Story Protocol Digest #059
Jan 20 - 27, 2026
Story heads into February with governance, protocol economics, and builder momentum converging at once. This week’s update covers new SIPs shaping emissions and staking, the upcoming v1.5.1 release timeline, continued progress on developer education, and steady signals that the ecosystem is maturing across governance, creators, agents, and community leadership.
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Two New Story Improvement Proposals Now Live
Two governance proposals have been published for community review. SIP-00009 focuses on recalibrating emissions and adjusting locked staking incentives to support long-term sustainability. SIP-00010 proposes reducing staking thresholds to expand community participation. Both proposals are open for discussion on the Story Forum.
Story v1.5.1 Release: Testnet and Mainnet Timelines
Story announced the upcoming release of v1.5.1, which implements the parameter changes outlined in SIP-00009. The code was released on January 26, 2026, with Aeneid Testnet activation now scheduled for February 2, 2026.
Mainnet activation is targeted for February 2, 2026, with a potential window extending through February 5, 2026. Major changes include an emissions adjustment to 1.1657 IP per block and a locked staking multiplier reduction from 0.5x to 0.025x.
Node operators should note that while v1.5.1 binaries have been pre-released, the team has advised holding off on upgrades while testing continues. Full details are available in the proposal.
Local Host 3000 Continues Weekly Vibe Coding Sessions
Story Engineers hosted the latest session of Local Host 3000, covering foundational topics for vibe coding including getting started with Next.js, tips for using Cursor and Claude effectively, and managing context windows and model costs. The series emphasizes that while AI-assisted coding accelerates development, real-world judgment remains essential. Sessions air live every Wednesday at 2:00 PM ET. Watch the latest episode or RSVP for the next one.
Liza Minnelli Remix Contest Launches on Gimi
Liza Minnelli has released her first new music since 2013, powered by ElevenLabs AI voice infrastructure. The release comes paired with a remix contest where participants can submit original remixes and earn rewards. More information and submissions here.
NANA Remix Competition Wraps Up
NANA and DOKO have been reacting to their favorite submissions from the NANA remix competition hosted on Aria Protocol. The contest received over 170 original remixes from producers across the community. Winners will be announced in the coming days, with $15,000 in prizes set to be distributed.
Agent TCP/IP: Infrastructure for the Agent Economy
The internet runs on TCP/IP, and some believe the agent economy will run on Agent TCP/IP. Shai, Founder and CEO of Fraction AI, joined Andrea, President and CPO of Story Protocol, to discuss Agent TCP/IP, a protocol designed to let AI agents trade intellectual property autonomously. The conversation aired Tuesday, January 27 at 4:00 PM GMT on X and YouTube.
Story CPO on Verifiable Compute and Data Incentives
In a recent discussion, Story CPO Andrea outlined the vision behind Story and EigenCloud’s approach to verifiable compute. He noted that incentivizing contributions of rare data requires a model that crypto can uniquely provide. Watch the full conversation.
Security at Story: Governance and Execution
Story published a new blog post detailing how security extends beyond code to include governance decisions, upgrade scheduling, and onchain execution. The piece covers how upgrades move safely from testnet to mainnet, how onchain governance powers are structured, and how multisigs and a Security Council reduce execution risk. This continues a multi-part series on Story’s approach to security. Read the full post.
Community Spotlight: New OGs and IP Lead
With the Adepts Lab on break and new ambassadors on the way, the Story team recognized several community members who have leveled up. @davidbolaji19 has been a strong supporter in the Nigerian region through games, quizzes, Twitter spaces, and IRL efforts like the Pidgin Story event.
@wywtt24 has emerged as one of the most active newcomers in the Chinese community, consistently sharing quality content and helping newcomers.
@Hedvigmolly has shown long-term support through events, content, and artwork. @563_radha has organized community events and created Story-focused video content. All four have moved into the Seeker role. Joining the IP Leads is @ryan0x28. See the previous spotlight.
Validator Questionnaire Now Closed
The Validator Questionnaire for the Foundation Delegation Program has officially closed, with over 100 validators submitting applications. The Story team is currently reviewing all submissions and may reach out to individual teams via email over the next two weeks with follow-up questions. Once the review is complete, all applicants will be notified whether they have been qualified, waitlisted, or denied.