Analyzing Mempool

Overview

Monitor Ethereum mempool for pending transactions, analyze gas prices, detect DEX swaps, and identify potential MEV opportunities. Useful for traders, MEV researchers, and protocol developers.

Prerequisites

Before using this skill, ensure you have:

• Python 3.8+ with requests library
• Ethereum RPC URL (default: public endpoint, or set ETH_RPC_URL)
• Internet access for RPC calls

Instructions

Step 1: Navigate to Scripts Directory

cd {baseDir}/scripts

Step 2: Choose Your Command

View Pending Transactions:

python mempool_analyzer.py pending
python mempool_analyzer.py pending --limit 100

Gas Price Analysis:

python mempool_analyzer.py gas
# Shows distribution, recommendations for slow/standard/fast/instant

Pending DEX Swaps:

python mempool_analyzer.py swaps
# Detects Uniswap, SushiSwap, 1inch pending swaps

MEV Opportunity Scan:

python mempool_analyzer.py mev
# Detects sandwich, arbitrage, liquidation opportunities

Mempool Summary:

python mempool_analyzer.py summary
# Quick overview of pending count, gas, opportunities

Watch Specific Contract:

python mempool_analyzer.py watch 0x7a250d...
# Monitor pending transactions to specific contract

Step 3: Interpret Results

Gas Recommendations:

• Slow (10th percentile): May take 10+ blocks
• Standard (50th percentile): 2-5 blocks
• Fast (75th percentile): 1-2 blocks
• Instant (90th percentile): Next block likely

MEV Warnings:

• MEV detection is for educational purposes
• Real MEV extraction requires specialized infrastructure
• Use this for research and understanding mempool dynamics

Output

• Pending transaction lists with gas prices and types
• Gas price distribution and recommendations
• Detected DEX swaps with amounts and DEX identification
• MEV opportunity analysis with estimated profits
• JSON output for programmatic use

Error Handling

See {baseDir}/references/errors.md for:

• RPC connection issues
• Mempool access limitations
• Transaction decoding errors
• Gas analysis fallbacks

Examples

Check gas before sending transaction:

python mempool_analyzer.py gas
# Use "Fast" for quick confirmation

Monitor for large pending swaps:

python mempool_analyzer.py swaps --limit 200

Research MEV opportunities:

python mempool_analyzer.py mev -v

Use different chain:

python mempool_analyzer.py --chain polygon gas
python mempool_analyzer.py --chain arbitrum pending

See {baseDir}/references/examples.md for more usage patterns.

Resources

• Ethereum JSON-RPC - RPC specification
• Flashbots - MEV research and infrastructure
• DEX Subgraphs - Pool and swap data
• Supports: Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base