A new transaction structure has been proposed for Ethereum that would allow users who do not hold ETH to pay transaction fees, or let applications cover gas fees on users’ behalf. Expectations are growing that Ethereum’s wallet and transaction methods could change significantly after Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin (비탈릭 부테린) directly mentioned progress on the proposal.

On Sept. 7, blockchain media outlet Decrypt reported that Buterin said on X, formerly Twitter, that development of the Ethereum Improvement Proposal EIP-8141 has made significant progress. He recommended checking related documents and the updated proposal.

The core of EIP-8141 is to split the existing Ethereum transaction structure into up to 64 "frames". Each frame is processed like a typical smart contract call.

During a transaction, each frame can take on a different role. One step verifies the transaction, another approves who will cover gas fees, and subsequent steps handle the work the user actually wants to execute.

If this structure is applied, the account that signs a transaction and the account that covers gas fees can be separated. It could also change the existing structure in which users had to hold ETH to transact on the Ethereum network. For example, users who hold only stablecoins could pay transaction fees with those tokens. It would also be possible for an application or service operator to cover gas fees in full on a user’s behalf.

On Ethereum, a similar form of gas fee sponsorship was already possible through ERC-4337. ERC-4337-based transactions, however, used a structure that goes through a separate mempool and requires paying costs to a third-party bundler.

EIP-8141’s frame structure differs in that it is designed to operate in Ethereum’s public mempool. Nodes can identify the verification step itself at the protocol level before accepting a transaction.

Another feature is that existing externally owned accounts, or EOAs, can be used as they are. The proposal presents a method of defining "default code" in a wallet without deploying a separate contract to provide functions similar to a smart account. As a result, users would be able to use features such as gas fee sponsorship, paying fees with tokens and batch calls that process multiple actions at once, without moving assets to a new wallet structure.

It also includes functions to improve transaction stability. Multiple actions can be bundled into a single transaction so that all steps succeed together or fail together. For example, it could be used to reduce problems such as leaving only an approval action after a token swap fails.

A structure was also proposed to separate the ECDSA key used for accounts and signatures so that keys can be replaced. It is an attempt to change Ethereum’s account structure itself, beyond a simple gas fee improvement.

The developers do not view EIP-8141 as merely a proposal to solve transaction fee issues. They say it could also be linked to restructuring Ethereum’s account structure to respond to a future era of quantum computers.

Co-author Matt Garnett (매트 가넷) pointed out that quantum-resistant signatures could become much larger than existing signatures. If each signature reaches several kilobytes, the network may need a new structure such as signature aggregation to process them efficiently.

EIP-8141 is still at the draft stage. It has been presented as a draft since January this year, but has not yet been included in any specific network upgrade schedule. Buterin said a testnet is being run on the Ethereum client "Srex" that combines frames with FOCIL, a censorship-resistance mechanism. The combination aims to allow privacy protocols to operate without relying on relayers.

A key question going forward is whether EIP-8141 will lead to discussions on an actual Ethereum network upgrade. If adopted, the scope of change may not be limited to how gas fees are paid.

Ethereum users could use the network without holding ETH directly, and a structure in which applications cover fees on users’ behalf could expand. At the same time, it could affect Ethereum’s overall transaction structure, including account structure and wallet compatibility, batch transactions and how quantum-resistant cryptography is applied in the future.

A lot of important progress on Frames (EIP-8141) has been quietly happening over the last few months. Highly recommend reading this, also the updated EIP https://t.co/jYqeS55j6P https://t.co/CPYONKnWZc