diff --git a/beacon/engine/gen_epe.go b/beacon/engine/gen_epe.go
index deada06166..8f51533f29 100644
--- a/beacon/engine/gen_epe.go
+++ b/beacon/engine/gen_epe.go
@@ -26,12 +26,7 @@ func (e ExecutionPayloadEnvelope) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
 	enc.ExecutionPayload = e.ExecutionPayload
 	enc.BlockValue = (*hexutil.Big)(e.BlockValue)
 	enc.BlobsBundle = e.BlobsBundle
-	if e.Requests != nil {
-		enc.Requests = make([]hexutil.Bytes, len(e.Requests))
-		for k, v := range e.Requests {
-			enc.Requests[k] = v
-		}
-	}
+	enc.Requests = e.Requests
 	enc.Override = e.Override
 	enc.Witness = e.Witness
 	return json.Marshal(&enc)
@@ -63,10 +58,7 @@ func (e *ExecutionPayloadEnvelope) UnmarshalJSON(input []byte) error {
 		e.BlobsBundle = dec.BlobsBundle
 	}
 	if dec.Requests != nil {
-		e.Requests = make([][]byte, len(dec.Requests))
-		for k, v := range dec.Requests {
-			e.Requests[k] = v
-		}
+		e.Requests = dec.Requests
 	}
 	if dec.Override != nil {
 		e.Override = *dec.Override
diff --git a/beacon/engine/types.go b/beacon/engine/types.go
index 34365ecfa8..8859cf1d9c 100644
--- a/beacon/engine/types.go
+++ b/beacon/engine/types.go
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ type ExecutionPayloadEnvelope struct {
 	ExecutionPayload *ExecutableData `json:"executionPayload"  gencodec:"required"`
 	BlockValue       *big.Int        `json:"blockValue"  gencodec:"required"`
 	BlobsBundle      *BlobsBundleV1  `json:"blobsBundle"`
-	Requests         [][]byte        `json:"executionRequests"`
+	Requests         []hexutil.Bytes `json:"executionRequests"`
 	Override         bool            `json:"shouldOverrideBuilder"`
 	Witness          *hexutil.Bytes  `json:"witness,omitempty"`
 }
@@ -121,7 +121,6 @@ type BlobsBundleV1 struct {
 // JSON type overrides for ExecutionPayloadEnvelope.
 type executionPayloadEnvelopeMarshaling struct {
 	BlockValue *hexutil.Big
-	Requests   []hexutil.Bytes
 }
 
 type PayloadStatusV1 struct {
@@ -339,9 +338,9 @@ func BlockToExecutableData(block *types.Block, fees *big.Int, sidecars []*types.
 	}
 
 	// Remove type byte in requests.
-	var plainRequests [][]byte
+	var plainRequests []hexutil.Bytes
 	if requests != nil {
-		plainRequests = make([][]byte, len(requests))
+		plainRequests = make([]hexutil.Bytes, len(requests))
 		for i, reqdata := range requests {
 			plainRequests[i] = reqdata[1:]
 		}
diff --git a/eth/catalyst/api.go b/eth/catalyst/api.go
index 79034fd00a..2c0b65b821 100644
--- a/eth/catalyst/api.go
+++ b/eth/catalyst/api.go
@@ -594,7 +594,7 @@ func (api *ConsensusAPI) NewPayloadV3(params engine.ExecutableData, versionedHas
 
 // NewPayloadV4 creates an Eth1 block, inserts it in the chain, and returns the status of the chain.
 // NewPayloadV4 creates an Eth1 block, inserts it in the chain, and returns the status of the chain.
-func (api *ConsensusAPI) NewPayloadV4(params engine.ExecutableData, versionedHashes []common.Hash, beaconRoot *common.Hash, requests [][]byte) (engine.PayloadStatusV1, error) {
+func (api *ConsensusAPI) NewPayloadV4(params engine.ExecutableData, versionedHashes []common.Hash, beaconRoot *common.Hash, requests []hexutil.Bytes) (engine.PayloadStatusV1, error) {
 	if params.Withdrawals == nil {
 		return engine.PayloadStatusV1{Status: engine.INVALID}, engine.InvalidParams.With(errors.New("nil withdrawals post-shanghai"))
 	}
@@ -682,7 +682,7 @@ func (api *ConsensusAPI) NewPayloadWithWitnessV3(params engine.ExecutableData, v
 
 // NewPayloadWithWitnessV4 is analogous to NewPayloadV4, only it also generates
 // and returns a stateless witness after running the payload.
-func (api *ConsensusAPI) NewPayloadWithWitnessV4(params engine.ExecutableData, versionedHashes []common.Hash, beaconRoot *common.Hash, requests [][]byte) (engine.PayloadStatusV1, error) {
+func (api *ConsensusAPI) NewPayloadWithWitnessV4(params engine.ExecutableData, versionedHashes []common.Hash, beaconRoot *common.Hash, requests []hexutil.Bytes) (engine.PayloadStatusV1, error) {
 	if params.Withdrawals == nil {
 		return engine.PayloadStatusV1{Status: engine.INVALID}, engine.InvalidParams.With(errors.New("nil withdrawals post-shanghai"))
 	}
@@ -770,7 +770,7 @@ func (api *ConsensusAPI) ExecuteStatelessPayloadV3(params engine.ExecutableData,
 
 // ExecuteStatelessPayloadV4 is analogous to NewPayloadV4, only it operates in
 // a stateless mode on top of a provided witness instead of the local database.
-func (api *ConsensusAPI) ExecuteStatelessPayloadV4(params engine.ExecutableData, versionedHashes []common.Hash, beaconRoot *common.Hash, requests [][]byte, opaqueWitness hexutil.Bytes) (engine.StatelessPayloadStatusV1, error) {
+func (api *ConsensusAPI) ExecuteStatelessPayloadV4(params engine.ExecutableData, versionedHashes []common.Hash, beaconRoot *common.Hash, requests []hexutil.Bytes, opaqueWitness hexutil.Bytes) (engine.StatelessPayloadStatusV1, error) {
 	if params.Withdrawals == nil {
 		return engine.StatelessPayloadStatusV1{Status: engine.INVALID}, engine.InvalidParams.With(errors.New("nil withdrawals post-shanghai"))
 	}
@@ -797,7 +797,7 @@ func (api *ConsensusAPI) ExecuteStatelessPayloadV4(params engine.ExecutableData,
 	return api.executeStatelessPayload(params, versionedHashes, beaconRoot, requests, opaqueWitness)
 }
 
-func (api *ConsensusAPI) newPayload(params engine.ExecutableData, versionedHashes []common.Hash, beaconRoot *common.Hash, requests [][]byte, witness bool) (engine.PayloadStatusV1, error) {
+func (api *ConsensusAPI) newPayload(params engine.ExecutableData, versionedHashes []common.Hash, beaconRoot *common.Hash, requests []hexutil.Bytes, witness bool) (engine.PayloadStatusV1, error) {
 	// The locking here is, strictly, not required. Without these locks, this can happen:
 	//
 	// 1. NewPayload( execdata-N ) is invoked from the CL. It goes all the way down to
@@ -815,7 +815,7 @@ func (api *ConsensusAPI) newPayload(params engine.ExecutableData, versionedHashe
 	defer api.newPayloadLock.Unlock()
 
 	log.Trace("Engine API request received", "method", "NewPayload", "number", params.Number, "hash", params.BlockHash)
-	block, err := engine.ExecutableDataToBlock(params, versionedHashes, beaconRoot, requests)
+	block, err := engine.ExecutableDataToBlock(params, versionedHashes, beaconRoot, convertRequests(requests))
 	if err != nil {
 		bgu := "nil"
 		if params.BlobGasUsed != nil {
@@ -927,10 +927,9 @@ func (api *ConsensusAPI) newPayload(params engine.ExecutableData, versionedHashe
 	return engine.PayloadStatusV1{Status: engine.VALID, Witness: ow, LatestValidHash: &hash}, nil
 }
 
-func (api *ConsensusAPI) executeStatelessPayload(params engine.ExecutableData, versionedHashes []common.Hash, beaconRoot *common.Hash, requests [][]byte, opaqueWitness hexutil.Bytes) (engine.StatelessPayloadStatusV1, error) {
+func (api *ConsensusAPI) executeStatelessPayload(params engine.ExecutableData, versionedHashes []common.Hash, beaconRoot *common.Hash, requests []hexutil.Bytes, opaqueWitness hexutil.Bytes) (engine.StatelessPayloadStatusV1, error) {
 	log.Trace("Engine API request received", "method", "ExecuteStatelessPayload", "number", params.Number, "hash", params.BlockHash)
-
-	block, err := engine.ExecutableDataToBlockNoHash(params, versionedHashes, beaconRoot, requests)
+	block, err := engine.ExecutableDataToBlockNoHash(params, versionedHashes, beaconRoot, convertRequests(requests))
 	if err != nil {
 		bgu := "nil"
 		if params.BlobGasUsed != nil {
@@ -1254,3 +1253,13 @@ func getBody(block *types.Block) *engine.ExecutionPayloadBody {
 
 	return &result
 }
+
+func convertRequests(hex []hexutil.Bytes) (requests [][]byte) {
+	if hex != nil {
+		requests = make([][]byte, len(hex))
+		for i, r := range hex {
+			hex[i] = r
+		}
+	}
+	return requests
+}