diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 10bf7cebf..94cb4a2ba 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -63,6 +63,10 @@ When releasing, please add the new-release-boilerplate to docs/pallas/CHANGELOG.
 
 ## jax 0.4.38 (Dec 17, 2024)
 
+* Breaking Changes
+  * `XlaExecutable.cost_analysis` now returns a `dict[str, float]` (instead of a
+    single-element `list[dict[str, float]]`).
+
 * Changes:
   * `jax.tree.flatten_with_path` and `jax.tree.map_with_path` are added
     as shortcuts of the corresponding `tree_util` functions.
diff --git a/docs/aot.md b/docs/aot.md
index cf32716a0..f4e7e020c 100644
--- a/docs/aot.md
+++ b/docs/aot.md
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ module @jit_f attributes {mhlo.num_partitions = 1 : i32, mhlo.num_replicas = 1 :
 >>> compiled = lowered.compile()
 
 >>> # Query for cost analysis, print FLOP estimate
->>> compiled.cost_analysis()[0]['flops']
+>>> compiled.cost_analysis()['flops']
 2.0
 
 >>> # Execute the compiled function!
diff --git a/jax/_src/stages.py b/jax/_src/stages.py
index c1a188670..ed6febd76 100644
--- a/jax/_src/stages.py
+++ b/jax/_src/stages.py
@@ -250,15 +250,13 @@ class XlaExecutable(Executable):
       else:
         raise
 
-    # TODO(b/384741132): this should return a single dict (I think returning a list
-    # was to support MPMD executables, which never fully landed).
-  def cost_analysis(self) -> list[dict[str, float]]:
+  def cost_analysis(self) -> dict[str, float]:
     xla_ext_exe = self.xla_extension_executable()
 
     # TODO(b/259255524): Unify/merge the two cost_analysis calls below.
     if hasattr(xla_ext_exe, "cost_analysis"):
       try:
-        return [xla_ext_exe.cost_analysis()]
+        return xla_ext_exe.cost_analysis()
       except xla_extension.XlaRuntimeError as e:
         msg, *_ = e.args
         if not (type(msg) is str and msg.startswith("UNIMPLEMENTED")):
@@ -276,11 +274,9 @@ class XlaExecutable(Executable):
             " were found)."
         )
 
-        return [
-            xla_extension.hlo_module_cost_analysis(
-                xla_ext_exe.client, hlo_modules[0]
-            )
-        ]
+        return xla_extension.hlo_module_cost_analysis(
+            xla_ext_exe.client, hlo_modules[0]
+        )
       except xla_extension.XlaRuntimeError as e:
         msg, *_ = e.args
         supported = not (type(msg) is str and
@@ -295,7 +291,7 @@ class XlaExecutable(Executable):
         and hasattr(self.unsafe_call, "compiled")
         and hasattr(self.unsafe_call.compiled, "cost_analysis")
     ):
-      return [self.unsafe_call.compiled.cost_analysis()]
+      return self.unsafe_call.compiled.cost_analysis()
 
     raise NotImplementedError(
         f"cost analysis unsupported on current XLA backend: {type(xla_ext_exe)}"
diff --git a/tests/pallas/tpu_pallas_test.py b/tests/pallas/tpu_pallas_test.py
index 7058cacd8..746485d68 100644
--- a/tests/pallas/tpu_pallas_test.py
+++ b/tests/pallas/tpu_pallas_test.py
@@ -1617,7 +1617,7 @@ class PallasCallTest(PallasBaseTest):
             flops=1234, transcendentals=21, bytes_accessed=12345
         ),
     )
-    (analysis_result,) = jax.jit(f).lower(x).compile().cost_analysis()
+    analysis_result = jax.jit(f).lower(x).compile().cost_analysis()
     self.assertEqual(analysis_result['flops'], 1234)
     self.assertEqual(analysis_result['transcendentals'], 21)
     self.assertEqual(analysis_result['bytes accessed'], 12345)
@@ -1635,7 +1635,7 @@ class PallasCallTest(PallasBaseTest):
         ),
     )
     f = jax.vmap(f)
-    (analysis_result,) = jax.jit(f).lower(x).compile().cost_analysis()
+    analysis_result = jax.jit(f).lower(x).compile().cost_analysis()
     self.assertEqual(analysis_result['flops'], batch_size * 1234)
     self.assertEqual(analysis_result['transcendentals'], batch_size * 21)
     self.assertEqual(analysis_result['bytes accessed'], batch_size * 12345)