Stellar Core v18.2.0 introduces a traffic-shaping feature to mitigate failed arbitrage bot transactions that have been bloating the ledger and increasing network fees. The feature allows validators to filter circular path payment transactions destined to fail while preserving healthy arbitrage activity.
Stellar Core v18.2.0, released December 10, 2021, includes a statistical damping mechanism for the transaction queueing system designed to reduce the impact of failed transactions from arbitrage-seeking bots. These bots submit circular path payments in waves, competing for ledger space and driving up fees despite most failing after inclusion. The new feature enables validators to identify and gate specific types of transactions—circular path payments—reducing their impact without affecting other network traffic. This addresses a persistent problem where failed bot transactions have increased network fees, bloated the ledger, slowed node synchronization, and increased infrastructure costs. The solution was chosen over alternatives like raising minimum fees or increasing ledger limits, as it provides a surgical, configurable approach that preserves network efficiency while maintaining arbitrage opportunities.
