diff --git a/packages/api/src/beacon/routes/validator.ts b/packages/api/src/beacon/routes/validator.ts
index 86c490003a3c..12f8fb97139f 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/beacon/routes/validator.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/beacon/routes/validator.ts
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ import {
   ContainerDataExecutionOptimistic,
   ContainerData,
 } from "../../utils/index.js";
-import {fromU64Str, toU64Str, U64Str} from "../../utils/serdes.js";
+import {fromU64Str, fromGraffitiHex, toU64Str, U64Str, toGraffitiHex} from "../../utils/serdes.js";
 import {ExecutionOptimistic} from "./beacon/block.js";
 
 // See /packages/api/src/routes/index.ts for reasoning and instructions to add new routes
@@ -380,9 +380,9 @@ export function getReqSerializers(): ReqSerializers<Api, ReqTypes> {
   const produceBlock: ReqSerializers<Api, ReqTypes>["produceBlock"] = {
     writeReq: (slot, randaoReveal, graffiti) => ({
       params: {slot},
-      query: {randao_reveal: toHexString(randaoReveal), graffiti},
+      query: {randao_reveal: toHexString(randaoReveal), graffiti: toGraffitiHex(graffiti)},
     }),
-    parseReq: ({params, query}) => [params.slot, fromHexString(query.randao_reveal), query.graffiti],
+    parseReq: ({params, query}) => [params.slot, fromHexString(query.randao_reveal), fromGraffitiHex(query.graffiti)],
     schema: {
       params: {slot: Schema.UintRequired},
       query: {randao_reveal: Schema.StringRequired, graffiti: Schema.String},
diff --git a/packages/api/src/utils/serdes.ts b/packages/api/src/utils/serdes.ts
index 12853a0e1067..8c6c8e6e4b93 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/utils/serdes.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/utils/serdes.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import {JsonPath} from "@chainsafe/ssz";
+import {fromHexString, JsonPath, toHexString} from "@chainsafe/ssz";
 
 /**
  * Serialize proof path to JSON.
@@ -66,3 +66,30 @@ export function fromU64StrOpt(u64Str: U64Str | undefined): U64 | undefined {
 export function toU64StrOpt(u64: U64 | undefined): U64Str | undefined {
   return u64 !== undefined ? toU64Str(u64) : undefined;
 }
+
+const GRAFFITI_HEX_LENGTH = 66;
+
+export function toGraffitiHex(utf8: string): string {
+  const hex = toHexString(new TextEncoder().encode(utf8));
+
+  if (hex.length > GRAFFITI_HEX_LENGTH) {
+    // remove characters from the end if hex string is too long
+    return hex.slice(0, GRAFFITI_HEX_LENGTH);
+  }
+
+  if (hex.length < GRAFFITI_HEX_LENGTH) {
+    // right-pad with zeros if hex string is too short
+    return hex.padEnd(GRAFFITI_HEX_LENGTH, "0");
+  }
+
+  return hex;
+}
+
+export function fromGraffitiHex(hex: string): string {
+  try {
+    return new TextDecoder("utf8").decode(fromHexString(hex));
+  } catch {
+    // allow malformed graffiti hex string
+    return hex;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/api/test/unit/beacon/testData/validator.ts b/packages/api/test/unit/beacon/testData/validator.ts
index 92a061eeabc0..e6939614ec73 100644
--- a/packages/api/test/unit/beacon/testData/validator.ts
+++ b/packages/api/test/unit/beacon/testData/validator.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import {GenericServerTestCases} from "../../../utils/genericServerTest.js";
 const ZERO_HASH = Buffer.alloc(32, 0);
 const ZERO_HASH_HEX = "0x" + ZERO_HASH.toString("hex");
 const randaoReveal = Buffer.alloc(96, 1);
-const graffiti = "0xcf8e0d4e9587369b2301d0790347320302cc0943d5a1884560367e8208d920f2";
+const graffiti = "a".repeat(32);
 
 export const testData: GenericServerTestCases<Api> = {
   getAttesterDuties: {
diff --git a/packages/api/test/unit/utils/serdes.test.ts b/packages/api/test/unit/utils/serdes.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..c390e3e6b6da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/api/test/unit/utils/serdes.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+import {expect} from "chai";
+import {fromGraffitiHex, toGraffitiHex} from "../../../src/utils/serdes.js";
+
+describe("utils / serdes", () => {
+  describe("toGraffitiHex", () => {
+    it("should convert a UTF-8 graffiti to hex", () => {
+      expect(toGraffitiHex("a".repeat(32))).to.equal(
+        "0x6161616161616161616161616161616161616161616161616161616161616161"
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("should convert a graffiti with Unicode symbols to hex", () => {
+      expect(toGraffitiHex("🦇🔊".repeat(4))).to.equal(
+        "0xf09fa687f09f948af09fa687f09f948af09fa687f09f948af09fa687f09f948a"
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("should trim the hex graffiti if it is too long", () => {
+      expect(toGraffitiHex("a".repeat(50))).to.equal(toGraffitiHex("a".repeat(32)));
+    });
+
+    it("should trim the hex graffiti if the last character is a Unicode symbol", () => {
+      expect(toGraffitiHex("a".repeat(31) + "🐼")).to.equal(
+        "0x61616161616161616161616161616161616161616161616161616161616161f0"
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("should right-pad the hex graffiti with zeros if it is too short", () => {
+      expect(toGraffitiHex("a")).to.equal("0x6100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000");
+      expect(toGraffitiHex("ab")).to.equal("0x6162000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000");
+      expect(toGraffitiHex("abc")).to.equal("0x6162630000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000");
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("fromGraffitiHex", () => {
+    it("should convert a hex graffiti to UTF-8", () => {
+      expect(fromGraffitiHex("0x6161616161616161616161616161616161616161616161616161616161616161")).to.equal(
+        "a".repeat(32)
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("should convert a hex graffiti with Unicode symbols to UTF-8", () => {
+      expect(fromGraffitiHex("0xf09fa687f09f948af09fa687f09f948af09fa687f09f948af09fa687f09f948a")).to.equal(
+        "🦇🔊".repeat(4)
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("should convert a padded hex graffiti to UTF-8", () => {
+      expect(fromGraffitiHex("0x6100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000")).to.equal(
+        // null bytes will not be displayed/ignored later on
+        "a" + "\u0000".repeat(31)
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("should decode a hex graffiti with a cut off Unicode character at the end", () => {
+      expect(fromGraffitiHex("0x61616161616161616161616161616161616161616161616161616161616161f0")).to.equal(
+        // last character will be displayed as �
+        "a".repeat(31) + "\ufffd"
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("should not throw an error if an invalid hex graffiti is provided", () => {
+      expect(() => fromGraffitiHex("a")).to.not.throw();
+    });
+
+    it("should return the provided graffiti string if decoding fails", () => {
+      expect(fromGraffitiHex("a")).to.equal("a");
+    });
+  });
+});