Description

This is runtime-only release, client isn't impacted.

This is a patch release that includes a few issue fixes & minor improvements:

1. Fix for dApp Staking Unstake Bug 🔧

A long-standing edge case in the unstake_from_unregistered function of the dApp Staking module has now been addressed. This fix ensures smoother exits for dApps that are no longer registered in the staking contract, maintaining consistency and improving protocol safety.

📤 Key Improvements:

• Ensures safe token return to users unstaking from deactivated or deregistered dApps.
• Prevents inconsistencies that could arise during unregistration cycles.
• Keeps staking flow aligned with expected UX.

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2. Increased Maximum PoV Size to Match Kusama/Polkadot ⛓️‍💥

This runtime increases the maximum Proof-of-Validity (PoV) size, aligning Astar more closely with Polkadot and Kusama standards. The adjustment provides more headroom for block validation data, accommodating more complex transactions and interactions.

📤 Key Improvements:

• Enhances runtime flexibility and scalability.
• Supports future use cases involving higher transaction complexity.
• Helps prepare Astar for continued dApp and user growth.

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3. Democracy Pallet Reset to Version 1 🗳️

We’ve reverted the democracy pallet version to 1, stabilizing metadata compatibility for explorers and other offchain tools that rely on governance tracking.

📤 Why it matters:

• Prevents breaking changes in governance tooling.
• Maintains consistency across all networks (Astar, Shiden, Shibuya).
• Enhances developer confidence by ensuring stable metadata references.

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4. Frontier Dependency Bump for EVM Compatibility ⚙️

The Frontier dependency has been updated to the latest version to ensure better performance, security, and EVM compatibility. While this is a minor update, it plays an important role in maintaining Astar’s EVM support up to modern Ethereum standards.

📤 Highlights:

• Prepares the network for future Ethereum forks.
• Improves internal infrastructure performance.
• Ensures compatibility with explorers, RPCs, and tools used across the ecosystem.

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Additional Technical Changes 🧩

Beyond the core fixes, here are some additional updates bundled into runtime-1601:

• ✅ Invariant checks added to EraInfo for internal runtime validation.
• ✅ Shiden spec_version fix, aligning versioning across networks.
• ✅ Dependency upgrades for security and build tooling (tar-fs, E2E tests).

Release notes

https://github.com/AstarNetwork/Astar/releases/tag/runtime-1601