Ethereum core developers have confirmed that EIP-7805: Fork-choice enforced Inclusion Lists (FOCIL) will be Considered for Inclusion (CFI) in the upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade. While EIP-7732: Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation (ePBS) has taken the lead headliner spot, FOCIL has garnered strong support from both developers and the community for its potential to improve Ethereum’s censorship resistance and transaction inclusion guarantees.
What is FOCIL?
Ethereum's censorship resistance is strengthened by EIP-7805, which introduces FOCIL, a mechanism that guarantees timely transaction inclusion. FOCIL assigns validators to inclusion list committees, who then broadcast lists of transactions from the mempool.
Proposers and attesters collect these lists and include the transactions in blocks, which are then voted on. This process improves censorship resistance, mitigates bribery and extortion attacks, and enhances transaction inclusion guarantees.
Developer Presentation in ACDC #162
At ACDC #162, researcher Jihoon Song detailed FOCIL’s design and complexity. Key points included the validator assignment process, equivocation handling, and how FOCIL can integrate with ePBS.
He also described enforcement logic for determining if missing inclusion list transactions could have been appended to the payload.
Slides: Google Docs
PEEPanEIP Episode: Watch Here
Why FOCIL Wasn’t Made a Headliner?
Despite its benefits, developers agreed that FOCIL’s cross-layer complexity requires more testing before being enshrined. Stakeholder feedback from the Notion synthesis report showed strong support, but also highlighted readiness and integration concerns.
- 14 stakeholders backed FOCIL in combination with other features.
- 5 ranked it as their top choice.
Given these factors, it was designated CFI to allow continued development without risking Glamsterdam’s schedule.
Prominent voices backed FOCIL strongly:
- Mark (ethDreamer.eth) emphasized its synergy with ePBS.
- Tim Beiko suggested SFI for ePBS & BALs, with FOCIL remaining CFI until benchmarks are ready.
- Barnabas Busa expressed surprise at its demotion from headliner, calling it a major change in its own right.
FOCIL directly addresses Ethereum’s censorship resistance by providing a fallback mechanism for transaction inclusion. If combined with ePBS, it could create the most censorship-resilient block production architecture in Ethereum’s history, ensuring the network remains open and permissionless even in adverse conditions.
Conclusion
FOCIL’s CFI status signals Ethereum’s commitment to advancing censorship resistance while balancing implementation risk. With strong developer and community support, it stands as a leading candidate for future upgrades.
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