Filecoin NV28 Fire Horse Upgrade Integrates Real-Time Data Verification and Passkey Support

Filecoin’s NV28 network upgrade, codenamed "Fire Horse," is now live on mainnet. The release targets two specific friction points: programmatic data verification and user onboarding. By modifying how the Filecoin Ethereum Virtual Machine (FEVM) handles storage states and cryptography, the update attempts to bridge the gap between raw data storage and the Ethereum-aligned decentralized finance ecosystem.

Historically, FEVM smart contracts operated with a blind spot. They could not verify the actual state of physical storage on the network without relying on complex, multi-step off-chain workarounds. This limitation made it difficult to build automated financial or operational agreements tied directly to the state of stored data.

FIP-0112 changes this dynamic. Smart contracts can now query and verify the health, status, and expiration of any storage sector in real time directly on the FEVM. This real-time visibility allows developers to build automated, trustless systems that react instantly to changes in storage state. Specifically, the upgrade enables three primary use cases that were previously impractical to implement:

• Automated storage insurance: Contracts can automatically verify if a storage sector has failed or lapsed and trigger immediate payouts to users.
• Trustless storage-backed financial derivatives: Financial products can be created using verified storage sectors as collateral, with the contract continuously monitoring the health of that collateral.
• Self-renewing storage agreements: Agreements can be programmed to automatically extend or execute new storage deals the moment an existing sector nears its expiration date.

By removing the need for off-chain intermediaries to prove that data is safe, the upgrade makes storage status a programmable primitive within the FEVM.

The NV28 upgrade also addresses user onboarding by introducing native support for the secp256r1 elliptic curve. FIP-0113 integrates this cryptographic curve directly into the FEVM, allowing users to authenticate and log in to Filecoin-based decentralized applications using native passkeys instead of writing down, securing, and manually entering seed phrases. This includes biometric methods such as Face ID and fingerprint scanners, as well as physical hardware keys. Developers can now build onboarding flows that mimic the security and convenience of modern web applications, with the underlying cryptography handled natively by the FEVM to maintain decentralized security standards.

Behind these front-facing features lie two technical adjustments designed to keep the network stable and developer-friendly, addressing block space economics and cross-chain compatibility.

First, FIP-0115 redesigns Filecoin's base fee mechanism. Filecoin operates on a multi-proposer block production system, which can lead to erratic fee behavior during periods of high demand. To create a more predictable economic environment, FIP-0115 reformulates how gas fees are calculated, basing fee adjustments on the ratio between tips and the base fee. This redesigned ratio allows the network to reflect actual congestion and demand, smoothing out sudden fee spikes for users and storage providers.

Second, FIP-0114 focuses on maintaining alignment with the broader Ethereum ecosystem by adding the Count Leading Zeros (CLZ) opcode to the FEVM. The addition matches Ethereum's upcoming Fusaka upgrade. By incorporating this opcode now, Filecoin ensures that its virtual machine remains fully compatible with Ethereum's developer tools, preventing existing developer pipelines and smart contract frameworks from breaking when Ethereum deploys its own updates.