BIP-110 Branch Hesitates: Two-Block Stall Widens Bitcoin Gap

Bitcoin’s BIP-110-enforcing branch has stalled after mining just two blocks, widening the separation from the non-enforcing chain to 88 blocks. The latest update from a BIP-110 monitoring dashboard shows the mandatory-signaling version of the network making extremely slow progress as it awaits further blocks to complete the current difficulty-adjustment window.

According to the BIP-110 monitor (updated at 10:19 am UTC), the enforcing branch was last seen at block 961,633 after a long gap since its previous block. In the meantime, the non-enforcing chain advanced to block 961,721, underscoring how thin the enforcement-side hashpower currently is.

Key takeaways

• The enforcing branch produced only two blocks before stalling, while the non-enforcing chain continued forward, increasing the block-gap to 88.
• The divergence began after BIP-110 entered mandatory signaling at block 961,632, during which only 2.53% of blocks in the preceding window signaled support.
• Mandatory signaling is scheduled to continue through block 963,647, but difficulty adjustment won’t fully help until the enforcing side mines through the remainder of the 2,016-block adjustment period.
• Mining activity on the enforcing branch’s early blocks was attributed, via Ocean records, to a pseudonymous group using Ocean’s DATUM mining protocol.

Where the chains split

The split traces back to the moment BIP-110 moved into mandatory signaling mode. Earlier on Saturday, BIP-110 entered mandatory signaling at block 961,632. During the preceding 2,016-block adjustment window, only 51 blocks—about 2.53%—signaled support.

This matters because, under the BIP-110 rules, enforcing nodes reject blocks that do not signal via version bit 4, while standard Bitcoin nodes continue to accept both signaling and non-signaling blocks. The result is that the enforcing branch can lag if insufficient miners actively produce signaling blocks during the mandatory phase.

Under the proposal documented in the BIPs repository for BIP-110, mandatory signaling continues through block 963,647. Enforcing nodes must mine through the rest of the 2,016-block adjustment period before difficulty can adjust on their branch—an environment where even a temporary shortage of supporting hashpower can create long delays.

Stalled progress and the role of adjustment windows

Even when enforcement rules are live, the network’s practical pace can remain constrained by the mechanics of Bitcoin’s difficulty targeting. The BIP-110-enforcing side can’t benefit from a difficulty change until it has advanced far enough within the current adjustment period.

Ocean’s records cited in the BIP-110 monitor coverage indicate that a pseudonymous mining group—Roughnecks—produced the first two enforcing-branch blocks using Ocean’s Decentralized Alternative Templates for Universal Mining (DATUM) mining protocol. Those two blocks appear to be the basis for the enforcing-side head seen at block 961,633, after which progress slowed materially.

With the non-enforcing chain reaching block 961,721, the distance between the two heads has grown quickly once the enforcing branch stopped producing frequent blocks. For miners and observers, this is a concrete reminder that “mandatory signaling” does not automatically translate into immediate, sustained block production on the enforcing side—especially if the number of miners willing to follow version bit 4 during the mandatory phase is limited.

What BIP-110 requires—and why critics warn

BIP-110’s stated mechanism is straightforward: enforce nodes require blocks to signal through a specified version bit, while ordinary Bitcoin nodes tolerate both signaling and non-signaling blocks. That design is intended to curb unwanted data patterns described in the broader debate around spam and template behavior.

Still, the approach has drawn notable resistance from influential figures in the Bitcoin ecosystem. Cointelegraph previously reported that Strategy executive chairman Michael Saylor supports the general objectives but argued the proposal’s method threatens Bitcoin’s “neutral rules” and consensus integrity. Separately, Blockstream CEO Adam Back has warned that the consensus-level change could damage Bitcoin’s credibility and may make certain unspent transaction outputs unspendable, according to earlier Cointelegraph coverage.

The stalled enforcing branch provides a live illustration of how contentious or under-resourced changes can become when they rely on adoption by a critical mass of miners. If enforcement is accepted by fewer miners than required to keep block production competitive, the chain running enforcement rules can fall behind—even if the rules themselves are technically activated.

What to watch next

For now, readers tracking BIP-110 should focus on whether additional miners begin signaling in larger numbers as the mandatory window continues through block 963,647, and whether the enforcing branch’s block production improves before the next difficulty adjustment opportunity. If the hashpower supporting version bit 4 remains limited, the enforcing chain may continue to lag—turning a theoretical protocol enforcement into a practical question of miner participation.