Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 110 entered its mandatory-signaling phase at block 961,632 after receiving support from only 51 of the previous 2,016 blocks, representing 2.53% of the total. Nodes enforcing BIP-110 have begun rejecting blocks that do not signal support through version bit 4, while ordinary Bitcoin nodes continue accepting both signaling and non-signaling blocks. The limited miner support has already produced a minority branch that is struggling to keep pace with the dominant chain, raising questions about whether the proposed consensus changes can proceed without broader participation.
BIP-110 Enters Mandatory Signaling
BIP-110 entered its mandatory-signaling phase at Bitcoin block 961,632 on Saturday, marking a significant test for the controversial proposal.
According to the BIP-110 monitor, only 51 of the preceding 2,016 blocks, or approximately 2.53%, signaled support for the proposal. That figure remained well below the 55% threshold required for early activation.
Beginning at block 961,632, nodes enforcing BIP-110 started rejecting blocks that did not contain the required signal through version bit 4.
Ordinary Bitcoin nodes, however, continued to accept both signaling and non-signaling blocks, creating the conditions for a potential divergence between enforcing and non-enforcing nodes.
Minority Branch Struggles to Keep Pace
A minority BIP-110 branch subsequently emerged but quickly fell behind the dominant Bitcoin chain.
The limited level of miner signaling presents a significant challenge for the enforcing branch because mining power determines how quickly blocks can be produced.
Without substantially greater miner participation, a competing BIP-110 chain could progress slowly or potentially stop producing blocks altogether.
The development therefore represents a test of whether supporters of a contentious consensus change can sustain an alternative chain without broad mining support.
BIP-110 Seeks Temporary Data Restrictions
BIP-110, written by pseudonymous Bitcoin developer Dathon Ohm, proposes additional consensus restrictions that would remain in place for approximately one year.
The proposal would limit most new output scripts to 34 bytes and cap OP_RETURN outputs at 83 bytes. It would also impose restrictions on certain data pushes and witness elements, limiting them to 256 bytes, while temporarily restricting several Taproot-related features.
Unspent transaction outputs created before activation would not be subject to the proposed restrictions.
Supporters argue that the measures would discourage inscriptions and other forms of non-monetary data that can increase storage and bandwidth requirements for Bitcoin node operators.
Proposal Divides Bitcoin Community
BIP-110 has attracted opposition from prominent members of the Bitcoin ecosystem.
Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor and Blockstream CEO Adam Back have argued that the proposal could divide the Bitcoin network by causing enforcing nodes to reject transactions and blocks that remain valid under the network’s existing rules.
The disagreement reflects a broader debate over Bitcoin’s block space and whether changes to consensus rules should be used to restrict certain forms of data activity.
The limited miner signaling also demonstrates the difficulty of implementing a consensus-level change when support among miners remains relatively low.
Mandatory-Signaling Window Continues
Under the BIP-110 deployment schedule, blocks 961,632 through 963,647 form the mandatory-signaling window.
During this period, nodes enforcing BIP-110 reject blocks that do not contain the required version-bit signal.
The proposal specifies block 963,648 as the beginning of its locked-in state, while block 965,664 is designated as the point when the proposed transaction restrictions would take effect.
Whether those milestones can be reached in practice remains dependent on the ability of the enforcing branch to continue producing blocks.
Hard-Fork Fallback Discussed
BIP-110 supporters have also discussed a more extensive fallback option if miners continue opposing the proposal.
On August 1, Bitcoin developer Chris Guida rebased preliminary proof-of-work change code originally written by Bitcoin Knots maintainer Luke Dashjr.
Guida described the code as a contingency measure that could be considered if miners opposed BIP-110, although he said no activation date had been established.
The possibility of a proof-of-work change adds another dimension to the ongoing disagreement and illustrates how contentious the debate surrounding BIP-110 has become.
Closing Insights
BIP-110’s entry into mandatory signaling places the proposal at a critical stage, with enforcing nodes now operating under rules that differ from those accepted by the broader Bitcoin network. With miner support at just 2.53% during the preceding signaling period, the immediate challenge is whether the minority branch can maintain sufficient hashpower to continue progressing. The coming blocks will therefore provide an important indication of whether BIP-110 can gain additional support or whether the network will remain divided over the proposed restrictions on Bitcoin block space.
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