Inclusion Lists (FOCIL)
Associated ENS: inclusionlist.eth
Canonical term: Inclusion Lists / Fork-Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists (FOCIL)
Registry ID: inclusionlist
Status: Draft EIP
Classification: Core
Summary
This anchor tracks Inclusion Lists, including Fork-Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists (FOCIL), as a protocol-level mechanism for enforcing transaction inclusion constraints within Ethereum.
Rather than coordinating transaction selection, inclusion lists introduce consensus-enforced constraints on block construction, limiting the ability of proposers and builders to exclude specific transactions.
Context
Inclusion lists are designed to mitigate transaction censorship by introducing protocol-level guarantees on inclusion.
They ensure that certain transactions cannot be indefinitely excluded from the execution pipeline.
FOCIL extends this concept by embedding inclusion enforcement directly into fork-choice rules, making inclusion constraints part of consensus behavior, rather than optional coordination or external policy.
The primary specification associated with this mechanism is EIP-7805.
Pipeline Position
Constraint Layer (Post-Order Flow, Pre-Finalization)
Coordination Role
Inclusion lists do not coordinate actors directly.
Instead, they constrain coordination outcomes by:
- limiting proposer discretion over transaction inclusion
- restricting builder optimization strategies
- enforcing inclusion requirements through fork-choice dynamics
They redefine how transaction selection interacts with consensus by introducing hard inclusion constraints.
Constraint Dynamics
FOCIL introduces a structural tension between:
- block value maximization (builder incentives)
- mandatory inclusion constraints (protocol enforcement)
This results in a constrained optimization problem, where builders and proposers must satisfy inclusion requirements while attempting to preserve economic efficiency.
Protocol Grounding
This mechanism is grounded in:
- EIP-7805
- Ethereum research on inclusion enforcement
- fork-choice rule modifications
- censorship resistance design
It represents a consensus-layer intervention, not an application-layer coordination mechanism.
Structural Importance
FOCIL represents a shift from:
discretionary inclusion → protocol-constrained inclusion
This transformation affects:
- transaction selection authority
- censorship resistance guarantees
- proposer–builder interaction under constraints
Inclusion becomes a protocol-enforced boundary condition, rather than an emergent coordination outcome.
Semantic Stability
- “Inclusion Lists” → broadly adopted umbrella term
- “FOCIL” → precise reference to fork-choice enforced implementations
Semantic convergence is ongoing, but the concept is progressively stabilizing within protocol research.
Naming Alignment
- ENS anchor:
inclusionlist.eth - Canonical terms: Inclusion Lists / FOCIL
The ENS aligns with a high-confidence semantic surface, closely tied to protocol development.
Registry Role
- Track semantic convergence between inclusion lists and FOCIL
- Document constraint-based inclusion mechanisms
- Distinguish inclusion enforcement from coordination layers
- Map inclusion constraints within Ethereum’s execution and consensus pipeline
Status
Draft EIP with high protocol relevance and strong likelihood of semantic persistence.
Sources
Primary research references are documented in:
schemas/inclusionlist/