Bitcoin’s Controversial BIP-110 Enters Mandatory Signaling Phase With Minimal Miner Support
Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 110 has begun its mandatory-signaling window with miners signaling support in just 2.53% of blocks, creating an unprecedented test for consensus-driven protocol changes.
Low Miner Adoption Tests Consensus Mechanisms
Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 110 reached a critical milestone on Saturday, entering its mandatory-signaling phase at block 961,632. However, the launch arrived with a significant hurdle: miners supporting the proposal had signaled approval in only 51 of the preceding 2,016 blocks—representing just 2.53% of the total. This falls dramatically short of the 55% threshold required for early activation, according to BIP-110 monitoring data.
The sparse adoption rate has created an unprecedented test for Bitcoin’s consensus mechanism. Nodes enforcing BIP-110 have begun rejecting blocks that fail to set version bit 4, while standard Bitcoin nodes continue accepting both signaling and non-signaling blocks. This bifurcation has already produced a minority BIP-110 branch on the network that quickly fell behind the dominant chain. Without substantially greater miner participation, sustained rival-chain viability appears unlikely, as such a branch could advance slowly or halt block production entirely.
What BIP-110 Would Restrict
Created by pseudonymous developer Dathon Ohm, BIP-110 proposes new consensus restrictions designed to last roughly one year. The proposal would limit newly created output scripts to a 34-byte maximum, cap OP_RETURN outputs at 83 bytes, and restrict certain data pushes and witness elements to 256 bytes. Additionally, it would temporarily limit multiple Taproot features. Unspent transaction outputs created before activation would receive exemption from these restrictions.
Supporters contend that these limitations would discourage inscriptions and other non-monetary data storage on the blockchain, which they argue inflates storage and bandwidth costs for node operators. Critics have voiced serious objections to the approach. Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor and Blockstream CEO Adam Back have publicly cautioned that BIP-110 could fracture Bitcoin and cause nodes to reject transactions otherwise valid under existing network rules.
Timeline and Contingency Options
BIP-110’s deployment adheres to a specific schedule: blocks 961,632 through 963,647 comprise the mandatory-signaling window. Block 963,648 designates the locked-in state’s commencement, while block 965,664 marks when transaction restrictions would activate. Supporters have also prepared more extensive contingency measures. On August 1, Bitcoin developer Chris Guida unveiled preliminary code for a proof-of-work modification originally written by Bitcoin Knots maintainer Luke Dashjr, presenting it as a potential fallback if miners reject BIP-110. Guida noted that no activation date has been set for this alternative.
This contentious proposal reflects deeper divisions within the Bitcoin community over block space allocation and how protocol changes should proceed with limited miner consensus. The precedent this sets could reshape how other blockchains approach governance disputes, influencing protocol development across the entire crypto ecosystem.
Source: Cointelegraph. Not financial advice.