Bitcoin’s community is embroiled in heated controversy over a temporary soft-fork proposal, BIP-110. One of the most controversial provisions in the proposal is to slash the miner-approval threshold for upgrading the Bitcoin protocol from the current 95% down to 55%. The proposal uses a miner-signaling activation mechanism, setting approximately August 7 as the start of the mandatory signaling period, approximately September 1 as the rule effective date, and also providing a user-activated soft fork (UASF) path.
BIP-110 Core Proposal: Trading Data Restriction Measures and Lower Upgrade Threshold
BIP-110 plans to impose multiple restrictions over a one-year period on data-intensive transactions through the Bitcoin Knots client, with the aim of reducing non-monetary-use data on the Bitcoin blockchain. Supporters argue this can lessen the burden on node operators and curb “junk transactions,” returning Bitcoin’s functionality to its “core monetary characteristics.”
Beyond technical restrictions, another core provision of BIP-110 is lowering the miner-approval threshold for upgrading from the current 95% to 55%. This change is viewed by some as an attempt to reduce the difficulty of future protocol changes, but it is also one of the main targets of criticism from opponents.
Opponents’ Stances on Bitcoin BIP-110
Opponents of BIP-110 include several well-known figures in the Bitcoin community. The following are the key points of criticism:
Michael Saylor (Chairman of Strategy): Says consensus rules should not judge the “purpose” of transactions that have already paid normal trading fees; nodes and miners can choose not to relay or mine data that is not needed, but the consensus rules themselves should target “clearly validated problems (such as DoS attacks or validation risk)”; says BIP-110 is a case where “governance risk is greater than the problem being solved.”
Jameson Lopp (Well-known developer): Criticizes that the proposal may hinder Layer2 development and script upgrades, and freeze some existing UTXOs.
Dathon Pwn (Security researcher): Identified a “BlockSlop” consensus vulnerability; nodes enforcing BIP-110 may not re-validate old blocks, creating the risk of a blockchain history split.
Current Activation Progress: 0.86% signaling rate, mandatory signaling period starting August 7, and rule effective schedule on September 1
As of the time of reporting, BIP-110’s miner signaling rate is about 0.86%, far below the 55% threshold needed for early lock-in. Supporters estimate that the current node support rate is roughly 7% to 15%, and they acknowledge the proposal may not successfully activate. Per the proposal’s published timeline, the mandatory signaling period begins around August 7, and the rules are expected to take effect around September 1.
If BIP-110’s signaling rate remains at the current level, and nodes reject most non-signaling blocks, there is a risk that BIP-110 nodes could fall out of the main chain and form a minority chain. In addition, Saylor published Strategy’s Bitcoin purchase history chart the day after the opposing article was released, with the note “What happens next?”, shifting market focus to Strategy’s next capital allocation moves.
FAQ
What problem is BIP-110 intended to solve, and what is its most controversial provision?
BIP-110 aims to limit arbitrary data sizes in Bitcoin trades to reduce how much space is taken up by non-monetary uses such as inscriptions and Runes. The most controversial provision is the proposal to lower the miner-approval threshold for protocol upgrades from the current 95% to 55%, as well as imposing, via the Bitcoin Knots client, a one-year set of restrictions on specific transaction types.
Why does Michael Saylor oppose BIP-110?
On July 18, 2026, Saylor posted on X an article titled “110 Reasons to Explain Why BIP-110 Is a Bad Idea.” His core argument is that consensus rules should not judge the “purpose” of transactions that have already paid normal trading fees. He says nodes and miners can choose not to relay data they do not need, but the consensus rules themselves should target “clearly validated denial-of-service attacks or validation risk,” calling BIP-110 a “medical-instruction proposal for Bitcoin.”
What is BIP-110’s current activation status, and when is the mandatory signaling period?
As of the time of reporting, BIP-110’s miner signaling rate is about 0.86%, far below the 55% needed for early lock-in. The mandatory signaling period is expected to start around August 7, 2026, and the rule effective date is expected to be around September 1. Supporters acknowledge that the proposal’s activation outlook remains full of uncertainty before activation.
