diff --git a/crates/mpt/src/trie.rs b/crates/mpt/src/trie.rs
index 86105e23d..74441dca4 100644
--- a/crates/mpt/src/trie.rs
+++ b/crates/mpt/src/trie.rs
@@ -113,6 +113,11 @@ fn decode_rlp_item<'a>(buf: &mut &'a [u8]) -> Result<(&'a [u8], &'a [u8]), Error
         *buf = &item_start[1..];
         return Ok((&item_start[..1], &item_start[1..1]));
     }
+    if item_start.first() == Some(&(alloy_rlp::EMPTY_STRING_CODE + 32)) {
+        let item = item_start.get(..33).ok_or(alloy_rlp::Error::InputTooShort)?;
+        *buf = &item_start[33..];
+        return Ok((item, &item[1..]));
+    }
 
     let alloy_rlp::Header { payload_length, .. } = alloy_rlp::Header::decode(buf)?;
     // SAFETY: the header was decoded, so the item contains its declared payload.
@@ -121,6 +126,35 @@ fn decode_rlp_item<'a>(buf: &mut &'a [u8]) -> Result<(&'a [u8], &'a [u8]), Error
     Ok((&item_start[..item_length], payload))
 }
 
+/// Decodes an MPT node header, specializing the canonical list headers used by almost every
+/// resolved node. The generic decoder remains the fallback for strings and uncommon long lists.
+#[inline(always)]
+fn decode_node_header(buf: &mut &[u8]) -> Result<alloy_rlp::Header, Error> {
+    let input = *buf;
+    match input.first().copied() {
+        Some(code @ alloy_rlp::EMPTY_LIST_CODE..=0xf7) => {
+            let payload_length = usize::from(code - alloy_rlp::EMPTY_LIST_CODE);
+            if input.len() < payload_length + 1 {
+                return Err(alloy_rlp::Error::InputTooShort.into());
+            }
+            *buf = &input[1..];
+            Ok(alloy_rlp::Header { list: true, payload_length })
+        }
+        Some(0xf8) => {
+            let payload_length = usize::from(*input.get(1).ok_or(alloy_rlp::Error::InputTooShort)?);
+            if payload_length < 56 {
+                return Err(alloy_rlp::Error::NonCanonicalSize.into());
+            }
+            if input.len() < payload_length + 2 {
+                return Err(alloy_rlp::Error::InputTooShort.into());
+            }
+            *buf = &input[2..];
+            Ok(alloy_rlp::Header { list: true, payload_length })
+        }
+        _ => alloy_rlp::Header::decode(buf).map_err(Into::into),
+    }
+}
+
 /// Whether `slice` is the RLP encoding of an empty node reference: a single `EMPTY_STRING_CODE`
 /// byte. Written as an explicit pattern match because comparing against [`NULL_NODE_REF_SLICE`]
 /// with `==` compiles to a `memcmp` call, whose overhead dwarfs this one-byte check — and trie
@@ -287,7 +321,7 @@ impl<'a> Mpt<'a> {
         }
 
         let rlp_node_header_start = *bytes;
-        let alloy_rlp::Header { list, payload_length } = alloy_rlp::Header::decode(bytes)?;
+        let alloy_rlp::Header { list, payload_length } = decode_node_header(bytes)?;
 
         // SAFETY: we already decoded the header, so we know the payload length.
         let mut payload = unsafe { advance_unchecked(bytes, payload_length) };