execution: carry the block access list as a first-class block object

db/rawdb/accessors_chain.go

@@ -609,7 +609,10 @@ func ReadBlockAccessListBytes(db kv.Getter, hash common.Hash, number uint64) ([]
 	return data, nil
 }
 
-// WriteBlockAccessListBytes stores the RLP-encoded block access list sidecar for a block.
+// WriteBlockAccessListBytes stores the RLP-encoded block access list sidecar for
+// a block. This is secondary storage (serving, backfill, unwind); the primary
+// carry into execution is Block.BlockAccessList(), written via the block overlay
+// in InsertBlocks and flushed at commit.
 func WriteBlockAccessListBytes(db kv.Putter, hash common.Hash, number uint64, data []byte) error {
 	if err := db.Put(kv.BlockAccessList, dbutils.BlockBodyKey(number, hash), data); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to store block access list: %w", err)
@@ -807,6 +810,13 @@ func ReadBlock(tx kv.Getter, hash common.Hash, number uint64) *types.Block {
 		return nil
 	}
 	block := types.NewBlockFromStorage(hash, header, body.Transactions, body.Uncles, body.Withdrawals)
+	// Carry the BAL sidecar (secondary storage) so a block reconstructed from the
+	// DB carries its BAL like its header/body. Only Amsterdam+ blocks have one.
+	if header.BlockAccessListHash != nil {
+		if bal, err := ReadBlockAccessListBytes(tx, hash, number); err == nil && len(bal) > 0 {
+			block.SetBlockAccessList(bal)
+		}
+	}
 	return block
 }
 

execution/engineapi/engine_server.go

@@ -483,6 +483,10 @@ func (s *EngineServer) newPayload(ctx context.Context, req *engine_types.Executi
 	// via rlp.EncodeToBytes. Both slices reference the same underlying
 	// byte buffers from req.Transactions.
 	block := types.NewBlockFromStorageWithBinaryTxs(blockHash, &header, transactions, txs, nil /* uncles */, withdrawals)
+	// Carry the payload's BAL on the block so execution consumes it from the
+	// in-memory payload; InsertBlocks still stores it in the overlay (flushed at
+	// commit) as secondary storage.
+	block.SetBlockAccessList(blockAccessListBytes)
 	payloadStatus, err := s.HandleNewPayload(ctx, "NewPayload", block, expectedBlobHashes, blockAccessListBytes)
 	if err != nil {
 		if errors.Is(err, rules.ErrInvalidBlock) {

execution/stagedsync/exec3.go

@@ -612,12 +612,19 @@ func (te *txExecutor) executeBlocks(ctx context.Context, startBlockNum uint64, m
 			go warmTxsHashes(b)
 
 			var dbBAL types.BlockAccessList
-			// Read BAL through blockTx (overlay or execRoTx) — do NOT open
-			// a separate db.View() as it can deadlock with the stageloop's
-			// RW transaction when BlockOverlay is active.
-			data, err := rawdb.ReadBlockAccessListBytes(blockTx, b.Hash(), blockNum)
-			if err != nil {
-				return err
+			// Prefer the BAL carried on the block (the payload) — the newPayload /
+			// backward-sync paths attach it, so no read is needed. Fall back to the
+			// BAL sidecar in the DB (via blockTx: overlay or execRoTx) for blocks
+			// that don't carry it (snapshot / forward-sync); do NOT open a separate
+			// db.View() as it can deadlock with the stageloop's RW transaction when
+			// BlockOverlay is active. ProcessBAL still computes+validates the BAL
+			// from the write-set as the ultimate fallback.
+			data := b.BlockAccessList()
+			if len(data) == 0 {
+				data, err = rawdb.ReadBlockAccessListBytes(blockTx, b.Hash(), blockNum)
+				if err != nil {
+					return err
+				}
 			}
 			if len(data) > 0 && !dbg.IgnoreBAL {
 				dbBAL, err = types.DecodeBlockAccessListBytes(data)

execution/types/block.go

@@ -808,6 +808,7 @@ func (r RawBlock) AsBlock() (*Block, error) {
 		}
 	}
 	b.transactions = txs
+	b.blockAccessList = r.BlockAccessList
 
 	return b, nil
 }
@@ -819,6 +820,12 @@ type Block struct {
 	transactions Transactions
 	withdrawals  []*Withdrawal
 
+	// blockAccessList is the RLP-encoded EIP-7928 Block Access List sidecar
+	// carried with the payload (nil pre-Amsterdam). It is NOT part of the block's
+	// RLP/consensus encoding or hash — never add it to EncodeRLP/DecodeRLP/
+	// payloadSize. The header's BlockAccessListHash is the consensus commitment.
+	blockAccessList []byte
+
 	// binaryTransactions optionally caches the transactions' encodings (e.g. from
 	// an engine_newPayload payload) so RawBody() can skip re-encoding them.
 	binaryTransactions BinaryTransactions
@@ -1380,6 +1387,14 @@ func (b *Block) ParentBeaconBlockRoot() *common.Hash { return b.header.ParentBea
 func (b *Block) RequestsHash() *common.Hash          { return b.header.RequestsHash }
 func (b *Block) BlockAccessListHash() *common.Hash   { return b.header.BlockAccessListHash }
 
+// BlockAccessList returns the RLP-encoded EIP-7928 BAL sidecar carried with the
+// payload (nil when absent). It is not part of the block's RLP encoding or hash.
+func (b *Block) BlockAccessList() []byte { return b.blockAccessList }
+
+// SetBlockAccessList attaches the RLP-encoded BAL sidecar to the block, copying
+// the input so a transaction-owned or later-mutated source cannot alias it.
+func (b *Block) SetBlockAccessList(bal []byte) { b.blockAccessList = bytes.Clone(bal) }
+
 // Header returns a deep-copy of the entire block header using CopyHeader()
 func (b *Block) Header() *Header       { return CopyHeader(b.header) }
 func (b *Block) HeaderNoCopy() *Header { return b.header }
@@ -1540,10 +1555,11 @@ func (b *Block) Copy() *Block {
 	}
 
 	newB := &Block{
-		header:       CopyHeader(b.header),
-		uncles:       uncles,
-		transactions: CopyTxs(b.transactions),
-		withdrawals:  withdrawals,
+		header:          CopyHeader(b.header),
+		uncles:          uncles,
+		transactions:    CopyTxs(b.transactions),
+		withdrawals:     withdrawals,
+		blockAccessList: bytes.Clone(b.blockAccessList),
 	}
 	szCopy := b.size.Load()
 	newB.size.Store(szCopy)
@@ -1557,10 +1573,11 @@ func (b *Block) WithSeal(header *Header) *Block {
 	headerCopy.mutable = false
 	headerCopy.hash.Store(nil) // invalidate cached hash
 	return &Block{
-		header:       headerCopy,
-		transactions: b.transactions,
-		uncles:       b.uncles,
-		withdrawals:  b.withdrawals,
+		header:          headerCopy,
+		transactions:    b.transactions,
+		uncles:          b.uncles,
+		withdrawals:     b.withdrawals,
+		blockAccessList: b.blockAccessList,
 	}
 }
 

execution/types/block_test.go

@@ -162,6 +162,38 @@ func TestBlockEncoding(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestBlockAccessListNotInEncoding pins the invariant that the BAL sidecar is
+// carried out-of-band: it must never enter the block's RLP encoding or hash.
+func TestBlockAccessListNotInEncoding(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	blockEnc := common.FromHex("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")
+	var block Block
+	if err := rlp.DecodeBytes(blockEnc, &block); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal("decode error: ", err)
+	}
+
+	hashBefore := block.Hash()
+	block.SetBlockAccessList([]byte{0x01, 0x02, 0x03})
+	if got := block.Hash(); got != hashBefore {
+		t.Errorf("BAL changed block hash: got %x want %x", got, hashBefore)
+	}
+	enc, err := rlp.EncodeToBytes(&block)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal("encode error: ", err)
+	}
+	if !bytes.Equal(enc, blockEnc) {
+		t.Errorf("BAL leaked into block RLP:\ngot:  %x\nwant: %x", enc, blockEnc)
+	}
+
+	var decoded Block
+	if err := rlp.DecodeBytes(enc, &decoded); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal("decode error: ", err)
+	}
+	if decoded.BlockAccessList() != nil {
+		t.Errorf("BAL survived RLP round-trip (must be a non-encoded sidecar): %x", decoded.BlockAccessList())
+	}
+}
+
 func TestEIP1559BlockEncoding(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 	blockEnc := common.FromHex("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")