Ethereum just locked in one of its most significant protocol decisions in years. FOCIL (EIP-7805) has been confirmed as the consensus-layer headliner for the upcoming Hegota fork, setting the stage for a fundamental shift in how transactions are included onchain.

The move signals Ethereum's intent to harden its censorship resistance at the base protocol level, a goal developers have discussed for years but are now actively shipping.

The Upgrade That Changes Transaction Inclusion

Soispoke (Thomas Thiery), on X, broke the news of FOCIL's SFI status:

"FOCIL (EIP-7805) was just SFI'd and is the CL headliner for the Hegota fork. This means Ethereum has decided to prioritize a feature that improves censorship resistance, gives better inclusion guarantees to its users, and strengthens its position as the most credibly neutral network to build on."

He added that the Ethereum community standing behind upgrades reinforcing cypherpunk values remains rare and meaningful, calling it only the beginning of what needs to ship.

Vitalik Buterin, responding directly on X, explained the deeper technical synergy at play. According to Vitalik Buterin, on X, FOCIL and EIP-8141 together form a two-pronged system that can guarantee rapid transaction inclusion within one to two slots, even if a hostile actor controls 100% of block slots:

"With FOCIL and 8141 together, anything, including smart wallet txs, gas sponsored txs, and even privacy protocol txs, can be included onchain through one of 17 different actors... that are all chosen randomly in each slot."

How FOCIL and EIP-8141 Work Together

FOCIL introduces up to 17 randomly selected actors per slot who can push transactions directly into blocks. This strips the single block proposer of exclusive gating power. Even if the entire proposer pipeline is captured by an entity refusing public mempool access or discriminating against specific applications, transactions still reach inclusion through independent includers.

EIP-8141 extends that framework further. It makes smart accounts, including multisig wallets, quantum-resistant signature schemes, and gas-sponsored setups, first-class citizens on Ethereum. Transactions from these accounts can be submitted directly onchain without wrappers, relayers, or broadcasters acting as intermediaries.

Buterin noted that privacy protocol transactions specifically benefit from this combination. They can enter via the public mempool and be picked up directly by a FOCIL includer, removing the need for any external routing infrastructure. Each FOCIL inclusion list currently sits at around 8 KB, keeping them lightweight, though Buterin pointed to a clear path for scaling them significantly in the future.

Why This Matters Beyond the Technical Layer

The Hegota fork follows Glamsterdam, which is targeted for the first half of 2026. FOCIL's confirmation as the consensus-layer centerpiece for Hegota means Ethereum is treating censorship resistance not as a feature but as a protocol guarantee, and that distinction carries weight.

Buterin was direct in closing his post with three words: "Ethereum is going hard."

The Ethereum Foundation's 2026 priorities update, published February 18, separately listed FOCIL under the new "Harden the L1" track led by Thomas Thiery, confirming this is not a single-developer push but a coordinated protocol direction from the foundation itself. External coverage from The Block and Blockonomi have both flagged this as one of Ethereum's most consequential near-term upgrades.


This Article First Appeared on:https://www.cryptonewslive.org/article/ethereums-focil-and-eip-8141-could-end-censorship-forever