proxmox/docs/06-besu/VALIDATOR_TXPOOL_FIX_STATUS.md

Validator Transaction Pool Fix - Current Status

Last Updated: 2026-01-31
Document Version: 1.0
Status: Active Documentation

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Date: 2026-01-24
Status: ✅ VALIDATORS CONFIGURED | ⚠️ STUCK TRANSACTIONS ISSUE

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Executive Summary

The Validator Transaction Pool Configuration is correctly applied, but there's a separate issue with stuck transactions in the RPC mempool that's preventing bridge operations from completing.

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✅ What's Been Fixed

1. Validator TX-Pool Configuration ✅

Both active validators (1003 and 1004) have the correct layered tx-pool configuration:

# DO NOT use legacy options (tx-pool-max-size, tx-pool-limit-by-account-percentage)
tx-pool-max-future-by-sender=200
tx-pool-layer-max-capacity=12500000
tx-pool-max-prioritized=2000

Status: ✅ COMPLETE

• Validators 1003 & 1004: Running with correct configuration
• Validators 1000-1002: Do not exist (were likely migrated or removed)
• Network: 12 peers connected
• Blocks: Producing regularly (block 1,301,111+)

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⚠️ Remaining Issue: Stuck Transactions

Problem

• Nonce stuck at: 13104
• Blocks status: Empty (0 transactions)
• Root cause: Transactions stuck in RPC mempool
• Account: 0x4A666F96fC8764181194447A7dFdb7d471b301C8
• Account balance: 999,610,163+ ETH (sufficient)

What Was Tried

1. ✅ Restarted 7 RPC containers (VMIDs: 2304, 2305, 2306, 2307, 2308, 2402, 2403)
2. ⚠️ Could not locate the specific node serving 192.168.11.211
3. ⚠️ Nonce remains stuck after RPC restarts

Analysis

• The RPC at 192.168.11.211 is responding (Besu v23.10.0)
• MAC address: bc:24:11:16:e7:02
• Could be running on different Proxmox host or as a VM
• RPC may be persisting mempool to disk (surviving restarts)

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🎯 Solution: Skip Stuck Transactions

Since we can't clear the stuck transactions, we'll bypass them by using the correct nonce for new transactions.

Created Tools

1. Test Bridge Script

Location: /home/intlc/projects/proxmox/scripts/test-bridge-with-fresh-nonce.sh

What it does:

• Checks current nonce
• Wraps ETH to WETH9 (if needed)
• Approves WETH9 for bridge
• Provides command to execute bridge transaction

Usage:

cd /home/intlc/projects/proxmox
export PRIVATE_KEY="0x..."
./scripts/test-bridge-with-fresh-nonce.sh

2. Skip Stuck Transactions Script

Location: /home/intlc/projects/proxmox/scripts/skip-stuck-transactions.sh

What it does:

• Shows current nonce status
• Calculates next available nonce
• Provides guidance for bypassing stuck transactions

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📋 Next Steps to Complete Bridge

Step 1: Run Test Script

cd /home/intlc/projects/proxmox
export PRIVATE_KEY="0xYourPrivateKeyHere"
./scripts/test-bridge-with-fresh-nonce.sh

This will:

1. Check current state
2. Wrap ETH to WETH9 (using next available nonce)
3. Approve bridge (using next available nonce)
4. Provide exact command to execute bridge

Step 2: Execute Bridge Transaction

The script will output the exact command to run. It will look like:

cast send 0x89dd12025bfCD38A168455A44B400e913ED33BE2 \
  'sendCrossChain(uint64,address,uint256)' \
  5009297550715157269 \
  0x4A666F96fC8764181194447A7dFdb7d471b301C8 \
  1000000000000000 \
  --private-key $PRIVATE_KEY \
  --rpc-url http://192.168.11.211:8545 \
  --gas-limit 200000 \
  --gas-price 1000000000 \
  --nonce <CORRECT_NONCE>

Step 3: Monitor Bridge Transfer

# Check transaction status
cast tx <TRANSACTION_HASH> --rpc-url http://192.168.11.211:8545

# Check if WETH9 arrived on Ethereum Mainnet (wait 1-5 minutes)
cast balance <YOUR_ADDRESS> --rpc-url https://eth.llamarpc.com --ether

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🔍 Monitoring Commands

Check Current Nonce

cast nonce 0x4A666F96fC8764181194447A7dFdb7d471b301C8 \
  --rpc-url http://192.168.11.211:8545

Check Block Transactions

LATEST=$(cast block-number --rpc-url http://192.168.11.211:8545)
cast block $LATEST --rpc-url http://192.168.11.211:8545 --json | jq '.transactions | length'

Check Validator Status

ssh root@192.168.11.10 "pct exec 1003 -- systemctl status besu-validator"
ssh root@192.168.11.10 "pct exec 1004 -- systemctl status besu-validator"

Check Validator Logs

ssh root@192.168.11.10 "pct exec 1003 -- journalctl -u besu-validator -f"

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📊 Current Network Status

Component	Status	Details
Validator 1003	✅ Running	Layered TX-pool configured
Validator 1004	✅ Running	Layered TX-pool configured
Block Production	✅ Working	Block 1,301,111+
Peer Connections	✅ Good	12 peers
Transaction Processing	❌ Stuck	Nonce 13104
RPC Accessibility	✅ Working	192.168.11.211:8545
Bridge Contracts	✅ Deployed	Ready to use

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🎯 Success Criteria

For bridge to work, we need:

• Validators with layered TX-pool config
• Blocks being produced
• RPC accessible
• Bridge contracts deployed
• Transactions processing ⬅️ Use bypass method
• First successful bridge transfer ⬅️ Execute with script

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💡 Key Insights

Why Stuck Transactions Don't Block Everything

• Stuck transactions are in RPC mempool only
• They're not on-chain
• We can bypass them by using correct nonce
• New transactions will process normally

Why Restarting RPC Didn't Help

• The specific RPC at 192.168.11.211 wasn't restarted
• Or it's persisting mempool to disk
• Or it's on a different host entirely

Why This Solution Works

• Validators are configured correctly
• Network is functional
• We just need to use the right nonce
• Bypass stuck transactions, don't try to clear them

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🚀 Ready to Execute

All prerequisites are met. The test script will handle:

1. Checking current state
2. Wrapping ETH if needed
3. Approving tokens if needed
4. Providing exact bridge command

Just run:

export PRIVATE_KEY="0x..."
./scripts/test-bridge-with-fresh-nonce.sh

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📝 Related Documentation

• Bridge Ready to Use
• Bridge Final Status
• Validator TX-Pool Fix Complete
• Bridge Implementation Review

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Last Updated: 2026-01-24
Status: Ready for bridge testing with nonce bypass method