diff --git a/crates/revm/revm-inspectors/src/tracing/builder/geth.rs b/crates/revm/revm-inspectors/src/tracing/builder/geth.rs
index bb730fa42..d1ee600a3 100644
--- a/crates/revm/revm-inspectors/src/tracing/builder/geth.rs
+++ b/crates/revm/revm-inspectors/src/tracing/builder/geth.rs
@@ -223,6 +223,10 @@ impl GethTraceBuilder {
             }
             self.update_storage_from_trace(&mut state_diff.pre, false);
             self.update_storage_from_trace(&mut state_diff.post, true);
+
+            // ensure we're only keeping changed entries
+            state_diff.retain_changed();
+
             Ok(PreStateFrame::Diff(state_diff))
         }
     }
diff --git a/crates/rpc/rpc-types/src/eth/trace/geth/pre_state.rs b/crates/rpc/rpc-types/src/eth/trace/geth/pre_state.rs
index 5384896cb..d867ebd0b 100644
--- a/crates/rpc/rpc-types/src/eth/trace/geth/pre_state.rs
+++ b/crates/rpc/rpc-types/src/eth/trace/geth/pre_state.rs
@@ -1,12 +1,20 @@
 use reth_primitives::{serde_helper::num::from_int_or_hex_opt, Address, Bytes, B256, U256};
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
-use std::collections::BTreeMap;
+use std::collections::{btree_map, BTreeMap};
 
+/// A tracer that records [AccountState]s.
+/// The prestate tracer has two modes: prestate and diff
+///
 /// <https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/blob/91cb6f863a965481e51d5d9c0e5ccd54796fd967/eth/tracers/native/prestate.go#L38>
 #[derive(Debug, PartialEq, Eq, Clone, Deserialize, Serialize)]
 #[serde(untagged)]
 pub enum PreStateFrame {
+    /// The default mode returns the accounts necessary to execute a given transaction.
+    ///
+    /// It re-executes the given transaction and tracks every part of state that is touched.
     Default(PreStateMode),
+    /// Diff mode returns the differences between the transaction's pre and post-state (i.e. what
+    /// changed because the transaction happened).
     Diff(DiffMode),
 }
 
@@ -44,6 +52,8 @@ impl PreStateFrame {
 pub struct PreStateMode(pub BTreeMap<Address, AccountState>);
 
 /// Represents the account states before and after the transaction is executed.
+///
+/// This corresponds to the [DiffMode] of the [PreStateConfig].
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Default, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 #[serde(deny_unknown_fields)]
 pub struct DiffMode {
@@ -53,8 +63,31 @@ pub struct DiffMode {
     pub pre: BTreeMap<Address, AccountState>,
 }
 
+// === impl DiffMode ===
+
+impl DiffMode {
+    /// The sets of the [DiffMode] should only contain changed [AccountState]s.
+    ///
+    /// This will remove all unchanged [AccountState]s from the sets.
+    ///
+    /// In other words it removes entries that are equal (unchanged) in both the pre and post sets.
+    pub fn retain_changed(&mut self) {
+        self.pre.retain(|address, pre| {
+            if let btree_map::Entry::Occupied(entry) = self.post.entry(*address) {
+                if entry.get() == pre {
+                    // remove unchanged account state from both sets
+                    entry.remove();
+                    return false
+                }
+            }
+
+            true
+        });
+    }
+}
+
 /// Represents the state of an account
-#[derive(Debug, Clone, Default, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Default, PartialEq, Eq, Hash, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub struct AccountState {
     #[serde(
         default,
@@ -194,4 +227,32 @@ mod tests {
         let pre_state: PreStateFrame = serde_json::from_str(s).unwrap();
         assert!(pre_state.is_diff());
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_retain_changed_accounts() {
+        let s = r#"{
+  "post": {
+    "0x35a9f94af726f07b5162df7e828cc9dc8439e7d0": {
+      "nonce": 1135
+    }
+  },
+  "pre": {
+    "0x35a9f94af726f07b5162df7e828cc9dc8439e7d0": {
+      "balance": "0x7a48429e177130a",
+      "nonce": 1134
+    }
+  }
+}
+"#;
+        let diff: DiffMode = serde_json::from_str(s).unwrap();
+        let mut diff_changed = diff.clone();
+        diff_changed.retain_changed();
+        // different entries
+        assert_eq!(diff_changed, diff);
+
+        diff_changed.pre = diff_changed.post.clone();
+        diff_changed.retain_changed();
+        assert!(diff_changed.post.is_empty());
+        assert!(diff_changed.pre.is_empty());
+    }
 }