OP Mainnet: who orders transactions?

Who controls it

Transaction ordering

A single Optimism Foundation-operated block producer orders ordinary transactions.

Escape hatch

Users can submit a forced transaction through Ethereum, which is included after the sequencer window of up to 12 hours. Permissionless fault proofs protect state validity.

Upgrade authority

Regular and emergency upgrades need both the Optimism Security Council and the Foundation, but they can execute at once, with no on-chain delay and no window for users to withdraw.

Halts and outages

Ethereum data availability and permissionless fault proofs reduce the risk to state integrity. The sole sequencer remains a dependency for liveness and ordering, and forced inclusion is slower and costlier than the normal path.

Ketju assessment

Ketju does not approve OP Mainnet: the Foundation and Security Council can jointly install a regular or emergency upgrade at once, so a client has no window to withdraw under the old rules. The chain has reached Stage 1 and has real safeguards. Transaction data lands on Ethereum, fault proofs are permissionless, and an L1 forced-transaction route limits indefinite sequencer censorship. Ketju applies the same rule here as to Mantle, whatever the chain’s brand.

Review triggers

• Revisit when regular upgrades carry an enforceable on-chain delay of at least 7 days
• Fault proofs are disabled, made permissioned, or lose Stage 1 status
• The L1 forced-inclusion window is extended beyond 12 hours
• The Security Council threshold or independence is materially weakened

Each trigger names a fact anyone can observe. If one occurs, Ketju will review the assessment again. None is a forecast.

Questions before use

1. Does the client’s thesis require censorship resistance, or primarily low-cost settlement?
2. Can the client withdraw without help from the party that normally orders transactions?
3. Who can upgrade bridges or contracts, and what delay applies?
4. Does the asset introduce an issuer weaker than the chain grade?
5. What evidence will show a halt, censorship event, or governance change?