Inclusion List
A proposer-builder-separation mechanism letting a block proposer specify transactions that must be included in the block, regardless of which builder's block is ultimately chosen.
An inclusion list is a proposed mechanism within the proposer-builder separation model (see Kaavon's "Builder (MEV)" glossary definition) that lets a block proposer specify a list of transactions that any builder's block must include, independent of whatever block content the builder otherwise chooses to construct for profit-maximization reasons. This gives proposers a direct lever to guarantee certain transactions make it into the chain, rather than leaving inclusion entirely up to builders' own incentives.
Inclusion lists are specifically designed to strengthen censorship resistance (see Kaavon's "Censorship Resistance" glossary definition) in a block-production market where a small number of specialized, sophisticated builders might otherwise have outsized influence over which valid transactions actually get included, since a proposer can use an inclusion list to force in transactions a builder might prefer to exclude, such as those interacting with a sanctioned address. The mechanism specifically targets the builder layer of proposer-builder separation, complementing other defenses like forced inclusion (see Kaavon's "Forced Inclusion" glossary definition) at the rollup sequencer level.
Examples
- A proposer using an inclusion list can guarantee a specific pending transaction gets included in the next block, even if the winning builder's block would otherwise have excluded it.
- Inclusion lists specifically address censorship risk at the builder layer of proposer-builder separation, distinct from forced-inclusion mechanisms that address censorship risk at a rollup's sequencer layer.