diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 226df765af..0b6224e76e 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
+8.1.0-dev.81 | 2025-08-18 16:44:30 +0200
+
+  * cluster/serializer/broker: Drop unused include (Arne Welzel, Corelight)
+
+  * cluster/serializer/broker: fixup inconsistent param comment (Arne Welzel, Corelight)
+
+    References #4754 #4756
+
 8.1.0-dev.78 | 2025-08-18 13:13:21 +0200
 
   * Changed behavior of var-extraction-uri.zeek from policy/protocol/http to extract only the URI parameter names. Do not include the path in the first parameter name. Only extract uri vars if parameters actually exist. (Benjamin Grap)
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index 7ed290e198..34f1cdc35a 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-8.1.0-dev.78
+8.1.0-dev.81
diff --git a/src/cluster/serializer/broker/Serializer.cc b/src/cluster/serializer/broker/Serializer.cc
index 5bbb8a2bcd..7495e8eadc 100644
--- a/src/cluster/serializer/broker/Serializer.cc
+++ b/src/cluster/serializer/broker/Serializer.cc
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
 #include "zeek/broker/Data.h"
 #include "zeek/cluster/Event.h"
 
-#include "broker/data.bif.h"
 #include "broker/data_envelope.hh"
 #include "broker/error.hh"
 #include "broker/format/json.hh"
@@ -59,7 +58,7 @@ std::optional<broker::zeek::Event> detail::to_broker_event(const zeek::cluster::
     xs.reserve(ev.Args().size());
 
     for ( const auto& a : ev.Args() ) {
-        if ( auto res = zeek::Broker::detail::val_to_data(a.get(), /*flatten_broker_dataval=*/true) )
+        if ( auto res = zeek::Broker::detail::val_to_data(a.get(), /*unwrap_broker_data=*/true) )
             xs.emplace_back(std::move(res.value()));
         else
             return std::nullopt;