Execution on the Optimism MEV bot stack

Optimism blends rollup speed with L1 data availability costs, so every FRB route needs a fee-aware mindset. Measure the realized cost per attempt, not just posted gas, and let the refund guard pause strategies when cost per inclusion drifts beyond your model. Treat this guide as your living document—update it after every major release or parameter change so maximal extractable value (MEV) forecasts stay accurate.

Pair these notes with Chain MEV Hub insights to keep cross-network standards aligned with ethereum mainnet baselines. FRB thrives when you operationalize knowledge instead of letting it sit in isolated chats, especially when MEV extraction tactics change overnight.

Who this Optimism MEV bot brief is for

Use this brief if you run MEV searchers, block builder partnerships, or internal risk teams that need to prove your Optimism MEV bot is safe. It explains what to tell compliance, how to record pending transaction decisions, and which smart contract notes belong in the Knowledge Base so onboarding stays fast and audit-friendly. Reference the open source monitoring snippets we share in Ops Pulse if you need lightweight tooling for quick validation. Log every arbitrage opportunity and contract deployed in the same ticket so reviewers see why capital moved.

Network profile & endpoints

Optimism’s centralized sequencer produces steady block cadence but occasional congestion spikes when deposit/withdrawal cycles peak. Keep two WebSocket endpoints in different regions and alert when variance exceeds 40 ms. Because Optimism batches transactions before posting to L1, treat any sudden jump in “late inclusion” errors as a signal that your stream is lagging the sequencer. Compare results with ethereum mainnet benchmarks if you suspect MEV auctions are stealing priority flow.

• Test endpoints with continuous 1 rps flows instead of single probes.
• Log rejection payloads into telemetry exports.
• Set runbooks for instant failover when p95 latency crosses 200 ms.

Strategy patterns on Optimism

FRB desks typically run two streams: a precision backrun that focuses on deep Uniswap v3 pools and a defensive strategy that protects against sandwich attempts when liquidity is thin. Optimism gas costs are lower than L1 Ethereum, so you can afford extra monitoring transactions—just keep the risk engine aware of total session spend. Fold those insights into your MEV auctions prep so orderflow competing with Flashbots or Suave lanes still hits your KPIs.

Use canary sizing whenever you shift routers or deploy new filters. FRB lets you stage a route in simulation, then promote it to “tiny live size” before scaling. Document each stage and attach Ops Pulse charts so reviewers see the evidence behind every upgrade.

Fee controls & budgeting

Optimism fees fluctuate with L1 calldata prices. Bake this variability into your gas budgets by allocating a percentage buffer (e.g., +20%) during high-volatility windows. Align FRB session caps with treasury expectations, and set alerts for when costs per inclusion exceed your target ROI. This protects MEV extraction programs from runaway allocation creep.

1. Track realized gas per filled bundle and compare it to the modeled ROI.
2. Pause routes if refund frequency exceeds the threshold defined in your compliance policy.
3. Re-run the Gas Calculator weekly with fresh data.

Risk posture & escalation

Keep router allowlists short and audited, especially for long-tail assets. If a new DEX demands support, run it through simulation, review bytecode, and update the Knowledge Base before touching production. For every incident (throttling, mispricing, refund spike) document the time, impact, and fix so the next operator can learn from it. Highlight whether reordering including or excluding transactions would have changed the outcome so compliance can follow the logic.

Use FRB Support when you need to escalate relay issues or policy overrides. The support team already has playbooks for Optimism-specific quirks and can confirm whether an anomaly is chain-wide or local to your infra.

Quick checklist

• Low-variance WSS with measured p50/p95 and auto failover.
• Router allowlists; token hygiene and exploit monitoring.
• Private bundle delivery where supported; public fallback capped.
• Slippage/gas/session caps tied to refund telemetry.
• Simulation → canary → production promotion steps documented.

Supporting resources

• Fees & endpoint breakdown
• Execution guide
• MEV Share vs private relays

Example daybook entry

Keep short notes per session so future reviews are easy:

Chain: Optimism
Date: 2025-11-26
Routes: Backrun StablePool (canary 0.05 ETH), Protection Wallet
Endpoints: Primary=Turbo-FRA (p95 132 ms), Standby=Edge-IAD (p95 141 ms)
Refund guard: 3 in 50 attempts
Outcome: 32 fills / 40 (80%); 1 refund due to sequencer backlog
Next steps: increase monitoring window during L1 calldata hikes, keep canary lane on standby.

FAQ

When should we scale beyond canary size? Only after two clean sessions with inclusion above 70% and zero unexplained refunds. Log the decision and share it inside the Knowledge Base.

Do we reuse the same configs as Arbitrum or Base? Use this guide as the default, then compare it with Arbitrum and Base pages; Optimism’s calldata fees demand different caps.

What if an endpoint degrades mid-trade? Switch to the standby endpoint, lower session caps, and open a ticket with logs so support can escalate to the provider.

Pending transactions & mempool hygiene

Optimism’s centralized sequencer means pending transactions can disappear quickly. Classify routers by liquidity, annotate which ones expose you to re-entrancy or callback risk, and mirror those notes inside FRB policy settings. When you change filters or transaction ordering rules, document why and tie it to a ticket so future operators understand the rationale.

• Record how long pending transactions stay actionable; rotate strategies if they decay faster than your bot can react.
• Share mempool screenshots with compliance whenever you raise session caps or deploy new smart contracts.
• Compare private relay performance to public mempool submissions weekly and log deltas >5% inclusion.

CTA & rollout

Ready to roll out this Optimism MEV bot workflow? Install the FRB agent, revisit Docs Quickstart, and pair this checklist with the MEV Strategies Guide so every teammate inherits the same process before turning on live capital.

After each session, benchmark your inclusion on the FRB metrics dashboard and keep the rollout log inside the Execution Hub so Optimism runbooks stay aligned with your other chains.