Ethereum’s Go‑Ethereum client, Geth, has just released version 1.17.7. The update follows a failed Ubuntu PPA upload of 1.17.6 and bundles several bug fixes that appeared after the previous release. The new build is ready for the upcoming Amsterdam fork on Sepolia, scheduled for October 6, 2026, and validators may run either 1.17.6 or 1.17.7 without compatibility issues.
A key feature of 1.17.7 is the ability to set a custom history pruning point using the flag `--history.chain <block number>:<block hash>`. This option works for both the `geth prune-history` command and the snap‑sync process, allowing nodes to skip downloading chain history before the chosen block.
The release also addresses several memory and sync‑related bugs. It fixes a leak that occurred when stopping the chain, cleans pathdb caches when the database is disabled, and restores the txpool empty‑state fallback during snap sync. Additionally, it improves block‑level access‑list handling for both snap sync and state sync.
Other changes include support for both execution and state gas in miner transaction selection (EIP‑8037), a new multi‑cloud bootnode set operated by NodeOps, and updates to execution‑spec‑tests fixtures to version 21. The milestone also adds a new `postosaka` pruning point and refines peer selection logic to avoid fetching blocks outside the requested range.
Users can obtain the updated binaries from the official Geth downloads page, pull Docker images tagged `stable` from ethereum/client-go, or install Ubuntu and macOS packages via Launchpad and Homebrew taps. The release notes provide a full list of changes and a link to the milestone on GitHub.