BIP-110 faces miner rejection with only 0.31% hashrate support
In brief
- BIP-110 secures only 0.31% hashrate support (5 EH/s), far below 55% threshold for early activation.
- Ocean pool remains sole miner signaling support since March 2026; major pools have not followed.
- Mandatory signaling phase begins August 7–15, 2026, but miner consensus unlikely given current economics.
The proposal and its limits
BIP-110 caps transaction output data at 34 bytes and restricts OP_RETURN usage to 83 bytes, effectively targeting protocols like Ordinals and Runes that bundle large data payloads onto the chain. The proposal was originally introduced as BIP-444 back in October 2025 before being formally reassigned. Its author, Dathon Ohm, designed it as a temporary measure, a one-year consensus soft fork.
Even if activated, BIP-110 carries a fundamental constraint. Its restrictions would only apply to nodes that chose to enforce them. Miners and node operators who didn't upgrade would continue processing the transactions BIP-110 seeks to block, creating a fragmented enforcement layer.
Why miners aren't buying in
Node support for BIP-110 sat at 2-3% in early 2026, translating to roughly 583 out of approximately 24,481 nodes. Hashrate support is even thinner. The first block signaling support for BIP-110 was mined by Ocean pool back in March 2026. Since then, no major mining pool has followed suit. Ocean, run by Bitcoin Core developer Luke Dashjr, has long been an outlier in the mining world, known for filtering certain transaction types.
The economic reality is straightforward. Proponents argue that protocols like Ordinals and Runes have driven up transaction fees and placed unnecessary strain on node operators. But miners profit from those fees. Restricting data-heavy transactions means lower transaction volume and lower revenue. That misalignment—between grassroots frustration and miner incentives—is the core problem.
The broader governance challenge
Blockstream CEO Adam Back and well-known Bitcoin developer Jameson Lopp have both raised concerns about the risks involved. Their objections center on several points: the potential for a chain split if enforcement is inconsistent, reputational damage, and enforcement problems. Those risks matter. A soft fork with weak miner support could fragment the network.
Bitcoin's upgrade mechanism demands overwhelming consensus. BIP-110 shows that even proposals with passionate grassroots backing can stall completely if they don't align with miner economics. The August signaling window will likely confirm what the hashrate already signals: this proposal won't reach the threshold needed to move forward.
Frequently asked questions
What does BIP-110 do?
BIP-110 restricts data-heavy protocols by capping transaction output data at 34 bytes and limiting OP_RETURN usage to 83 bytes. It targets protocols like Ordinals and Runes that bundle large data onto Bitcoin's blockchain. The proposal was designed as a temporary one-year consensus soft fork.
Why isn't BIP-110 gaining miner support?
Miners profit from the high transaction fees that data-heavy protocols generate. Restricting those transactions would lower miner revenue. Although node operators and users frustrated with network strain support the proposal, miners' economic incentives are misaligned with its goals.
What happens if BIP-110 activates?
Even if activated, BIP-110's restrictions would only apply to nodes that chose to enforce them. Miners and nodes that didn't upgrade would continue processing the transactions BIP-110 seeks to block, potentially fragmenting the network.
