Bitcoin’s BIP-110 proposal is approaching its early August deadline with virtually no support from miners or node operators. The plan, known as the Reduced Data Temporary Soft Fork, aims to restrict non-financial data storage on the Bitcoin blockchain for one year.
BIP-110 Aims to Curb Blockchain Data Bloat
The proposal would tighten limits on data stored via OP_RETURN transactions, reject arbitrary data pushes larger than 256 bytes, and restrict script formats primarily used for data storage. Supporters argue it would reduce blockchain bloat and keep block space focused on financial transactions. However, the rule would invalidate some transactions that are currently valid, such as those related to Ordinals and inscriptions.
BIP-110 uses a user-activated soft fork mechanism, requiring only 55% miner signaling—far below the typical 95% threshold. Despite this lower bar, miner support has never exceeded 1% and currently stands at 0%. No major mining pool has endorsed the plan. Node adoption also remains in the low single digits, mostly limited to users of Bitcoin Knots rather than Bitcoin Core.
Key Figures Speak Out
Strategy founder Michael Saylor opposed the proposal, calling it a dangerous precedent that would turn a dispute over data storage into a consensus change. Blockstream co-founder Adam Back also rejected it, stating that the wider Bitcoin network would not join a fork implementing these restrictions. Both warned that weak support could lead to a minority chain split.
The signaling period covers blocks 957,600 to 959,615, with a voluntary lock-in deadline around block 961,542 (early August). If activated, participating nodes would reject blocks that fail to signal support, potentially creating a separate chain with different transaction rules.
For now, BIP-110 appears unlikely to affect the main Bitcoin network, but the debate highlights ongoing tensions over blockchain data use and governance.
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