavande](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6f9a4e/32.png) [@lavande](https://gov.optimism.io/u/lavande)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 10:29am UTC](https://gov.optimism.io/t/season-6-introducing-blockspace-charters-superchain-first-governance/8133/2 "2024-05-13T10:29:01Z")
---
**Author:** ![lavande](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6f9a4e/32.png) [@lavande](https://gov.optimism.io/u/lavande)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 6:17pm UTC](https://gov.optimism.io/t/season-6-introducing-blockspace-charters-superchain-first-governance/8133/3 "2024-05-13T18:17:14Z")
---
**Author:** ![Kami](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/bc41dd/user_avatar/gov.optimism.io/kami/32/8364_2.png) [@Kami](https://gov.optimism.io/u/Kami)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 11:13pm UTC](https://gov.optimism.io/t/season-6-introducing-blockspace-charters-superchain-first-governance/8133/4 "2024-05-21T23:13:05Z")
Hi guys, I have a question: Is one purpose of the Blockspace Charters to define the main guidelines that OP Stack-based chains should follow? Understanding that each Blockspace Charters will package the different processes for chains based on OP Stack and in this way provide more structure through its 3 components: Criteria, Governing Policies and Precommitments. But I don’t understand how it relates to the section that says: > [@system](#): > > This makes the Law of Chains analogous to the [Working Constitution of the Optimism Collective](https://gov.optimism.io/t/working-constitution-of-the-optimism-collective/55). It defines the guiding principles for the Collective’s governance, but it does not define the specific mechanisms of voting cycles, quorums, and so forth. Blockspace Charters are the equivalent to the [Operating Manual](https://github.com/ethereum-optimism/OPerating-manual/blob/main/manual.md), providing the specific implementation details for different types of Superchain blockspace. Please can someone help me solve them. Thank you.