# EIP-8369 Considers Transaction Position Stability for FOCIL Enforcement Profiles

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Published: 2026-09-09T12:02:19.335Z
Publisher: Fork Brief

EIP-8369's latest discussion evaluates VOPS profiles for FOCIL eligibility, focusing on how to classify frame transactions by their stability against block position changes. The refinement seeks practical, enforceable rules for inclusion guarantees under Ethereum's upcoming FOCIL framework.

## Eligibility Profiles for Inclusion List Enforcement

EIP-8369 examines two validity-only partial statelessness (VOPS) profiles to determine which Ethereum transactions can receive enforcement through FOCIL (fork-choice enforced inclusion lists). Profile 1 includes conventional transactions, while Profile 2 targets EIP-8141 frame transactions, provided their validation is confined to a fixed account abstraction state and relies on features like keyed nonces and recent root checks. This distinction matters for defining which transactions' inclusion can practically be enforced by validators and builders without excessive computational cost. [eips.ethereum.org](https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-8369); [ethereum-magicians.org](https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/eip-8369-vops-profiles-for-focil-eligibility/29298)

## Position Stability as a Classification Criterion

Recent discussion highlights the possibility of classifying Profile 2 transactions based on 'position stability'—whether their validity is independent of where they're placed in a block. For transactions where all validation dependencies do not mutate with block order, EIP-8369 proposes enforcing the end-of-payload omission check (as in Profile 1). For others, which depend on mutable state like payer balance or shared resources, the builder-selected index mechanism retains its role. However, the profile's definition of position-stable transactions remains incomplete, as transaction dependencies may still be mutable even if some aspects, like a fresh keyed nonce, are stable. [ethereum-magicians.org](https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/eip-8369-vops-profiles-for-focil-eligibility/29298); [eips.ethereum.org](https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-8369)

## Current Scope and Future Extension

The EIP remains informational and does not yet set protocol-enforced limits. It lays the groundwork for a standards-track extension that would make position stability a decisive, mechanistically checkable predicate for frame transaction enforcement under FOCIL. This would clarify and potentially simplify enforcement logic by separating position-stable from position-dependent transactions. Ongoing debate centers on ensuring that all classified conditions are explicit and mechanically verifiable, avoiding reliance on discretionary builder classification. [ethereum-magicians.org](https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/eip-8369-vops-profiles-for-focil-eligibility/29298)

## Sources

- [EIP-8369: VOPS Profiles for FOCIL Eligibility \[DRAFT\]](https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-8369) — eips.ethereum.org
- [EIP-8369: VOPS Profiles for FOCIL Eligibility](https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/eip-8369-vops-profiles-for-focil-eligibility/29298) — Ethereum Magicians

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