Glossary
Inclusion List
A proposed Ethereum mechanism that lets proposers force a set of pending transactions into the next block, preventing builders from quietly censoring users.
An inclusion list is a mechanism that lets a block proposer specify a set of pending transactions that must be included in a coming block, constraining whoever ultimately builds it. Under proposer-builder separation, validators outsource block construction to specialized builders, which gives those builders the power to omit — or censor — transactions from particular addresses, such as those on a sanctions list. Inclusion lists push back by guaranteeing that valid, fee-paying transactions cannot simply be ignored.
Ethereum research has explored several designs, most recently the fork-choice-enforced inclusion list (FOCIL), where a committee of validators rather than a single proposer assembles the list, making it harder to bribe or pressure any one party. A block that fails to honor the inclusion list is considered invalid, so the rule is enforced by consensus rather than goodwill. The goal is to preserve credible neutrality and censorship resistance even as block building grows more centralized and professionalized.