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Update EIP-7778: Block Gas Accounting without Refunds and Route Refunds #11857

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Update EIP-7778: Block Gas Accounting without Refunds and Route Refunds #11857

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28 changes: 25 additions & 3 deletions EIPS/eip-7778.md
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
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---
eip: 7778
title: Block Gas Accounting without Refunds
description: Prevent Block Gas Limit Circumvention by Excluding Refunds from Block Gas Accounting
description: Prevent Block Gas Limit Circumvention by Excluding Refunds from Block Gas Accounting and Introduce Refund Routing based on Their Origin
author: Ben Adams (@benaadams), Toni Wahrstätter (@nerolation)
discussions-to: https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/eip-7778-prevent-block-gas-smuggling/21234
status: Draft
Expand All @@ -12,7 +12,9 @@ created: 2024-10-01

## Abstract

This EIP modifies the block gas accounting mechanism to prevent the circumvention of block gas limits. It proposes that gas refunds, particularly those from SSTORE operations setting storage slots to zero, should not reduce the gas counted toward the block gas limit, while still being applied to transaction gas costs for users.
This EIP modifies the block gas accounting mechanism to prevent the circumvention of block gas limits. It proposes that gas refunds, particularly those from `SSTORE` operations setting storage slots to zero, should not reduce the gas counted toward the block gas limit, while still being applied to transaction gas costs for users.

Additionally, this EIP introduces refund routing based on the origin of refunds in order to further improve gas accounting. These rules apply retroactively to existing gas refunds but do not modify the value of any refund mechanism.

## Motivation

Expand All @@ -26,6 +28,8 @@ This mechanism can be exploited to perform more operations in a block than the g
2. Denial-of-service vectors
3. Computational loads exceeding the intended block gas limit

Furthermore, existing refunds (for example, the authorization refunds introduced by [EIP-7702](./eip-7702.md) are routed through the single refund counter retained after [EIP-3529](./eip-3529.md). As a result, refunded gas remains unavailable until the end of the transaction and is subject to the 20% refund cap. Separating these refunds according to their origin improves gas accounting and can reduce transaction costs by making refunded gas available through more appropriate accounting mechanisms.

## Specification

### Gas Accounting Changes
Expand All @@ -41,6 +45,17 @@ This mechanism can be exploited to perform more operations in a block than the g
- Block gas accounting becomes: `block.gas_used += max(tx_gas_used, calldata_floor_gas_cost)` (incorporating the calldata floor from [EIP-7623](./eip-7623.md))
- Storage discounts that reflect actual reduced computational work (e.g., warm storage access, reverting to original values) remain applied to block gas accounting

### Refund Routing

This EIP defines two categories of gas refunds according to their origin:

- `external refund`: a refund originating from state changes performed by previous transactions. For example, transaction A creates a storage slot and transaction B subsequently clears it.
- `internal refund`: a refund originating from state changes or overcharges within the same transaction. For example, refunds resulting from the overcharging of [EIP-7702](./eip-7702.md) authorizations.

The refund counter only accepts refunds belonging to the `external refund` category.

Refunds belonging to the `internal refund` category MUST NOT be added to the refund counter and instead MUST be accounted for using alternative mechanisms, such as dedicated refund reservoirs or counters.

## Rationale

### Aligning Gas Limits with Computational Work
Expand All @@ -51,6 +66,10 @@ The block gas limit is designed to constrain the computational load per block. G

Users still receive gas refunds, maintaining incentives for efficient state management. Only the accounting for block-level constraints changes, not the economics for individual users

### Refund Routing

Separating refunds according to their origin further improves gas accounting while preserving the existing refund mechanisms. This proposal changes how refunds are accounted for but does not alter the economic value of existing refunds.

## Backwards Compatibility

- This change is not backwards compatible and requires a hard fork
Expand All @@ -71,12 +90,15 @@ Users still receive gas refunds, maintaining incentives for efficient state mana
- Verify that transaction costs for users remain unchanged
- Confirm block gas accounting properly excludes refunds

4. **Refund Routing:**
- Verify that only `external refunds` are added to the refund counter

## Security Considerations

- Eliminates potential denial-of-service vectors that exploit gas refunds to exceed block computational limits
- Improves predictability of block processing times by enforcing stricter limits on computational work
- Prevents miners/validators from including transactions that collectively contain more computational work than intended

## Copyright
## Copyright

Copyright and related rights waived via [CC0](../LICENSE.md).
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