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[FEATURE] opt-in automated node upgrades for operator #24233

Description

@y3v63n

Problem Statement

Survey of 45 operators (May 2026) flagged the current upgrade process as a top-5 pain. Operators — including the largest providers — reported that upgrade timing is a recurring pain: updates can land hours before a hardfork, and a missed or late upgrade risks slashing (the V4 cutover slashed a large number of sequencers who didn't upgrade in time).

Proposed Solution

Add an opt-in mechanism for operators (e.g. AUTO_UPGRADE=true) to have their node automatically apply network upgrades, rather than manually upgrading on each release.

Example Use Case

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Alternative Solutions

This is the automated-upgrade half of the upgrade feedback. The upgrade-communication half is being handled separately and is not part of this issue.

Additional Context

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    C-nodeComponent: Aztec NodeT-feature-requestType: Adding a brand new feature (not to be confused with improving an existing feature).from-communityThis originated from the community :)
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