Timelock

A delay mechanism that forces a waiting period between proposing and executing changes.

A timelock is a smart contract that enforces a mandatory delay between when a privileged action is proposed and when it can execute. Standard delays range from 24 hours to 7 days. Timelocks give users time to react — exit positions, move funds, organize opposition to a governance proposal — before changes take effect.

A timelock bypass (executing changes faster than the documented delay) is one of the strongest signals of governance compromise. Some teams have published timelock delays in docs but then routed changes through admin keys that bypass them entirely.