Bitcoin’s BIP-110 enters mandatory signaling with miner support below 3%
Reported by Cointelegraph · AI-assisted summary by ChikoCorp AI News Desk
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Summary
Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) 110 entered its mandatory-signaling phase at block 961,632, requiring miners to signal support by setting version bit 4. However, miner signaling was only 2.53% in the preceding 2,016 blocks, well below the 55% threshold needed for early activation. Nodes enforcing BIP-110 began rejecting blocks without the signal from this block onward, resulting in a minority BIP-110 chain that soon lagged behind the dominant Bitcoin blockchain.
Why it matters
This milestone tests whether a contentious Bitcoin consensus change can advance without broad miner support. The low signaling rate suggests a rival BIP-110 chain is unlikely to sustain itself, potentially preventing a split in the main chain. The enforcement of BIP-110 could create discord between enforcing nodes and the dominant Bitcoin chain, escalating disagreements on how Bitcoin’s block space should be managed.
Key context
BIP-110 proposes temporary restrictions lasting about one year on Bitcoin data usage, including limiting output scripts, OP_RETURN outputs, certain data pushes, and Taproot features to reduce storage and bandwidth costs caused by inscriptions and non-monetary data. The proposal exempts unspent transaction outputs created before activation. Critics such as Michael Saylor and Adam Back warn that BIP-110 could divide Bitcoin and make nodes reject transactions allowed under current rules. The deployment schedule names block 963,648 as the locked-in point and block 965,664 as when restrictions take effect. A fallback proof-of-work change has been referenced as a contingency by developer Chris Guida.
Key numbers and entities
BIP-110 entered mandatory signaling at block 961,632. Miner support in the preceding 2,016 blocks was 51 blocks or 2.53%, against a 55% activation threshold. The proposal uses version bit 4. Blocks 961,632–963,647 are the mandatory signaling window; block 963,648 marks the locked-in state; block 965,664 initiates transaction restrictions. Key figures mentioned are pseudonymous developer Dathon Ohm, Michael Saylor (Strategy Executive Chairman), Adam Back (Blockstream CEO), Chris Guida (Bitcoin developer), and Luke Dashjr (Bitcoin Knots maintainer).
What remains unclear
The source does not flag open questions regarding BIP-110’s future activation or miner sentiment but notes that low miner support currently limits the rival chain’s viability. No activation date for the referenced fallback proof-of-work change has been set.