From 4625fe6e899e3959617213b16223e790902f2ee0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2025 16:57:35 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 01/19] Update blockbuilder.go

---
 cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go | 27 +++++++++++++++------------
 1 file changed, 15 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-)

diff --git a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
index dbbe775fd..95e4befb6 100644
--- a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
+++ b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ type EngineClient interface {
 	GetPayloadV4(ctx context.Context, payloadID engine.PayloadID) (*engine.ExecutionPayloadEnvelope, error)
 
 	HeaderByNumber(ctx context.Context, number *big.Int) (*etypes.Header, error)
+	PendingTransactionCount(ctx context.Context) (uint, error)
 }
 
 type stateManager interface {
@@ -121,6 +122,19 @@ func (bb *BlockBuilder) GetPayload(ctx context.Context) error {
 	)
 	currentCallTime := time.Now()
 
+	pendingTxCount, err := bb.engineCl.PendingTransactionCount(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to get pending transaction count: %w", err)
+	}
+	timeSinceLastBlock := currentCallTime.Sub(bb.lastBlockTime)
+	if pendingTxCount == 0 && timeSinceLastBlock < bb.buildEmptyBlocksDelay {
+		bb.logger.Info(
+			"Leader: Skipping empty block",
+			"timeSinceLastBlock", timeSinceLastBlock,
+		)
+		return ErrEmptyBlock
+	}
+
 	// Load execution head to get previous block timestamp
 	err = util.RetryWithBackoff(ctx, maxAttempts, bb.logger, func() error {
 		head, err = bb.loadExecutionHead(ctx)
@@ -221,17 +235,6 @@ func (bb *BlockBuilder) GetPayload(ctx context.Context) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to get payload: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	hasTransactions := len(payloadResp.ExecutionPayload.Transactions) > 0
-	now := time.Now()
-	timeSinceLastBlock := now.Sub(bb.lastBlockTime)
-	if !hasTransactions && timeSinceLastBlock < bb.buildEmptyBlocksDelay {
-		bb.logger.Info(
-			"Leader: Skipping empty block",
-			"timeSinceLastBlock", timeSinceLastBlock,
-		)
-		return ErrEmptyBlock
-	}
-
 	payloadData, err := msgpack.Marshal(payloadResp.ExecutionPayload)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to marshal payload: %w", err)
@@ -255,7 +258,7 @@ func (bb *BlockBuilder) GetPayload(ctx context.Context) error {
 		"PayloadID", payloadIDStr,
 	)
 
-	bb.lastBlockTime = now
+	bb.lastBlockTime = time.Now()
 	return nil
 }
 

From 9ef727188692178792cc575245471082c2e3480f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2025 17:08:38 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 02/19] Update singlenode.go

---
 cl/singlenode/singlenode.go | 4 +++-
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
index bbe13a016..911701072 100644
--- a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
+++ b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
@@ -270,7 +270,9 @@ func (app *SingleNodeApp) runLoop() {
 
 			if err != nil {
 				if errors.Is(err, blockbuilder.ErrEmptyBlock) {
-					app.logger.Info("empty block produced, waiting for new payload")
+					noPendingTxesTimeout := 10 * time.Millisecond
+					app.logger.Info("no pending transactions, will try again in: ", "timeout", noPendingTxesTimeout)
+					time.Sleep(noPendingTxesTimeout)
 					continue
 				} else if errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) || errors.Is(err, context.DeadlineExceeded) {
 					app.logger.Info("context canceled or deadline exceeded, stopping block production")

From 4dfe5f3bafbdb295bf2efa1e0fb8b16dfe643dca Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2025 17:09:30 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 03/19] Update blockbuilder_test.go

---
 cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go | 6 ++++++
 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+)

diff --git a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go
index 93f69e1bb..d52f60739 100644
--- a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go
+++ b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go
@@ -59,6 +59,11 @@ func (m *MockEngineClient) HeaderByNumber(ctx context.Context, number *big.Int)
 	return args.Get(0).(*etypes.Header), args.Error(1)
 }
 
+func (m *MockEngineClient) PendingTransactionCount(ctx context.Context) (uint, error) {
+	args := m.Called(ctx)
+	return args.Get(0).(uint), args.Error(1)
+}
+
 func TestBlockBuilder_startBuild(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 
@@ -108,6 +113,7 @@ func TestBlockBuilder_startBuild(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NoError(t, redisMock.ExpectationsWereMet())
 }
 
+// TODO
 func TestBlockBuilder_getPayload(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 

From 50145e5f445b8851a55326b7fdf3833ae77914ea Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2025 17:15:12 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 04/19] Update singlenode.go

---
 cl/singlenode/singlenode.go | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
index 911701072..39b1aaefd 100644
--- a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
+++ b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ func (app *SingleNodeApp) runLoop() {
 			if err != nil {
 				if errors.Is(err, blockbuilder.ErrEmptyBlock) {
 					noPendingTxesTimeout := 10 * time.Millisecond
-					app.logger.Info("no pending transactions, will try again in: ", "timeout", noPendingTxesTimeout)
+					app.logger.Debug("no pending transactions, will try again in: %s", "timeout", noPendingTxesTimeout)
 					time.Sleep(noPendingTxesTimeout)
 					continue
 				} else if errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) || errors.Is(err, context.DeadlineExceeded) {

From d266437ee647d5587af27699c6d6ed83f635253b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2025 17:17:14 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 05/19] Update singlenode.go

---
 cl/singlenode/singlenode.go | 5 ++---
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
index 39b1aaefd..ffae835ae 100644
--- a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
+++ b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
@@ -270,9 +270,8 @@ func (app *SingleNodeApp) runLoop() {
 
 			if err != nil {
 				if errors.Is(err, blockbuilder.ErrEmptyBlock) {
-					noPendingTxesTimeout := 10 * time.Millisecond
-					app.logger.Debug("no pending transactions, will try again in: %s", "timeout", noPendingTxesTimeout)
-					time.Sleep(noPendingTxesTimeout)
+					app.logger.Debug("no pending transactions, will try again in evm build delay amount of time", "evm_build_delay", app.cfg.EVMBuildDelay)
+					time.Sleep(app.cfg.EVMBuildDelay)
 					continue
 				} else if errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) || errors.Is(err, context.DeadlineExceeded) {
 					app.logger.Info("context canceled or deadline exceeded, stopping block production")

From 460aec35a5cb6bac934122610af6f8cc7e8d82ba Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2025 17:27:36 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 06/19] better logging

---
 cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go | 14 ++++++++++----
 cl/singlenode/singlenode.go     |  5 +++--
 2 files changed, 13 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
index 95e4befb6..7ae2c5d9a 100644
--- a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
+++ b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
@@ -126,13 +126,19 @@ func (bb *BlockBuilder) GetPayload(ctx context.Context) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to get pending transaction count: %w", err)
 	}
-	timeSinceLastBlock := currentCallTime.Sub(bb.lastBlockTime)
-	if pendingTxCount == 0 && timeSinceLastBlock < bb.buildEmptyBlocksDelay {
+	if pendingTxCount == 0 {
+		timeSinceLastBlock := currentCallTime.Sub(bb.lastBlockTime)
+		if timeSinceLastBlock < bb.buildEmptyBlocksDelay {
+			bb.logger.Debug(
+				"Leader: Skipping empty block",
+				"timeSinceLastBlock", timeSinceLastBlock,
+			)
+			return ErrEmptyBlock
+		}
 		bb.logger.Info(
-			"Leader: Skipping empty block",
+			"Leader: Empty block will be created",
 			"timeSinceLastBlock", timeSinceLastBlock,
 		)
-		return ErrEmptyBlock
 	}
 
 	// Load execution head to get previous block timestamp
diff --git a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
index ffae835ae..39b1aaefd 100644
--- a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
+++ b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
@@ -270,8 +270,9 @@ func (app *SingleNodeApp) runLoop() {
 
 			if err != nil {
 				if errors.Is(err, blockbuilder.ErrEmptyBlock) {
-					app.logger.Debug("no pending transactions, will try again in evm build delay amount of time", "evm_build_delay", app.cfg.EVMBuildDelay)
-					time.Sleep(app.cfg.EVMBuildDelay)
+					noPendingTxesTimeout := 10 * time.Millisecond
+					app.logger.Debug("no pending transactions, will try again in: %s", "timeout", noPendingTxesTimeout)
+					time.Sleep(noPendingTxesTimeout)
 					continue
 				} else if errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) || errors.Is(err, context.DeadlineExceeded) {
 					app.logger.Info("context canceled or deadline exceeded, stopping block production")

From 5162919521faa6f310db7a73da5e308e4635ba9a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2025 17:44:14 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 07/19] Update blockbuilder_test.go

---
 cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go | 5 ++++-
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go
index d52f60739..a406baf8a 100644
--- a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go
+++ b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go
@@ -113,7 +113,6 @@ func TestBlockBuilder_startBuild(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NoError(t, redisMock.ExpectationsWereMet())
 }
 
-// TODO
 func TestBlockBuilder_getPayload(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 
@@ -161,6 +160,8 @@ func TestBlockBuilder_getPayload(t *testing.T) {
 		FinalizedBlockHash: hash,
 	}
 
+	mockEngineClient.On("PendingTransactionCount", mock.Anything).Return(uint(1), nil)
+
 	payloadID := &engine.PayloadID{0x01, 0x02, 0x03}
 	forkChoiceResponse := engine.ForkChoiceResponse{
 		PayloadStatus: engine.PayloadStatusV1{
@@ -401,6 +402,8 @@ func TestBlockBuilder_getPayload_GetPayloadUnknownPayload(t *testing.T) {
 		FinalizedBlockHash: hash,
 	}
 
+	mockEngineClient.On("PendingTransactionCount", mock.Anything).Return(uint(1), nil)
+
 	payloadID := &engine.PayloadID{0x01, 0x02, 0x03}
 	forkChoiceResponse := engine.ForkChoiceResponse{
 		PayloadStatus: engine.PayloadStatusV1{

From cd4b165857864db805fe53d3a2f3ceaef695ed36 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2025 00:38:54 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 08/19] use txpool_status

---
 cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go | 11 ++++++++---
 cl/ethclient/engineclient.go    | 21 +++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 29 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
index 7ae2c5d9a..b3d0105b7 100644
--- a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
+++ b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common/hexutil"
 	etypes "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/types"
+	"github.com/primev/mev-commit/cl/ethclient"
 	"github.com/primev/mev-commit/cl/types"
 	"github.com/primev/mev-commit/cl/util"
 	"github.com/vmihailenco/msgpack/v5"
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ type EngineClient interface {
 	GetPayloadV4(ctx context.Context, payloadID engine.PayloadID) (*engine.ExecutionPayloadEnvelope, error)
 
 	HeaderByNumber(ctx context.Context, number *big.Int) (*etypes.Header, error)
-	PendingTransactionCount(ctx context.Context) (uint, error)
+	GetMempoolStatus(ctx context.Context) (*ethclient.MempoolStatus, error)
 }
 
 type stateManager interface {
@@ -122,22 +123,26 @@ func (bb *BlockBuilder) GetPayload(ctx context.Context) error {
 	)
 	currentCallTime := time.Now()
 
-	pendingTxCount, err := bb.engineCl.PendingTransactionCount(ctx)
+	mempoolStatus, err := bb.engineCl.GetMempoolStatus(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to get pending transaction count: %w", err)
 	}
-	if pendingTxCount == 0 {
+	if mempoolStatus.Pending == 0 {
 		timeSinceLastBlock := currentCallTime.Sub(bb.lastBlockTime)
 		if timeSinceLastBlock < bb.buildEmptyBlocksDelay {
 			bb.logger.Debug(
 				"Leader: Skipping empty block",
 				"timeSinceLastBlock", timeSinceLastBlock,
+				"pendingTxes", mempoolStatus.Pending,
+				"queuedTxes", mempoolStatus.Queued,
 			)
 			return ErrEmptyBlock
 		}
 		bb.logger.Info(
 			"Leader: Empty block will be created",
 			"timeSinceLastBlock", timeSinceLastBlock,
+			"pendingTxes", mempoolStatus.Pending,
+			"queuedTxes", mempoolStatus.Queued,
 		)
 	}
 
diff --git a/cl/ethclient/engineclient.go b/cl/ethclient/engineclient.go
index 6880f221c..760a7dddf 100644
--- a/cl/ethclient/engineclient.go
+++ b/cl/ethclient/engineclient.go
@@ -26,6 +26,11 @@ const (
 	getPayloadV4 = "engine_getPayloadV4"
 )
 
+type MempoolStatus struct {
+	Pending uint64 `json:"pending"`
+	Queued  uint64 `json:"queued"`
+}
+
 // EngineClient defines the Engine API authenticated JSON-RPC endpoints.
 // It extends the normal Client interface with the Engine API.
 type EngineClient interface {
@@ -54,6 +59,8 @@ type EngineClient interface {
 	GetPayloadV2(ctx context.Context, payloadID engine.PayloadID) (*engine.ExecutionPayloadEnvelope, error)
 	// GetPayloadV3 returns a cached payload by id.
 	GetPayloadV4(ctx context.Context, payloadID engine.PayloadID) (*engine.ExecutionPayloadEnvelope, error)
+
+	GetMempoolStatus(ctx context.Context) (*MempoolStatus, error)
 }
 
 // engineClient implements EngineClient using JSON-RPC.
@@ -189,3 +196,17 @@ func (c engineClient) GetPayloadV4(ctx context.Context, payloadID engine.Payload
 
 	return &resp, nil
 }
+
+func (c engineClient) GetMempoolStatus(ctx context.Context) (*MempoolStatus, error) {
+	const endpoint = "mempool_status"
+	defer latency(c.chain, endpoint)()
+
+	var result MempoolStatus
+	err := c.cl.Client().CallContext(ctx, &result, "txpool_status")
+	if err != nil {
+		incError(c.chain, endpoint)
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("rpc txpool_status: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	return &result, nil
+}

From 8325098fc0e2bba97d1b5166cfc87d6a22681823 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2025 00:45:19 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 09/19] Update engineclient.go

---
 cl/ethclient/engineclient.go | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/cl/ethclient/engineclient.go b/cl/ethclient/engineclient.go
index 760a7dddf..ee896448f 100644
--- a/cl/ethclient/engineclient.go
+++ b/cl/ethclient/engineclient.go
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ func (c engineClient) GetPayloadV4(ctx context.Context, payloadID engine.Payload
 }
 
 func (c engineClient) GetMempoolStatus(ctx context.Context) (*MempoolStatus, error) {
-	const endpoint = "mempool_status"
+	const endpoint = "txpool_status"
 	defer latency(c.chain, endpoint)()
 
 	var result MempoolStatus

From 55244a6ff477787abea170bde37672d0fea0d2b2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2025 00:54:09 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 10/19] non auth client

---
 cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go | 22 +++++++++++++++++++---
 cl/redisapp/rapp.go             |  2 +-
 cl/singlenode/singlenode.go     |  9 +++++++++
 3 files changed, 29 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
index b3d0105b7..e6791752c 100644
--- a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
+++ b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common/hexutil"
 	etypes "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/types"
-	"github.com/primev/mev-commit/cl/ethclient"
+	gethclient "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethclient"
 	"github.com/primev/mev-commit/cl/types"
 	"github.com/primev/mev-commit/cl/util"
 	"github.com/vmihailenco/msgpack/v5"
@@ -36,7 +36,6 @@ type EngineClient interface {
 	GetPayloadV4(ctx context.Context, payloadID engine.PayloadID) (*engine.ExecutionPayloadEnvelope, error)
 
 	HeaderByNumber(ctx context.Context, number *big.Int) (*etypes.Header, error)
-	GetMempoolStatus(ctx context.Context) (*ethclient.MempoolStatus, error)
 }
 
 type stateManager interface {
@@ -48,6 +47,7 @@ type stateManager interface {
 type BlockBuilder struct {
 	stateManager          stateManager
 	engineCl              EngineClient
+	ethClient             *gethclient.Client
 	logger                *slog.Logger
 	buildDelay            time.Duration
 	buildEmptyBlocksDelay time.Duration
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ func NewBlockBuilder(
 	buildDelay,
 	buildDelayEmptyBlocks time.Duration,
 	feeReceipt string,
+	ethClient *gethclient.Client,
 ) *BlockBuilder {
 	return &BlockBuilder{
 		stateManager:          stateManager,
@@ -74,6 +75,7 @@ func NewBlockBuilder(
 		buildEmptyBlocksDelay: buildDelayEmptyBlocks,
 		feeRecipient:          common.HexToAddress(feeReceipt),
 		lastBlockTime:         time.Now().Add(-buildDelayEmptyBlocks),
+		ethClient:             ethClient,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -115,6 +117,20 @@ func (bb *BlockBuilder) startBuild(ctx context.Context, head *types.ExecutionHea
 	return resp, nil
 }
 
+type MempoolStatus struct {
+	Pending hexutil.Uint64 `json:"pending"`
+	Queued  hexutil.Uint64 `json:"queued"`
+}
+
+func getMempoolStatus(gethclient *gethclient.Client, ctx context.Context) (*MempoolStatus, error) {
+	var result MempoolStatus
+	err := gethclient.Client().CallContext(ctx, &result, "txpool_status")
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return &result, nil
+}
+
 func (bb *BlockBuilder) GetPayload(ctx context.Context) error {
 	var (
 		payloadID *engine.PayloadID
@@ -123,7 +139,7 @@ func (bb *BlockBuilder) GetPayload(ctx context.Context) error {
 	)
 	currentCallTime := time.Now()
 
-	mempoolStatus, err := bb.engineCl.GetMempoolStatus(ctx)
+	mempoolStatus, err := getMempoolStatus(bb.ethClient, ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to get pending transaction count: %w", err)
 	}
diff --git a/cl/redisapp/rapp.go b/cl/redisapp/rapp.go
index dabf3fc25..b2057d690 100644
--- a/cl/redisapp/rapp.go
+++ b/cl/redisapp/rapp.go
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ func NewMevCommitChain(
 		)
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	blockBuilder := blockbuilder.NewBlockBuilder(coordinator, engineCL, logger, buildDelay, buildDelayEmptyBlocks, feeReceipt)
+	blockBuilder := blockbuilder.NewBlockBuilder(coordinator, engineCL, logger, buildDelay, buildDelayEmptyBlocks, feeReceipt, nil)
 
 	lfm, err := leaderfollower.NewLeaderFollowerManager(
 		instanceID,
diff --git a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
index 39b1aaefd..597e0ad7d 100644
--- a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
+++ b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
@@ -5,12 +5,14 @@ import (
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"log"
 	"log/slog"
 	"net/http"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
 
+	gethclient "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethclient"
 	"github.com/primev/mev-commit/cl/blockbuilder"
 	"github.com/primev/mev-commit/cl/ethclient"
 	"github.com/primev/mev-commit/cl/singlenode/api"
@@ -88,6 +90,12 @@ func NewSingleNodeApp(
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
+	gethClient, err := gethclient.Dial("http://localhost:8545")
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatalf("Failed to connect to Ethereum client: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer gethClient.Close()
+
 	stateMgr := localstate.NewLocalStateManager(logger.With("component", "LocalStateManager"))
 	bb := blockbuilder.NewBlockBuilder(
 		stateMgr,
@@ -96,6 +104,7 @@ func NewSingleNodeApp(
 		cfg.EVMBuildDelay,
 		cfg.EVMBuildDelayEmptyBlocks,
 		cfg.PriorityFeeReceipt,
+		gethClient,
 	)
 
 	var pRepo types.PayloadRepository

From e8dbd98eadd67557db81a8acdfce96a5bff58ca6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2025 00:58:59 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 11/19] Update singlenode.go

---
 cl/singlenode/singlenode.go | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
index 597e0ad7d..a7134da0b 100644
--- a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
+++ b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ func NewSingleNodeApp(
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	gethClient, err := gethclient.Dial("http://localhost:8545")
+	gethClient, err := gethclient.Dial("http://erigon:8545")
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatalf("Failed to connect to Ethereum client: %v", err)
 	}

From 31924ab0ed48f4211b25ee030c36f711d9ba058d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2025 13:11:40 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 12/19] simplify

---
 cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go | 30 +++++++++++++++---------------
 cl/cmd/singlenode/main.go       |  9 +++++++++
 cl/ethclient/engineclient.go    | 21 ---------------------
 cl/singlenode/singlenode.go     |  3 ++-
 4 files changed, 26 insertions(+), 37 deletions(-)

diff --git a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
index e6791752c..12c6ad7a8 100644
--- a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
+++ b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
@@ -117,20 +117,6 @@ func (bb *BlockBuilder) startBuild(ctx context.Context, head *types.ExecutionHea
 	return resp, nil
 }
 
-type MempoolStatus struct {
-	Pending hexutil.Uint64 `json:"pending"`
-	Queued  hexutil.Uint64 `json:"queued"`
-}
-
-func getMempoolStatus(gethclient *gethclient.Client, ctx context.Context) (*MempoolStatus, error) {
-	var result MempoolStatus
-	err := gethclient.Client().CallContext(ctx, &result, "txpool_status")
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	return &result, nil
-}
-
 func (bb *BlockBuilder) GetPayload(ctx context.Context) error {
 	var (
 		payloadID *engine.PayloadID
@@ -139,7 +125,7 @@ func (bb *BlockBuilder) GetPayload(ctx context.Context) error {
 	)
 	currentCallTime := time.Now()
 
-	mempoolStatus, err := getMempoolStatus(bb.ethClient, ctx)
+	mempoolStatus, err := bb.GetMempoolStatus(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to get pending transaction count: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -565,3 +551,17 @@ func (bb *BlockBuilder) loadExecutionHead(ctx context.Context) (*types.Execution
 func (bb *BlockBuilder) GetExecutionHead() *types.ExecutionHead {
 	return bb.executionHead
 }
+
+type MempoolStatus struct {
+	Pending hexutil.Uint64 `json:"pending"`
+	Queued  hexutil.Uint64 `json:"queued"`
+}
+
+func (bb *BlockBuilder) GetMempoolStatus(ctx context.Context) (*MempoolStatus, error) {
+	var result MempoolStatus
+	err := bb.ethClient.Client().CallContext(ctx, &result, "txpool_status")
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return &result, nil
+}
diff --git a/cl/cmd/singlenode/main.go b/cl/cmd/singlenode/main.go
index 3664519e0..3b9e2d2d7 100644
--- a/cl/cmd/singlenode/main.go
+++ b/cl/cmd/singlenode/main.go
@@ -57,6 +57,13 @@ var (
 		},
 	})
 
+	nonAuthEthClientURLFlag = altsrc.NewStringFlag(&cli.StringFlag{
+		Name:    "non-auth-eth-client-url",
+		Usage:   "Ethereum Execution client Engine API URL (e.g., http://localhost:8545)",
+		EnvVars: []string{"LEADER_NON_AUTH_ETH_CLIENT_URL"},
+		Value:   "http://localhost:8545",
+	})
+
 	ethClientURLFlag = altsrc.NewStringFlag(&cli.StringFlag{
 		Name:    "eth-client-url",
 		Usage:   "Ethereum Execution client Engine API URL (e.g., http://localhost:8551)",
@@ -238,6 +245,7 @@ func main() {
 		healthAddrPortFlag,
 		postgresDSNFlag,
 		apiAddrFlag,
+		nonAuthEthClientURLFlag,
 	}
 
 	memberFlags := []cli.Flag{
@@ -337,6 +345,7 @@ func startLeaderNode(c *cli.Context) error {
 		HealthAddr:               c.String(healthAddrPortFlag.Name),
 		PostgresDSN:              c.String(postgresDSNFlag.Name),
 		APIAddr:                  c.String(apiAddrFlag.Name),
+		NonAuthEthClientURL:      c.String(nonAuthEthClientURLFlag.Name),
 	}
 
 	logger.Info("Starting leader node with configuration", "config", cfg)
diff --git a/cl/ethclient/engineclient.go b/cl/ethclient/engineclient.go
index ee896448f..6880f221c 100644
--- a/cl/ethclient/engineclient.go
+++ b/cl/ethclient/engineclient.go
@@ -26,11 +26,6 @@ const (
 	getPayloadV4 = "engine_getPayloadV4"
 )
 
-type MempoolStatus struct {
-	Pending uint64 `json:"pending"`
-	Queued  uint64 `json:"queued"`
-}
-
 // EngineClient defines the Engine API authenticated JSON-RPC endpoints.
 // It extends the normal Client interface with the Engine API.
 type EngineClient interface {
@@ -59,8 +54,6 @@ type EngineClient interface {
 	GetPayloadV2(ctx context.Context, payloadID engine.PayloadID) (*engine.ExecutionPayloadEnvelope, error)
 	// GetPayloadV3 returns a cached payload by id.
 	GetPayloadV4(ctx context.Context, payloadID engine.PayloadID) (*engine.ExecutionPayloadEnvelope, error)
-
-	GetMempoolStatus(ctx context.Context) (*MempoolStatus, error)
 }
 
 // engineClient implements EngineClient using JSON-RPC.
@@ -196,17 +189,3 @@ func (c engineClient) GetPayloadV4(ctx context.Context, payloadID engine.Payload
 
 	return &resp, nil
 }
-
-func (c engineClient) GetMempoolStatus(ctx context.Context) (*MempoolStatus, error) {
-	const endpoint = "txpool_status"
-	defer latency(c.chain, endpoint)()
-
-	var result MempoolStatus
-	err := c.cl.Client().CallContext(ctx, &result, "txpool_status")
-	if err != nil {
-		incError(c.chain, endpoint)
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("rpc txpool_status: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	return &result, nil
-}
diff --git a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
index a7134da0b..616cdc128 100644
--- a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
+++ b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	HealthAddr               string
 	PostgresDSN              string
 	APIAddr                  string
+	NonAuthEthClientURL      string
 }
 
 type BlockBuilder interface {
@@ -90,7 +91,7 @@ func NewSingleNodeApp(
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	gethClient, err := gethclient.Dial("http://erigon:8545")
+	gethClient, err := gethclient.Dial(cfg.NonAuthEthClientURL)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatalf("Failed to connect to Ethereum client: %v", err)
 	}

From 94077fea30e061966b7da079f4905becd2625837 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2025 13:35:59 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 13/19] TxPoolPollingInterval param

---
 cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go |  2 ++
 cl/cmd/singlenode/main.go       | 10 ++++++++++
 cl/singlenode/singlenode.go     |  6 +++---
 3 files changed, 15 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
index 12c6ad7a8..628fccad6 100644
--- a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
+++ b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
@@ -129,6 +129,8 @@ func (bb *BlockBuilder) GetPayload(ctx context.Context) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to get pending transaction count: %w", err)
 	}
+	bb.logger.Debug("GetMempoolStatus rpc duration", "duration", time.Since(currentCallTime))
+
 	if mempoolStatus.Pending == 0 {
 		timeSinceLastBlock := currentCallTime.Sub(bb.lastBlockTime)
 		if timeSinceLastBlock < bb.buildEmptyBlocksDelay {
diff --git a/cl/cmd/singlenode/main.go b/cl/cmd/singlenode/main.go
index 3b9e2d2d7..8912512a6 100644
--- a/cl/cmd/singlenode/main.go
+++ b/cl/cmd/singlenode/main.go
@@ -204,6 +204,14 @@ var (
 		},
 	})
 
+	txPoolPollingIntervalFlag = altsrc.NewDurationFlag(&cli.DurationFlag{
+		Name:     "tx-pool-polling-interval",
+		Usage:    "Wait interval for polling the tx pool while there are no pending transactions (e.g., '5ms')",
+		EnvVars:  []string{"LEADER_TX_POOL_POLLING_INTERVAL"},
+		Value:    5 * time.Millisecond,
+		Category: categoryDebug,
+	})
+
 	// Member node specific flags
 	leaderAPIURLFlag = altsrc.NewStringFlag(&cli.StringFlag{
 		Name:     "leader-api-url",
@@ -246,6 +254,7 @@ func main() {
 		postgresDSNFlag,
 		apiAddrFlag,
 		nonAuthEthClientURLFlag,
+		txPoolPollingIntervalFlag,
 	}
 
 	memberFlags := []cli.Flag{
@@ -346,6 +355,7 @@ func startLeaderNode(c *cli.Context) error {
 		PostgresDSN:              c.String(postgresDSNFlag.Name),
 		APIAddr:                  c.String(apiAddrFlag.Name),
 		NonAuthEthClientURL:      c.String(nonAuthEthClientURLFlag.Name),
+		TxPoolPollingInterval:    c.Duration(txPoolPollingIntervalFlag.Name),
 	}
 
 	logger.Info("Starting leader node with configuration", "config", cfg)
diff --git a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
index 616cdc128..97d8d9cc2 100644
--- a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
+++ b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	PostgresDSN              string
 	APIAddr                  string
 	NonAuthEthClientURL      string
+	TxPoolPollingInterval    time.Duration
 }
 
 type BlockBuilder interface {
@@ -280,9 +281,8 @@ func (app *SingleNodeApp) runLoop() {
 
 			if err != nil {
 				if errors.Is(err, blockbuilder.ErrEmptyBlock) {
-					noPendingTxesTimeout := 10 * time.Millisecond
-					app.logger.Debug("no pending transactions, will try again in: %s", "timeout", noPendingTxesTimeout)
-					time.Sleep(noPendingTxesTimeout)
+					app.logger.Debug("no pending transactions, will try again in: %s", "timeout", app.cfg.TxPoolPollingInterval)
+					time.Sleep(app.cfg.TxPoolPollingInterval)
 					continue
 				} else if errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) || errors.Is(err, context.DeadlineExceeded) {
 					app.logger.Info("context canceled or deadline exceeded, stopping block production")

From 525b51167fc920cfb98cd5abeafc839ee7a2e4bc Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2025 14:15:37 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 14/19] misc

---
 cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go |  9 ---------
 cl/singlenode/singlenode.go          | 10 ++++++++--
 2 files changed, 8 insertions(+), 11 deletions(-)

diff --git a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go
index a406baf8a..93f69e1bb 100644
--- a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go
+++ b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go
@@ -59,11 +59,6 @@ func (m *MockEngineClient) HeaderByNumber(ctx context.Context, number *big.Int)
 	return args.Get(0).(*etypes.Header), args.Error(1)
 }
 
-func (m *MockEngineClient) PendingTransactionCount(ctx context.Context) (uint, error) {
-	args := m.Called(ctx)
-	return args.Get(0).(uint), args.Error(1)
-}
-
 func TestBlockBuilder_startBuild(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 
@@ -160,8 +155,6 @@ func TestBlockBuilder_getPayload(t *testing.T) {
 		FinalizedBlockHash: hash,
 	}
 
-	mockEngineClient.On("PendingTransactionCount", mock.Anything).Return(uint(1), nil)
-
 	payloadID := &engine.PayloadID{0x01, 0x02, 0x03}
 	forkChoiceResponse := engine.ForkChoiceResponse{
 		PayloadStatus: engine.PayloadStatusV1{
@@ -402,8 +395,6 @@ func TestBlockBuilder_getPayload_GetPayloadUnknownPayload(t *testing.T) {
 		FinalizedBlockHash: hash,
 	}
 
-	mockEngineClient.On("PendingTransactionCount", mock.Anything).Return(uint(1), nil)
-
 	payloadID := &engine.PayloadID{0x01, 0x02, 0x03}
 	forkChoiceResponse := engine.ForkChoiceResponse{
 		PayloadStatus: engine.PayloadStatusV1{
diff --git a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
index 97d8d9cc2..4fcf64956 100644
--- a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
+++ b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ type SingleNodeApp struct {
 	wg                sync.WaitGroup
 	connectionStatus  sync.Mutex
 	connectionRefused bool
+	ethClient         *gethclient.Client
 }
 
 // NewSingleNodeApp creates and initializes a new SingleNodeApp.
@@ -92,11 +93,10 @@ func NewSingleNodeApp(
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	gethClient, err := gethclient.Dial(cfg.NonAuthEthClientURL)
+	gethClient, err := gethclient.DialContext(ctx, cfg.NonAuthEthClientURL)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatalf("Failed to connect to Ethereum client: %v", err)
 	}
-	defer gethClient.Close()
 
 	stateMgr := localstate.NewLocalStateManager(logger.With("component", "LocalStateManager"))
 	bb := blockbuilder.NewBlockBuilder(
@@ -149,6 +149,7 @@ func NewSingleNodeApp(
 		appCtx:            ctx,
 		cancel:            cancel,
 		connectionRefused: false,
+		ethClient:         gethClient,
 	}, nil
 }
 
@@ -383,5 +384,10 @@ func (app *SingleNodeApp) Stop() {
 		}
 	}
 
+	if app.ethClient != nil {
+		app.ethClient.Close()
+		app.logger.Info("Ethereum client closed.")
+	}
+
 	app.logger.Info("SingleNodeApp stopped.")
 }

From abb96f921d23ef748e4a05dcca4acc5367baabb8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2025 15:12:47 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 15/19] fix tests

---
 cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go      | 13 ++++++++-----
 cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go | 26 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 cl/singlenode/singlenode.go          | 14 +++++++-------
 3 files changed, 41 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-)

diff --git a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
index 628fccad6..2d6fcd239 100644
--- a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
+++ b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder.go
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common/hexutil"
 	etypes "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/types"
-	gethclient "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethclient"
 	"github.com/primev/mev-commit/cl/types"
 	"github.com/primev/mev-commit/cl/util"
 	"github.com/vmihailenco/msgpack/v5"
@@ -44,10 +43,14 @@ type stateManager interface {
 	ResetBlockState(ctx context.Context) error
 }
 
+type rpcClient interface {
+	CallContext(ctx context.Context, result interface{}, method string, args ...interface{}) error
+}
+
 type BlockBuilder struct {
 	stateManager          stateManager
 	engineCl              EngineClient
-	ethClient             *gethclient.Client
+	rpcClient             rpcClient
 	logger                *slog.Logger
 	buildDelay            time.Duration
 	buildEmptyBlocksDelay time.Duration
@@ -64,7 +67,7 @@ func NewBlockBuilder(
 	buildDelay,
 	buildDelayEmptyBlocks time.Duration,
 	feeReceipt string,
-	ethClient *gethclient.Client,
+	rpcClient rpcClient,
 ) *BlockBuilder {
 	return &BlockBuilder{
 		stateManager:          stateManager,
@@ -75,7 +78,7 @@ func NewBlockBuilder(
 		buildEmptyBlocksDelay: buildDelayEmptyBlocks,
 		feeRecipient:          common.HexToAddress(feeReceipt),
 		lastBlockTime:         time.Now().Add(-buildDelayEmptyBlocks),
-		ethClient:             ethClient,
+		rpcClient:             rpcClient,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -561,7 +564,7 @@ type MempoolStatus struct {
 
 func (bb *BlockBuilder) GetMempoolStatus(ctx context.Context) (*MempoolStatus, error) {
 	var result MempoolStatus
-	err := bb.ethClient.Client().CallContext(ctx, &result, "txpool_status")
+	err := bb.rpcClient.CallContext(ctx, &result, "txpool_status")
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go
index 93f69e1bb..45c34950b 100644
--- a/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go
+++ b/cl/blockbuilder/blockbuilder_test.go
@@ -59,6 +59,23 @@ func (m *MockEngineClient) HeaderByNumber(ctx context.Context, number *big.Int)
 	return args.Get(0).(*etypes.Header), args.Error(1)
 }
 
+func createMockRPCClient() rpcClient {
+	mockRPC := &MockRPCClient{}
+	return mockRPC
+}
+
+type MockRPCClient struct{}
+
+func (m *MockRPCClient) CallContext(ctx context.Context, result interface{}, method string, args ...interface{}) error {
+	if method == "txpool_status" && result != nil {
+		if mempoolStatus, ok := result.(*MempoolStatus); ok {
+			mempoolStatus.Pending = 1
+			mempoolStatus.Queued = 0
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 func TestBlockBuilder_startBuild(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 
@@ -78,6 +95,7 @@ func TestBlockBuilder_startBuild(t *testing.T) {
 	blockBuilder := &BlockBuilder{
 		stateManager: stateManager,
 		engineCl:     mockEngineClient,
+		rpcClient:    createMockRPCClient(),
 		buildDelay:   buildDelay,
 		buildDelayMs: uint64(buildDelay.Milliseconds()),
 		logger:       stLog,
@@ -142,6 +160,7 @@ func TestBlockBuilder_getPayload(t *testing.T) {
 	blockBuilder := &BlockBuilder{
 		stateManager: stateManager,
 		engineCl:     mockEngineClient,
+		rpcClient:    createMockRPCClient(),
 		buildDelay:   buildDelay,
 		buildDelayMs: uint64(buildDelay.Milliseconds()),
 		logger:       stLog,
@@ -208,6 +227,7 @@ func TestBlockBuilder_FinalizeBlock(t *testing.T) {
 	blockBuilder := &BlockBuilder{
 		stateManager: stateManager,
 		engineCl:     mockEngineClient,
+		rpcClient:    createMockRPCClient(),
 		buildDelay:   buildDelay,
 		buildDelayMs: uint64(buildDelay.Milliseconds()),
 		logger:       stLog,
@@ -290,6 +310,7 @@ func TestBlockBuilder_startBuild_ForkchoiceUpdatedError(t *testing.T) {
 	blockBuilder := &BlockBuilder{
 		stateManager: stateManager,
 		engineCl:     mockEngineClient,
+		rpcClient:    createMockRPCClient(),
 		buildDelay:   buildDelay,
 		buildDelayMs: uint64(buildDelay.Milliseconds()),
 		logger:       stLog,
@@ -334,6 +355,7 @@ func TestBlockBuilder_startBuild_InvalidPayloadStatus(t *testing.T) {
 	blockBuilder := &BlockBuilder{
 		stateManager: stateManager,
 		engineCl:     mockEngineClient,
+		rpcClient:    createMockRPCClient(),
 		buildDelay:   buildDelay,
 		buildDelayMs: uint64(buildDelay.Milliseconds()),
 		logger:       stLog,
@@ -383,6 +405,7 @@ func TestBlockBuilder_getPayload_GetPayloadUnknownPayload(t *testing.T) {
 	blockBuilder := &BlockBuilder{
 		stateManager: stateManager,
 		engineCl:     mockEngineClient,
+		rpcClient:    createMockRPCClient(),
 		buildDelay:   time.Duration(1 * time.Second),
 		logger:       stLog,
 	}
@@ -434,6 +457,7 @@ func TestBlockBuilder_FinalizeBlock_InvalidBlockHeight(t *testing.T) {
 	blockBuilder := &BlockBuilder{
 		stateManager: stateManager,
 		engineCl:     mockEngineClient,
+		rpcClient:    createMockRPCClient(),
 		buildDelay:   buildDelay,
 		buildDelayMs: uint64(buildDelay.Milliseconds()),
 		logger:       stLog,
@@ -489,6 +513,7 @@ func TestBlockBuilder_FinalizeBlock_NewPayloadInvalidStatus(t *testing.T) {
 	blockBuilder := &BlockBuilder{
 		stateManager: stateManager,
 		engineCl:     mockEngineClient,
+		rpcClient:    createMockRPCClient(),
 		buildDelay:   buildDelay,
 		buildDelayMs: uint64(buildDelay.Milliseconds()),
 		logger:       stLog,
@@ -549,6 +574,7 @@ func TestBlockBuilder_FinalizeBlock_ForkchoiceUpdatedInvalidStatus(t *testing.T)
 	blockBuilder := &BlockBuilder{
 		stateManager: stateManager,
 		engineCl:     mockEngineClient,
+		rpcClient:    createMockRPCClient(),
 		buildDelay:   buildDelay,
 		buildDelayMs: uint64(buildDelay.Milliseconds()),
 		logger:       stLog,
diff --git a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
index 4fcf64956..af803a037 100644
--- a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
+++ b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import (
 	"sync"
 	"time"
 
-	gethclient "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethclient"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rpc"
 	"github.com/primev/mev-commit/cl/blockbuilder"
 	"github.com/primev/mev-commit/cl/ethclient"
 	"github.com/primev/mev-commit/cl/singlenode/api"
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ type SingleNodeApp struct {
 	wg                sync.WaitGroup
 	connectionStatus  sync.Mutex
 	connectionRefused bool
-	ethClient         *gethclient.Client
+	rpcClient         *rpc.Client
 }
 
 // NewSingleNodeApp creates and initializes a new SingleNodeApp.
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func NewSingleNodeApp(
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	gethClient, err := gethclient.DialContext(ctx, cfg.NonAuthEthClientURL)
+	rpcClient, err := rpc.DialContext(ctx, cfg.NonAuthEthClientURL)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatalf("Failed to connect to Ethereum client: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ func NewSingleNodeApp(
 		cfg.EVMBuildDelay,
 		cfg.EVMBuildDelayEmptyBlocks,
 		cfg.PriorityFeeReceipt,
-		gethClient,
+		rpcClient,
 	)
 
 	var pRepo types.PayloadRepository
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ func NewSingleNodeApp(
 		appCtx:            ctx,
 		cancel:            cancel,
 		connectionRefused: false,
-		ethClient:         gethClient,
+		rpcClient:         rpcClient,
 	}, nil
 }
 
@@ -384,8 +384,8 @@ func (app *SingleNodeApp) Stop() {
 		}
 	}
 
-	if app.ethClient != nil {
-		app.ethClient.Close()
+	if app.rpcClient != nil {
+		app.rpcClient.Close()
 		app.logger.Info("Ethereum client closed.")
 	}
 

From 89b07d7ed783b48a4b41c0898cd15cfd29c39ce2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2025 15:17:50 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 16/19] naming

---
 cl/cmd/singlenode/main.go   | 21 ++++++++++-----------
 cl/singlenode/singlenode.go |  4 ++--
 2 files changed, 12 insertions(+), 13 deletions(-)

diff --git a/cl/cmd/singlenode/main.go b/cl/cmd/singlenode/main.go
index 8912512a6..3d4e1b306 100644
--- a/cl/cmd/singlenode/main.go
+++ b/cl/cmd/singlenode/main.go
@@ -57,10 +57,10 @@ var (
 		},
 	})
 
-	nonAuthEthClientURLFlag = altsrc.NewStringFlag(&cli.StringFlag{
-		Name:    "non-auth-eth-client-url",
-		Usage:   "Ethereum Execution client Engine API URL (e.g., http://localhost:8545)",
-		EnvVars: []string{"LEADER_NON_AUTH_ETH_CLIENT_URL"},
+	nonAuthRpcUrlFlag = altsrc.NewStringFlag(&cli.StringFlag{
+		Name:    "non-auth-rpc-url",
+		Usage:   "Non-authenticated Ethereum RPC URL (e.g., http://localhost:8545)",
+		EnvVars: []string{"LEADER_NON_AUTH_RPC_URL"},
 		Value:   "http://localhost:8545",
 	})
 
@@ -205,11 +205,10 @@ var (
 	})
 
 	txPoolPollingIntervalFlag = altsrc.NewDurationFlag(&cli.DurationFlag{
-		Name:     "tx-pool-polling-interval",
-		Usage:    "Wait interval for polling the tx pool while there are no pending transactions (e.g., '5ms')",
-		EnvVars:  []string{"LEADER_TX_POOL_POLLING_INTERVAL"},
-		Value:    5 * time.Millisecond,
-		Category: categoryDebug,
+		Name:    "tx-pool-polling-interval",
+		Usage:   "Wait interval for polling the tx pool while there are no pending transactions (e.g., '5ms')",
+		EnvVars: []string{"LEADER_TX_POOL_POLLING_INTERVAL"},
+		Value:   5 * time.Millisecond,
 	})
 
 	// Member node specific flags
@@ -253,7 +252,7 @@ func main() {
 		healthAddrPortFlag,
 		postgresDSNFlag,
 		apiAddrFlag,
-		nonAuthEthClientURLFlag,
+		nonAuthRpcUrlFlag,
 		txPoolPollingIntervalFlag,
 	}
 
@@ -354,7 +353,7 @@ func startLeaderNode(c *cli.Context) error {
 		HealthAddr:               c.String(healthAddrPortFlag.Name),
 		PostgresDSN:              c.String(postgresDSNFlag.Name),
 		APIAddr:                  c.String(apiAddrFlag.Name),
-		NonAuthEthClientURL:      c.String(nonAuthEthClientURLFlag.Name),
+		NonAuthRpcURL:            c.String(nonAuthRpcUrlFlag.Name),
 		TxPoolPollingInterval:    c.Duration(txPoolPollingIntervalFlag.Name),
 	}
 
diff --git a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
index af803a037..157246ca5 100644
--- a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
+++ b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	HealthAddr               string
 	PostgresDSN              string
 	APIAddr                  string
-	NonAuthEthClientURL      string
+	NonAuthRpcURL            string
 	TxPoolPollingInterval    time.Duration
 }
 
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func NewSingleNodeApp(
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	rpcClient, err := rpc.DialContext(ctx, cfg.NonAuthEthClientURL)
+	rpcClient, err := rpc.DialContext(ctx, cfg.NonAuthRpcURL)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatalf("Failed to connect to Ethereum client: %v", err)
 	}

From bd7cd2ac9dd90d7e214d9c8968c31561a76357f3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2025 15:32:56 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 17/19] Update singlenode_test.go

---
 cl/singlenode/singlenode_test.go | 9 +++++++++
 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+)

diff --git a/cl/singlenode/singlenode_test.go b/cl/singlenode/singlenode_test.go
index e11a7bec6..dbd4832c6 100644
--- a/cl/singlenode/singlenode_test.go
+++ b/cl/singlenode/singlenode_test.go
@@ -65,14 +65,23 @@ func TestNewSingleNodeApp(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	logger := setupTestLogger()
 
+	mockServer := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+		w.Write([]byte(`{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"result":{"pending":"0x1","queued":"0x0"}}`))
+	}))
+	defer mockServer.Close()
+
 	validCfg := Config{
 		InstanceID:               "test-instance",
 		EthClientURL:             "http://localhost:8545",
+		NonAuthRpcURL:            mockServer.URL,
 		JWTSecret:                "0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef",
 		EVMBuildDelay:            time.Second,
 		EVMBuildDelayEmptyBlocks: time.Second * 2,
 		PriorityFeeReceipt:       "0x1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef12345678",
 		HealthAddr:               ":8080",
+		TxPoolPollingInterval:    time.Second,
 	}
 
 	app, err := NewSingleNodeApp(ctx, validCfg, logger)

From 76f8a16c9b27ea931a540b095fc31c96fa8cc49b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2025 15:37:43 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 18/19] Update singlenode_test.go

---
 cl/singlenode/singlenode_test.go | 3 ++-
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/cl/singlenode/singlenode_test.go b/cl/singlenode/singlenode_test.go
index dbd4832c6..73e6ddd86 100644
--- a/cl/singlenode/singlenode_test.go
+++ b/cl/singlenode/singlenode_test.go
@@ -68,7 +68,8 @@ func TestNewSingleNodeApp(t *testing.T) {
 	mockServer := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
 		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
-		w.Write([]byte(`{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"result":{"pending":"0x1","queued":"0x0"}}`))
+		_, err := w.Write([]byte(`{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"result":{"pending":"0x1","queued":"0x0"}}`))
+		require.NoError(t, err)
 	}))
 	defer mockServer.Close()
 

From eb523e3d9964292b202882b9529101ea279fba53 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Shawn <44221603+shaspitz@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2025 15:57:57 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 19/19] nits

---
 cl/singlenode/singlenode.go | 10 +++++++---
 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
index 157246ca5..72252e774 100644
--- a/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
+++ b/cl/singlenode/singlenode.go
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ import (
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
-	"log"
 	"log/slog"
 	"net/http"
 	"strings"
@@ -95,7 +94,12 @@ func NewSingleNodeApp(
 
 	rpcClient, err := rpc.DialContext(ctx, cfg.NonAuthRpcURL)
 	if err != nil {
-		log.Fatalf("Failed to connect to Ethereum client: %v", err)
+		cancel()
+		logger.Error(
+			"failed to create non-authenticated Ethereum RPC client",
+			"error", err,
+		)
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	stateMgr := localstate.NewLocalStateManager(logger.With("component", "LocalStateManager"))
@@ -282,7 +286,7 @@ func (app *SingleNodeApp) runLoop() {
 
 			if err != nil {
 				if errors.Is(err, blockbuilder.ErrEmptyBlock) {
-					app.logger.Debug("no pending transactions, will try again in: %s", "timeout", app.cfg.TxPoolPollingInterval)
+					app.logger.Debug("no pending transactions, will try again after timeout", "timeout", app.cfg.TxPoolPollingInterval)
 					time.Sleep(app.cfg.TxPoolPollingInterval)
 					continue
 				} else if errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) || errors.Is(err, context.DeadlineExceeded) {