Pi Network sets May 15 deadline for Protocol 23 upgrade

Pi Network directed all mainnet node operators to complete an upgrade to Protocol 23 by May 15. The upgrade will add native smart contract support to the Stellar-based chain. The Pi Core Team warned nodes that do not upgrade will be removed from the mainnet and will lose the ability to validate transactions and to earn participation rewards.

Protocol 23 is built on Stellar Core 23 and is described by the Pi Core Team as the largest technical change since the network launched its open mainnet in February 2025. The release enables smart contract execution natively on the Pi chain and is intended to allow developers to run decentralized applications directly on the network.

The Pi Core Team posted: “The Pi Mainnet is upgrading to Protocol 23 – Deadline: May 15. All Mainnet nodes are required to complete this step before the deadline… This upgrade takes longer to complete, so plan accordingly.” The team set the May 15 deadline for node operators and said the upgrade requires more time than prior releases.

Protocol 23 follows Protocol 22, which went live earlier this week and moved the network onto Stellar Core 22. Node operators were required to install client version 0.5.4 for the Protocol 22 transition.

On markets, PI traded around $0.178 on Saturday, down about 1.2% on the day. The token rose roughly 9% in the run-up to the Protocol 22 deadline before profit-taking pushed the price back. Past Pi upgrades have been accompanied by short price spikes followed by declines, with some moves coinciding with scheduled token unlocks.

Pi is implementing two major infrastructure updates within a single month. If a substantial number of nodes fail to complete the Protocol 23 upgrade by May 15, validator participation could drop until operators update or new nodes are added. If the network completes the upgrade, developers will be able to deploy smart-contract-based applications on the Pi chain.