Hot-patch deploys without timelock (last 30 days)
A post-deploy hygiene & change mgmt factor in the v1.7.0 rubric. Measured per protocol on a e cadence.
Methodology how we score#
What this measures
This factor counts the number of upgrades executed in the trailing 30 days that bypassed the protocol's declared timelock path — meaning the upgrade was executed directly from an admin address without going through the queuing and delay mechanism. These are identified by comparing on-chain upgrade transaction timestamps against any prior queuing transactions in the timelock contract; upgrades with no corresponding queue event are classified as hot-patch deploys.
Why it matters
Hot-patch deploys that bypass the timelock eliminate the user protection window that timelocks are designed to provide. Even legitimate emergency patches represent a choice to prioritize speed over the security of the timelock guarantee — and that choice, when made unilaterally, reduces the protocol's governance security posture to the level of a non-timelocked system for that specific change. The pattern of emergency-bypass deploys accumulating over time (four in the evidence base) indicates that the timelock is not structurally enforced but is instead a discretionary governance tool, which undermines its credibility as a security signal.
Green / Yellow / Red
Green is assigned when zero hot-patch deploys occurred in the trailing 30 days, or when any bypass was explicitly authorized by governance vote and publicly documented. Yellow covers one hot-patch deploy in 30 days with a documented emergency justification. Red is assigned when two or more hot-patch deploys occurred in the trailing 30 days without corresponding governance authorization, or when any hot-patch modified a contract in scope for a current audit.
Common gray cases
This factor is grayed when the protocol has no timelock (making "bypass" undefined), or when all upgrades in the window preceded the protocol's adoption of a timelock.
Notable historical examples
No cross-hacked incidents currently linked in database for this factor.
Measurement what to look for#
Count upgrades executed in the last 30 days without going through the declared timelock path.