Ethereum’s staking exit queue climbed to roughly 851,000 ETH on Oct. 2, reaching its longest estimated wait of 2026. The jump came after MetaMask started withdrawing validators as a precaution following a security incident that affected part of its infrastructure.

The amount waiting to exit stood at about 166,000 ETH on Sept. 29, according to CoinDesk’s analysis. It then increased more than fivefold over three days, reaching approximately 851,000 ETH by Oct. 2. That represented about 2% of the 43.6 million ETH staked on Ethereum and exceeded the roughly 476,000 ETH recorded during the queue spike in May.

By Monday morning in Asia, the exit queue had fallen to around 786,000 ETH, worth slightly more than $2 billion. Based on the current processing capacity, the estimated wait was nearly 14 days.

Ethereum’s staking system allows ETH holders to earn rewards by assigning ether to validators responsible for verifying transactions and maintaining network security. To avoid sudden shifts in the validator set, Ethereum limits the amount of ETH that can enter or leave staking each day.

The current limits allow roughly 57,600 ETH to enter and another 57,600 ETH to exit daily. When large numbers of validators move at once, the restricted throughput can create substantial queues. ETH that completes the exit must then pass through a separate withdrawal process before it becomes available in the holder’s wallet.

MetaMask Responsible for Most of the Exits

MetaMask is behind much of the recent increase in withdrawals. The wallet provider also operates validators for Lido, which pools users’ ETH for staking.

Ethereum security researcher Kaden estimated that the precautionary withdrawals involved approximately 17,000 validators controlling around 523,000 ETH. MetaMask has not verified those figures.

The company disclosed the security incident on Sept. 30 and began removing affected validators from service. An update released Oct. 1 said its investigation had found no evidence that customer wallets or funds were compromised.

Lido expects much of the ETH currently moving through the exit queue to eventually return to staking. The coins will have to move through the validator exit process and subsequent withdrawal stage before being redeployed.

The complete process could take up to about 45 days, according to Lido. Validators affected by the precautionary exits will not earn rewards while they are offline.

“No action is required from stETH holders,” Lido said last week, referring to the token representing ETH staked through its service.

The company expects the last affected MetaMask validators to stop staking by Oct. 7. Their ETH will then enter the exit and withdrawal queues before potentially being deposited back into staking.

Staking Entry Demand Moves Lower

The increase in exits comes as demand to add new ETH to staking has declined. Around 1.5 million ETH, valued at roughly $4 billion, was waiting to enter the staking system on Monday, with an estimated wait of about 25 days.

In early September, the entry queue held approximately 2 million ETH and carried an estimated wait of about 35 days. The amount waiting to enter staking has consequently dropped by more than a quarter, contrasting with the temporary surge in withdrawals.