# Access Node operators - please update to v0.51.1 (graceful shutdown fix)

**URL:** <https://forum.flow.com/t/access-node-operators-please-update-to-v0-51-1-graceful-shutdown-fix/8705>\
**Category:** Node Operations\
**Created:** [August 28, 2026, 6:39pm UTC](https://forum.flow.com/t/access-node-operators-please-update-to-v0-51-1-graceful-shutdown-fix/8705 "2026-08-28T18:39:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![vishal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/49beb7/32.png) [@vishal](https://forum.flow.com/u/vishal)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 6:39pm UTC](https://forum.flow.com/t/access-node-operators-please-update-to-v0-51-1-graceful-shutdown-fix/8705/1 "2026-08-28T18:39:38Z")

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Hello Flow **Access** Node Operators,

Recently an issue was identified where Access Nodes would hang during shutdown and only exit when force-killed by the container supervisor: [Access node hangs when shutting down · Issue #8666 · onflow/flow-go · GitHub](https://github.com/onflow/flow-go/issues/8666). The root cause was that long-lived streaming subscriptions (e.g. block/event streams) would keep grpc.Server.GracefulStop() blocked indefinitely, preventing the AN process from exiting cleanly.

A fix has been implemented and validated end-to-end on the foundation testnet and mainnet Access Nodes:

- PR: [[v0.51] [AN] Backport graceful shutdown fix (#8662, #8664) by vishalchangrani · Pull Request #8676 · onflow/flow-go · GitHub](https://github.com/onflow/flow-go/pull/8676)
- Tag: [Release v0.51.1: Graceful shutdown fix for Access Node (issue #8666) · onflow/flow-go · GitHub](https://github.com/onflow/flow-go/releases/tag/v0.51.1)

**Who this affects:**  **Access Node operators only**. Consensus, Collection, Execution, and Verification nodes are unaffected.

This is **not** urgent. Please update at your convenience.

**Docker images available:**

- `v0.51.1`

- `v0.51.1-without-adx`

- `v0.51.1-without-netgo-without-adx`

- `v0.51.1-arm`

**Important notes:**

- No changes to the flags
- Do _ **NOT** _ delete your data folder
- No coordination with other operators required (this is not a height-coordinated upgrade)
- For operators running multiple Access Nodes, you can stagger updates however you like there’s no strict ordering required.