diff --git a/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests-clients.yml b/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests-clients.yml
index 02f3e3e3663..31f138b7910 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests-clients.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests-clients.yml
@@ -34,6 +34,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: Check out repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v6
 
+      - name: Read RPC version
+        run: |
+          source .github/workflows/scripts/rpc_version.env
+          echo "RPC_VERSION=$RPC_VERSION" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
       - name: Wait for port 8545 to be available
         run: |
           for i in {1..30}; do
@@ -53,7 +58,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/cache@v5
         with:
           path: ${{ runner.workspace }}/rpc-tests
-          key: rpc-tests-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-v2.4.0
+          key: rpc-tests-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-${{ env.RPC_VERSION }}
 
       - name: Run RPC Integration Tests
         id: test_step
diff --git a/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests-gnosis.yml b/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests-gnosis.yml
index 453311ab5a5..46c11e47262 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests-gnosis.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests-gnosis.yml
@@ -41,6 +41,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: Check out repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v6
 
+      - name: Read RPC version
+        run: |
+          source .github/workflows/scripts/rpc_version.env
+          echo "RPC_VERSION=$RPC_VERSION" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
       - name: Set reference data dir based on branch
         run: |
           # For pull_request events base_ref is the target branch name; for push/dispatch parse from ref.
@@ -73,7 +78,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/cache@v5
         with:
           path: ${{ runner.workspace }}/rpc-tests
-          key: rpc-tests-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-v2.8.1
+          key: rpc-tests-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-${{ env.RPC_VERSION }}
 
       - name: Run RPC Integration Tests
         id: test_step
diff --git a/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests-latest.yml b/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests-latest.yml
index 40d3642b2c5..fafc78ed6c6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests-latest.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests-latest.yml
@@ -39,6 +39,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: Check out repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v6
 
+      - name: Read RPC version
+        run: |
+          source .github/workflows/scripts/rpc_version.env
+          echo "RPC_VERSION=$RPC_VERSION" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
       - name: Set reference data dir based on branch
         run: |
           # For pull_request events base_ref is the target branch name; for push/dispatch parse from ref.
diff --git a/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests-remote.yml b/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests-remote.yml
index ef49fe89ad4..e431f75f4ee 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests-remote.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests-remote.yml
@@ -35,6 +35,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: Check out repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v6
 
+      - name: Read RPC version
+        run: |
+          source .github/workflows/scripts/rpc_version.env
+          echo "RPC_VERSION=$RPC_VERSION" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
       - name: Set reference data dir based on branch
         run: |
           # For pull_request events base_ref is the target branch name; for push/dispatch parse from ref.
@@ -140,7 +145,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/cache@v5
         with:
           path: ${{ runner.workspace }}/rpc-tests
-          key: rpc-tests-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-v1.121.0
+          key: rpc-tests-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-${{ env.RPC_VERSION }}
 
       - name: Run RPC Integration Tests
         id: test_step
diff --git a/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests.yml
index 0f510821537..1bf99c7baf2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/qa-rpc-integration-tests.yml
@@ -41,6 +41,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: Check out repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v6
 
+      - name: Read RPC version
+        run: |
+          source .github/workflows/scripts/rpc_version.env
+          echo "RPC_VERSION=$RPC_VERSION" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
       - name: Set reference data dir based on branch
         run: |
           # For pull_request events base_ref is the target branch name; for push/dispatch parse from ref.
@@ -73,7 +78,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/cache@v5
         with:
           path: ${{ runner.workspace }}/rpc-tests
-          key: rpc-tests-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-v2.8.1
+          key: rpc-tests-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-${{ env.RPC_VERSION }}
 
       - name: Run RPC Integration Tests
         id: test_step
diff --git a/.github/workflows/qa-sync-from-scratch.yml b/.github/workflows/qa-sync-from-scratch.yml
index 7d9f4e1b256..267e931a340 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/qa-sync-from-scratch.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/qa-sync-from-scratch.yml
@@ -52,6 +52,11 @@ jobs:
     - name: Check out repository
       uses: actions/checkout@v6
 
+    - name: Read RPC version
+      run: |
+        source .github/workflows/scripts/rpc_version.env
+        echo "RPC_VERSION=$RPC_VERSION" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
     - name: Clean Erigon Build & Data Directories
       run: |
         make clean
@@ -143,7 +148,7 @@ jobs:
       uses: actions/cache@v5
       with:
         path: ${{ runner.workspace }}/rpc-tests
-        key: rpc-tests-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-v2.4.0
+        key: rpc-tests-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-${{ env.RPC_VERSION }}
 
     - name: Run RPC Integration Tests
       id: rpc_test_step
diff --git a/.github/workflows/scripts/rpc_version.env b/.github/workflows/scripts/rpc_version.env
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..38288f18c70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/scripts/rpc_version.env
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+RPC_VERSION=v2.8.1
diff --git a/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests.sh b/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests.sh
index 4d2e6176445..05057860b12 100755
--- a/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests.sh
+++ b/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests.sh
@@ -64,6 +64,9 @@ echo "Setup the test execution environment..."
 # Clone rpc-tests repository at specific tag/branch, reusing existing clone if already at the right version
 if [ -d "$WORKSPACE/rpc-tests/.git" ] && [ "$(git -C "$WORKSPACE/rpc-tests" describe --tags --exact-match 2>/dev/null)" = "$RPC_VERSION" ]; then
   echo "Using cached rpc-tests at $RPC_VERSION"
+  # Remove stale untracked test fixtures left by runs using a different branch/version,
+  # but preserve .venv/ and build/ which are the expensive parts of the cache.
+  git -C "$WORKSPACE/rpc-tests" clean -fd -e .venv -e build >/dev/null 2>&1
 else
   rm -rf "$WORKSPACE/rpc-tests" >/dev/null 2>&1
   git -c advice.detachedHead=false clone --depth 1 --branch "$RPC_VERSION" https://github.com/erigontech/rpc-tests "$WORKSPACE/rpc-tests" >/dev/null 2>&1
diff --git a/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_ethereum.sh b/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_ethereum.sh
index 8ef8e6bbd56..4c37e702ed3 100755
--- a/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_ethereum.sh
+++ b/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_ethereum.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e # Enable exit on error
 
+source "$(dirname "$0")/rpc_version.env"
+if [ -z "$RPC_VERSION" ]; then
+  echo "Error: RPC_VERSION is not set in rpc_version.env"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
 # The workspace directory, no default because run_rpc_tests has it
 WORKSPACE="$1"
 # The result directory, no default because run_rpc_tests has it
@@ -13,9 +19,7 @@ DISABLED_TEST_LIST=(
   net_listening/test_1.json
   # Temporary disable required block 24298763
   debug_traceBlockByNumber/test_51.json
-  # Stale fixtures after #20775 (cherry-picked via #20830) fixed prestateTracer
-  # diff mode to include deleted accounts. rpc-tests fix at erigontech/rpc-tests#554;
-  # re-enable once a new tag (v2.8.2+) is cut and the version is bumped here.
+  # Temporary disable after merge #20830, waiting for new rpc-tests tag after merge PR #552
   debug_traceBlockByNumber/test_33.tar
   debug_traceBlockByNumber/test_34.tar
   # to investigate
@@ -48,4 +52,4 @@ DISABLED_TEST_LIST=(
 DISABLED_TESTS=$(IFS=,; echo "${DISABLED_TEST_LIST[*]}")
 
 # Call the main test runner script with the required and optional parameters
-"$(dirname "$0")/run_rpc_tests.sh" mainnet v2.8.1 "$DISABLED_TESTS" "$WORKSPACE" "$RESULT_DIR"
+"$(dirname "$0")/run_rpc_tests.sh" mainnet "$RPC_VERSION" "$DISABLED_TESTS" "$WORKSPACE" "$RESULT_DIR"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_ethereum_latest.sh b/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_ethereum_latest.sh
index 8bf9f349ba0..d9128441ba4 100755
--- a/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_ethereum_latest.sh
+++ b/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_ethereum_latest.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e # Enable exit on error
 
+source "$(dirname "$0")/rpc_version.env"
+if [ -z "$RPC_VERSION" ]; then
+  echo "Error: RPC_VERSION is not set in rpc_version.env"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
 # The workspace directory, no default because run_rpc_tests has it
 WORKSPACE="$1"
 # The result directory, no default because run_rpc_tests has it
@@ -34,4 +40,4 @@ DISABLED_TEST_LIST=(
 DISABLED_TESTS=$(IFS=,; echo "${DISABLED_TEST_LIST[*]}")
 
 # Call the main test runner script with the required and optional parameters
-"$(dirname "$0")/run_rpc_tests.sh" mainnet v2.8.1 "$DISABLED_TESTS" "$WORKSPACE" "$RESULT_DIR" "latest" "$REFERENCE_HOST" "do-not-compare-error-message" "$DUMP_RESPONSE"
+"$(dirname "$0")/run_rpc_tests.sh" mainnet "$RPC_VERSION" "$DISABLED_TESTS" "$WORKSPACE" "$RESULT_DIR" "latest" "$REFERENCE_HOST" "do-not-compare-error-message" "$DUMP_RESPONSE"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_geth.sh b/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_geth.sh
index cb943efc355..db40a3b5be1 100755
--- a/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_geth.sh
+++ b/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_geth.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e # Enable exit on error
 
+source "$(dirname "$0")/rpc_version.env"
+if [ -z "$RPC_VERSION" ]; then
+  echo "Error: RPC_VERSION is not set in rpc_version.env"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
 # The workspace directory, no default because run_rpc_tests has it
 WORKSPACE="$1"
 # The result directory, no default because run_rpc_tests has it
@@ -36,4 +42,4 @@ DISABLED_TESTS=$(IFS=,; echo "${DISABLED_TEST_LIST[*]}")
 
 # Call the main test runner script with the required and optional parameters
 # Use do-not-compare-error-message since Geth error messages differ from Erigon
-"$(dirname "$0")/run_rpc_tests.sh" mainnet v2.4.0 "$DISABLED_TESTS" "$WORKSPACE" "$RESULT_DIR" "" "" "do-not-compare-error-message"
+"$(dirname "$0")/run_rpc_tests.sh" mainnet "$RPC_VERSION" "$DISABLED_TESTS" "$WORKSPACE" "$RESULT_DIR" "" "" "do-not-compare-error-message"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_gnosis.sh b/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_gnosis.sh
index f69935ba278..698510c04df 100755
--- a/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_gnosis.sh
+++ b/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_gnosis.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e # Enable exit on error
 
+source "$(dirname "$0")/rpc_version.env"
+if [ -z "$RPC_VERSION" ]; then
+  echo "Error: RPC_VERSION is not set in rpc_version.env"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
 # The workspace directory, no default because run_rpc_tests has it
 WORKSPACE="$1"
 # The result directory, no default because run_rpc_tests has it
@@ -22,5 +28,5 @@ DISABLED_TEST_LIST=(
 DISABLED_TESTS=$(IFS=,; echo "${DISABLED_TEST_LIST[*]}")
 
 # Call the main test runner script with the required and optional parameters
-"$(dirname "$0")/run_rpc_tests.sh" gnosis v2.8.1 "$DISABLED_TESTS" "$WORKSPACE" "$RESULT_DIR"
+"$(dirname "$0")/run_rpc_tests.sh" gnosis "$RPC_VERSION" "$DISABLED_TESTS" "$WORKSPACE" "$RESULT_DIR"
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_nethermind.sh b/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_nethermind.sh
index 408749805ec..85992bbaea6 100755
--- a/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_nethermind.sh
+++ b/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_nethermind.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e # Enable exit on error
 
+source "$(dirname "$0")/rpc_version.env"
+if [ -z "$RPC_VERSION" ]; then
+  echo "Error: RPC_VERSION is not set in rpc_version.env"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
 # The workspace directory, no default because run_rpc_tests has it
 WORKSPACE="$1"
 # The result directory, no default because run_rpc_tests has it
@@ -47,4 +53,4 @@ DISABLED_TESTS=$(IFS=,; echo "${DISABLED_TEST_LIST[*]}")
 
 # Call the main test runner script with the required and optional parameters
 # Use do-not-compare-error-message since Nethermind error messages differ from Erigon
-"$(dirname "$0")/run_rpc_tests.sh" mainnet v2.4.0 "$DISABLED_TESTS" "$WORKSPACE" "$RESULT_DIR" "" "" "do-not-compare-error-message"
+"$(dirname "$0")/run_rpc_tests.sh" mainnet "$RPC_VERSION" "$DISABLED_TESTS" "$WORKSPACE" "$RESULT_DIR" "" "" "do-not-compare-error-message"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_remote_ethereum.sh b/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_remote_ethereum.sh
index 50ca5b08782..3e407b5b280 100755
--- a/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_remote_ethereum.sh
+++ b/.github/workflows/scripts/run_rpc_tests_remote_ethereum.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e # Enable exit on error
 
+source "$(dirname "$0")/rpc_version.env"
+if [ -z "$RPC_VERSION" ]; then
+  echo "Error: RPC_VERSION is not set in rpc_version.env"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
 # The workspace directory, no default because run_rpc_tests has it
 WORKSPACE="$1"
 # The result directory, no default because run_rpc_tests has it
@@ -14,6 +20,9 @@ DISABLED_TEST_LIST=(
   # these tests/apis are disabled because some methods are not implmented on grpc
   eth_getProof
   eth_simulateV1
+  # Temporary disable after merge #20830, waiting for new rpc-tests tag after merge PR #552
+  debug_traceBlockByNumber/test_33.tar
+  debug_traceBlockByNumber/test_34.tar
   # Temporary disable required block 24298763
   debug_traceBlockByNumber/test_51.json
   # Temporary disable required block 23917742
@@ -31,4 +40,4 @@ DISABLED_TEST_LIST=(
 DISABLED_TESTS=$(IFS=,; echo "${DISABLED_TEST_LIST[*]}")
 
 # Call the main test runner script with the required and optional parameters
-"$(dirname "$0")/run_rpc_tests.sh" mainnet v2.8.1 "$DISABLED_TESTS" "$WORKSPACE" "$RESULT_DIR"
+"$(dirname "$0")/run_rpc_tests.sh" mainnet "$RPC_VERSION" "$DISABLED_TESTS" "$WORKSPACE" "$RESULT_DIR"