Biconomy has unveiled a new Ethereum standard designed to let AI agents and apps execute complex DeFi workflows in a single, atomic step — solving a major headache for automated agents that currently must chain multiple transactions together.
Called ERC-8211 and introduced Tuesday, the proposal implements “smart batching,” a system that allows multiple on-chain operations to run together while resolving transaction values in real time. That removes the need to hard-code amounts up front — a frequent problem in DeFi where outputs like swap receipts fluctuate because of price movement and fees.
“When you have an output from something like a swap, you don’t know how much that will be,” Biconomy co-founder Ahmed Al‑Balaghi told Decrypt. “Developers have to either hard code that or find another way for that output to be used as an input for something else, like a deposit.”
ERC-8211 lets each step in a batched transaction reference the actual result of the prior step at execution time, rather than relying on fixed parameters locked in when the transaction is signed. Under current batching systems, parameters are set before execution begins; smart batching resolves values as the bundle runs and requires each step to meet predefined conditions before the flow continues. In practice, an agent could withdraw from a lending protocol, swap the exact amount received, and deposit the outcome into another protocol — all inside one signed transaction.
Biconomy stresses the approach runs on existing Ethereum infrastructure and compatible networks and does not require protocol-level changes or a hard fork. Al‑Balaghi noted that developers can compose these flows without writing new smart contracts — “you can just do it in TypeScript” — and that the system includes controls to limit what an agent is permitted to do.
ERC-8211 is an ERC (Ethereum Request for Comment), not an EIP (Ethereum Improvement Proposal). ERCs define technical standards that apps and tokens follow on Ethereum without necessarily altering the core protocol. “EIPs are still somewhat harder on Ethereum, just because that does needs more stakeholders. That's why ERCs exist, because they don't need a protocol change,” Al‑Balaghi said. If an ERC gains strong adoption, it can remain an ERC or eventually be folded into the protocol.
The proposal has drawn collaboration with the Ethereum Foundation, aligning with its “Improve UX” strategic priority. Barnabé Monnot, a research scientist at the Foundation, said ERC‑8211 emerged from a 2025 workshop organized by the Foundation’s Improve UX initiative and cited the rapid rise of agent-driven interactions as a timely use case. “The agentic execution angle is new, but has imposed itself given the rapid developments of agents over the last three months,” Monnot told Decrypt. “It's a perfect use case since agents can orchestrate complex cross‑chain interactions, and ERC‑8211 gives them the right platform to do so.”
Al‑Balaghi said the Foundation partnered on the effort because it hadn’t been exploring this specific area internally and recognized the value of working with ecosystem teams to move faster. He also praised the Foundation’s increasing willingness to collaborate with builders following organizational changes last year: “Seeing that level of interactivity, that more competitive nature, wanting things to get done quicker, and being willing to work with the ecosystem is very promising compared to what it was just two years ago.”
If adopted broadly, ERC‑8211 could simplify how AI agents and automation systems interact with DeFi primitives, reduce failed multi‑step flows, and speed up sophisticated cross‑protocol strategies — all while staying within Ethereum’s current infrastructure.
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