Cardano Plans Constitution Update to Keep Leios Parameters Governable Before Dijkstra

Input Output Group has outlined a planned update to the Cardano Constitution ahead of the Dijkstra era, focused on a practical governance issue created by new protocol features.

Dijkstra is expected to introduce Ouroboros Leios and nested transactions. Both features bring new updatable protocol parameters, but Cardano governance can only adjust parameters that are explicitly listed in the Constitution’s Guardrails. Without an update before the hard fork, those new settings could become active on-chain without being adjustable through governance.

Cardano Constitution Update Targets Dijkstra Readiness

Cardano’s Constitution places formal limits on protocol governance by defining which parameters can be changed and within what ranges. That structure limits open-ended control over the protocol, but it also requires new hard fork parameters to be added before they can be managed after activation.

The proposed update would add the Dijkstra-related parameters and their Guardrail ranges to the Constitution. IOG said the change is limited to that technical purpose and does not alter the Constitution’s tenets, the roles of DReps, stake pool operators or the Constitutional Committee, voting thresholds or existing rights.

That distinction keeps the proposal focused on hard fork readiness rather than broader constitutional reform. The update is not presented as a redesign of Cardano governance, but as a procedural step needed before the network enters a new protocol phase.

For ADA holders represented by DReps, the proposal moves Dijkstra preparation into the formal governance process before Leios and nested transaction parameters become part of the live network.

Leios and Nested Transactions Require Defined Guardrails

Ouroboros Leios is Cardano’s planned scaling upgrade for higher throughput and more responsive transaction processing. Its design depends on parameters that can be tuned as network conditions change, which makes governance access to those settings part of the operating model.

The Constitution update would not give governance unlimited control over those parameters. Instead, the Guardrails define the permitted range for future adjustments, allowing the network to adapt without removing constitutional limits around protocol changes.

Nested transactions add a separate technical layer to the Dijkstra upgrade path. They are expected to expand how transactions can be structured and used within Cardano’s protocol. If those features introduce new adjustable parameters, those settings also need to be recognized by the Constitution before the hard fork takes effect.

The result is a sequencing requirement: the protocol can introduce new capabilities through Dijkstra, but governance needs defined authority over the related parameters before those capabilities are activated.

DReps and Constitutional Committee Will Review One Proposal

IOG said the plan is to prepare one Constitution proposal covering all Dijkstra-related parameters, instead of splitting the update into several separate actions. The approach gives DReps a single technical package to assess before voting.

The process starts with finalizing the Dijkstra scope and identifying the exact parameters involved. Intersect’s Parameter Committee is expected to define the Guardrails for each parameter, while the Plutus team prepares the updated Guardrails Script that will accompany the Constitution change.

DReps would vote on ratification, while the Constitutional Committee would confirm whether the action is constitutional. IOG said the target is to submit the governance action no later than epoch 655, which begins on September 11, 2026, at 21:44 UTC.

The proposal puts Cardano’s next hard fork on a defined governance path before the new protocol logic is activated. Dijkstra can bring Leios and nested transactions into the technical roadmap, but the Constitution update determines whether the parameters behind those features enter mainnet with clear limits, review and adjustable control from day one. For ADA governance, the decision is not only about adding new settings, it is about defining the range of control before those settings become part of the live protocol.