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Encyclopedia Ethereum · Entry 125

Ethereum access lists: declaring accounts and storage in advance

AI-assisted research · separate automated verificationCorrections

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Ethereum
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Key facts

Key facts for Ethereum access lists: declaring accounts and storage in advance
FactDetailSource
ContentsAn access list contains address and storage-key entries.[1]
CostThe EIP-2930 schedule charges per listed address and storage key.[1]
DuplicatesDuplicate entries are permitted but charged repeatedly under the specification.[1]
01

Predeclare some execution accesses

The mechanism populates accessed-address and accessed-storage-key sets before execution. This changes the gas treatment of later accesses under the relevant rules.

It does not limit execution to only the listed contracts or slots. A contract can still access other locations, with their applicable gas costs.

02

Pay an upfront cost to change later costs

The original specification charges 2,400 gas per address and 1,900 per storage key, then applies warmed-access treatment. These figures describe the cited EIP schedule; a real estimate must use the network’s active rules.

Unused entries and duplicates can waste gas. Whether a list helps depends on the actual execution path and the costs it changes.

03

Do not confuse the list with an approval

Listing a token contract does not approve a spender. Listing a storage slot does not grant the sender permission to modify it. Authorization remains in signatures and contract logic.

Wallets should describe access lists as transaction execution data, separately from token allowances or account permissions.

Direct answers

Questions people ask

Does an access list stop a transaction from calling unlisted contracts?

No. It affects gas accounting for declared accesses; it is not a sandbox that forbids other contract calls.

Inspect the evidence

The answer and key facts have stable claim links. These records retain the scope and qualification when reused.

An Ethereum access list declares addresses and storage keys to be treated as already accessed for gas accounting under the specified transaction rules. EIP-2930 charges for these entries up front. An access list is not an authorization list, and including one does not automatically make every transaction cheaper.

Scope: Ethereum · data through 2026-10-02. Verification: verified · 2026-10-02T18:12:41.505Z.

Link to this claim
Contents: An access list contains address and storage-key entries.

Scope: Ethereum · data through 2026-10-02. Verification: verified · 2026-10-02T18:12:41.505Z.

Link to this claim
Cost: The EIP-2930 schedule charges per listed address and storage key.

Scope: Ethereum · data through 2026-10-02. Verification: verified · 2026-10-02T18:12:41.505Z.

Link to this claim
Duplicates: Duplicate entries are permitted but charged repeatedly under the specification.

Scope: Ethereum · data through 2026-10-02. Verification: verified · 2026-10-02T18:12:41.505Z.

Link to this claim
Revision history
  1. — First publication after primary-source research and independent automated verification.

Source register

Sources and references

Retrieval dates and locators are recorded individually.
  1. Optional access listsEthereum Improvement Proposals

    Predeclared account and storage access sets with explicit gas charges.

    Locator: Specification · Version / scope: EIP/ERC-2930; retrieved document hash recorded · Retrieved: 2026-10-02T17:03:42.494ZOpen source
  2. ERC-20 Token StandardEthereum Improvement Proposals

    Token supply, displayed units and balance accounting.

    Locator: totalSupply; balanceOf; transfer; decimals; approve; allowance; transferFrom; Transfer · Version / scope: ERC-20 · Retrieved: 2026-10-02T17:03:45.826ZOpen source
How this article was made

Research and drafting use AI assistance. A separate automated review checks claims against primary sources; no external expert or named human review is implied. Publication, substantive editing, source retrieval and verification are recorded separately. This version was independently checked by an automated reviewer on 2 October 2026.

Editorial method and corrections

Degrees of Satoshi editorial project. “Ethereum access lists: declaring accounts and storage in advance.” Published 2026-10-02; updated 2026-10-02. https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/ethereum-access-lists/