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Bitcoin’s BIP-110 mandatory-signaling window kicked off at block 961,632. Miner support sat at 2.53%. That’s not close.
Only 51 of the 2,016 blocks preceding that trigger point carried version bit 4 signaling, per monitoring data. The threshold for early activation is 55%, which makes the current rate not just low — it’s basically nowhere near what the proposal needs to move forward cleanly. Nodes enforcing BIP-110 began rejecting blocks that lacked the required signaling, and the result was predictable: a minority chain broke off from the main chain almost immediately, then fell behind fast. A chain running on 2.53% of miner support can’t really keep up. Block production slows, and if participation doesn’t climb, the whole thing risks stagnating entirely.
Not a clean launch.
What BIP-110 Actually Does
The proposal comes from developer Dathon Ohm. It introduces a set of new consensus restrictions meant to last roughly a year, targeting what supporters call non-monetary data that’s been piling up on Bitcoin’s blockchain and costing node operators real money in storage and bandwidth.
Specifically, BIP-110 limits new output scripts to 34 bytes. It caps OP_RETURN outputs at 83 bytes. It also puts hard limits on data pushes and restricts certain Taproot features. Unspent outputs created before activation get a pass — they’re exempt from all of it. The argument from proponents is pretty straightforward: Bitcoin’s block space is being used for things that have nothing to do with financial transactions, and that burden falls on every node operator running the network. Tighten the rules, reduce the junk, ease the load.
Critics aren’t buying it. Michael Saylor and Adam Back have both pushed back, warning that BIP-110 could fracture Bitcoin’s network and cause nodes to reject transactions that are perfectly valid under the rules Bitcoin uses right now. That’s a serious concern. A split network isn’t a minor inconvenience — it’s the kind of thing that shakes market confidence and creates real confusion about which chain is “real” Bitcoin.
The Timeline and the Fallback Plan
The signaling window runs from block 961,632 through block 963,647. Block 963,648 is where the proposal would hit its locked-in state. After that, the restrictions themselves are scheduled to take effect at block 965,664.
But there’s a contingency sitting in the background. On August 1, Bitcoin developer Chris Guida rebased code for a proof-of-work change — work originally done by Luke Dashjr — specifically as a fallback if miner opposition proved too strong. No activation date has been set for that code. It’s there, it exists, but it’s not moving yet. Unclear when or whether it will.
The fallback itself is worth paying attention to. A proof-of-work change would be one of the most aggressive moves possible in Bitcoin’s governance playbook — essentially a way to reset the mining landscape if established miners won’t cooperate. The fact that it’s being prepped at all says something about how BIP-110’s supporters see the road ahead.
So far, that road looks rough.
The minority chain that emerged after block 961,632 is the clearest sign yet that BIP-110’s supporters are willing to push forward without broad consensus. That’s a departure from how major Bitcoin protocol changes have typically worked. Historically, changes to Bitcoin’s core rules have required overwhelming miner agreement before anything gets enforced. BIP-110 is testing whether a determined minority can actually sustain a rival chain long enough to force the issue — or whether it just fades out as miners ignore it.
It’s probably the latter, at least for now. A chain running on under 3% of hash rate can’t produce blocks fast enough to stay competitive. Transactions won’t confirm. Users won’t use it. And without economic activity, miners have no incentive to switch. The minority chain’s survival depends entirely on whether miner participation climbs, and there’s no sign of that happening quickly.
What makes the whole situation genuinely interesting is the governance question underneath it. Bitcoin doesn’t have a CEO. It doesn’t have a board that votes on protocol changes. Consensus is messy, slow, and sometimes contentious. BIP-110 is a live example of what happens when a group of developers decides to move forward anyway — and what the network actually does in response.
Proponents want to clean up Bitcoin’s block space. Critics want to protect network unity. And miners, who hold the real power here, are mostly sitting on their hands.
The mandatory-signaling window closes at block 963,647. After that, the locked-in phase begins, and the restrictions hit at block 965,664 — assuming anything changes between now and then. With miner support at 2.53%, that’s a big assumption.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is BIP-110 and who wrote it?
BIP-110 is a Bitcoin Improvement Proposal authored by developer Dathon Ohm that introduces temporary consensus restrictions, including limits on output scripts to 34 bytes and OP_RETURN outputs to 83 bytes, aimed at reducing non-monetary data on the blockchain.
What miner support does BIP-110 currently have?
As of the mandatory-signaling phase starting at block 961,632, only 51 of the preceding 2,016 blocks signaled support — a rate of 2.53%, far below the 55% threshold needed for early activation.
