The Ethereum Foundation (EF) Protocol cluster has officially published its first unified tier list evaluating 62 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) proposed for inclusion in the upcoming Hegoté network upgrade. Rather than relying on fragmented opinions from individual teams, approximately 60 researchers and engineers across research and engineering collaborated to forge a single, consolidated view. While execution layer client Geth will still release its own standalone tier list, their feedback and the insights of every participating team and individual contributor have been integrated directly into this comprehensive evaluation.
The collaborative effort involved nine core teams and multiple domain experts who filled out 16 contribution templates, generating a total of 397 tier grades across the 62 proposals. This translates to an average of 6.4 grades per EIP, with the most heavily debated changes drawing up to nine grades each. The scoring framework relied on independent assessments from contributors, using a traditional grading scale where S equaled 4 points, A equaled 3, B equaled 2, C equaled 1, and D or DFI (Deferred/Declined) equaled 0. Abstentions were explicitly excluded from calculations to ensure they never penalized a proposal.
The published tier list is described as a "steelman" of the collective position. It originated from numerical averages before undergoing rigorous, EIP-by-EIP debate during a dedicated 90-minute working session and half a dozen group calls, resulting in adjustments in both directions. The underlying priorities driving these grades are detailed in a companion publication titled EF Protocol: Current and Emerging Priorities.
Consensus Layer Evaluations and Headliners
Within the consensus layer, proposals were scrutinized for their alignment with the cluster’s roadmap, particularly regarding post-Glamsterdam lessons emphasizing that integration depth dictates true size, complexity compounds rapidly, and testing surfaces remain a scarce resource.
Topping the consensus layer is EIP-7805, introducing FOCIL (Filter-Based Censorship-Resistant Inclusion Lists) as an S-tier headliner. FOCIL achieved a unanimous S grade at full participation, providing any user with a direct path to include an eligible transaction without relying on centralized builders. The cluster noted that FOCIL should ship alongside EIP-8369, an A-tier proposal that defines which transactions are eligible for FOCIL and specifies what validators must verify, thereby extending inclusion guarantees to Frames.
Several other consensus layer proposals secured A-tier status. EIP-8015, which removes dead deposit and eth1data fields with no downstream dependencies, received near-unanimous approval with an average score of 3.14. EIP-8365 addresses BLS withdrawal credential retirement, initiating the transition away from vulnerable cryptography ahead of time. EIP-8383 targets a reduction in the consensus layer block retention window, while EIP-8334 focuses on bundled attestation propagation to cut gossip load with a minimal surface area. EIP-8025 aims to upstream stateless-execution changes directly into canonical execution specifications, bridging the gap for zkVM work.
Other consensus layer proposals landed in the B-tier, requiring specific milestones before advancing. EIP-8146 for block access list sidecars, EIP-8237 for independent consensus and execution layer sync, EIP-8198 for quick slots, and EIP-8321 for hash-chain RANDAO were all evaluated with clear criteria for future inclusion. Meanwhile, a significant portion of consensus layer proposals—including EIP-7716 on anti-correlation attestation penalties and EIP-8142 on block-in-blobs—were placed in the DFI category, deferred or declined due to concerns over scope, timing, or interactions with broader consensus redesigns.
Execution Layer Highlights and Account Abstraction Packages
On the execution layer, EIP-8141 emerged as a prominent S-tier headliner by introducing Frame Transactions. Designed to establish native account abstraction on security grounds, Frame Transactions provide a sustainable path toward post-quantum signature schemes without requiring a separate fork for each scheme. It also introduces aggregation to properly price post-quantum verification while establishing a definitive route to retiring legacy keys. EIP-8141 is slated to ship alongside EIP-8250, which introduces keyed nonces for frame transactions to allow multiple users to share a single sender while maintaining separate nonces, and EIP-8272, which supplies recent roots for frame transactions.
The execution layer A-tier also incorporates vital cleanup and repricing initiatives. EIP-3298 secures an A grade for removing refunds, successfully deleting an entire class of metering edge cases. EIP-5920 introduces the PAY opcode, enabling value transfer without invoking recipient code. EIP-8279 and EIP-8131 form a security-focused bounding pair aimed at worst-case block construction and calldata content floors, respectively.
Additionally, the EIP-7906 transaction assertions via state diff opcode is running alongside Frames on public devnets, proposed for narrowing to focus on events and accessed slots rather than arbitrary storage reads. EIP-8298 and EIP-8151 make up the key-retirement package, facilitating code reuse instructions and restricting legacy ecRecover authentication once smart contract accounts are established. Despite sitting below the traditional A-tier average, EIP-4758 was elevated to the A-tier through an override from engineering teams maintaining the EVM, effectively deactivating SELFDESTRUCT to eliminate a persistent testing hazard.
Conversely, numerous execution layer items were placed into C and DFI categories. Proposals such as EIP-8355, which sought to enshrine specific post-quantum verification precompiles ahead of dedicated cryptographic adjudication, were declined as premature standardization. Other changes, such as EIP-7851 and EIP-7819 concerning alternative account abstraction mechanisms, lost out to the permissionless innovation path established by the Frames approach.
Next Steps and Community Engagement
Out of the 62 total proposals evaluated across both layers, two are classified as must-ship headliners, 15 are expected to ship, and 28 have been formally declined with documented rationale. The remaining cohort includes eight B-tier proposals with explicit requirements for inclusion, seven C-tier proposals sitting below the line, and two TBD proposals awaiting mainnet evidence from the upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade.
Organizers emphasize that defining what to exclude is just as critical to the success of the upgrade as deciding what to include. To foster transparency and address community feedback, the EF Protocol cluster is hosting a dedicated Reddit AMA on r/ethereum. Champions and supporters of non-A-tier or declined EIPs have been invited to submit questions ahead of time, ensuring robust discourse around the engineering trade-offs shaping the Hegoté upgrade.
Comments (0)