No, they can't. A multisig wallet's threshold and signer list are modifiable on-chain states. Once the change takes effect, all new transactions must meet the new threshold rule. Signatures collected on old transactions only apply under the old rule and won't be recognized by the new one.
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Under the Hood of Threshold Changes
Multisig contracts like Safe check whether a transaction can be executed by looking at a number called the nonce attached to that transaction. When you change the threshold from 2/3 to 3/5, the on-chain state updates, but the nonce for the old transaction request is already frozen—it still carries the signature requirement from before the change. Safe's execTransaction function verifies the current threshold, and once an update proposal created by a tool like useUpdateThreshold is on chain, the old transaction will fail during verification (source: Safe docs).
Scenario A: The Old Transaction is a Pending Proposal That Hasn't Been Executed
If you created a 2/3 transfer proposal before the change and already collected 2 signatures but haven't executed it yet, what happens when you later change the threshold to 3/5?
On-chain actual state: The proposal still exists (stored in the contract's
pendingTransactionsmapping), but itsnonceis linked to the execution conditions at the moment before the change. When you try to get a 3rd signature and execute it, the contract will first read the current threshold (3), then check the transaction's signatures (2), and reject it.Completion standard: The old proposal cannot be executed and won't be automatically canceled. It will stay stuck in the pending list unless you manually cancel it. Safe's
createChangeThresholdTxreturns a Safe transaction that callschangeThreshold, which only changes the threshold and does not affect old transactions (source: Safe docs).
Scenario B: The Old Transaction Was Already Submitted but Not Yet Mined
This is a more extreme case. If, before the threshold change, 2/3 signatures were already collected and the transaction was submitted to the execution queue (or even in the mempool) but not yet mined, and then you change the threshold early.
Result: When the transaction gets mined, the miner will use the current on-chain state (threshold=3/5) to verify the number of signatures (still 2). The check fails, so the transaction will revert on chain, but gas is still spent.
Completion standard: Look up the transaction hash on a block explorer. Its status will be
Fail, meaning it didn't succeed.
High-risk warning: In theory, you could "re-collect signatures" to make an old transaction valid after a threshold change, but that requires all original signers to cooperate and re-sign, which is extremely costly in practice. A more common pitfall: forgetting to cancel old proposals after the change, assuming they are invalid. Later, someone tries to add signatures, wasting gas and causing workflow chaos.
Common Causes of Failure
Mistakenly thinking "threshold changes only affect future transactions": Many newcomers believe changing the threshold is just a settings adjustment and previously signed old transactions remain unaffected. In reality, the multisig contract's verification logic reads state in real time, so there is no "old transaction exemption" design.
Not cleaning up old proposals before changing the threshold: If you have multiple pending transactions before the change, they will all become unexecutable afterward. It's best to let all pending transactions complete or manually cancel them before initiating the threshold change.
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After the Change
Verification method: Go to a block explorer and check your multisig wallet address for the
ThresholdChangedevent log to confirm the new threshold is in effect.Next step: Before initiating a new transaction, refresh the pending list in your wallet interface. If any old proposals remain, manually click "Cancel" or "Reject" to clean them up. Otherwise, they will occupy the nonce and disrupt the ordering of future transactions.
