The BIP-110 branch of Bitcoin has effectively stalled just two blocks after entering its mandatory signaling phase, with the gap between the enforcing chain and Bitcoin's main chain now standing at 88 blocks. The proposal, which would cap the size of arbitrary data that can be embedded in transactions, entered mandatory signaling at block 961,632 over the weekend but managed to produce only two additional blocks before hashpower supporting it evaporated, according to Cointelegraph's reporting.
Miner support for the change never came close to the threshold needed for a clean activation. Just 51 of the 2,016 blocks in the signaling period — roughly 2.53% — signaled support for BIP-110, far short of the 55% supermajority required. That left mandatory signaling, which forces BIP-110-enforcing nodes to reject any block that doesn't signal, as the only mechanism left to push the change through, and it has produced a minority chain rather than a network-wide upgrade.
A shrinking fork gaining little ground
The split has widened quickly since it first appeared. Where the enforcing branch was trailing the main chain by 18 blocks just a short time ago, it has now fallen 88 blocks behind — the non-enforcing chain has advanced to block 961,721 while the mandatory-signaling window continues through block 963,647. The branch's only blocks so far were mined by a pseudonymous group calling itself "Roughnecks," using Ocean's DATUM mining protocol, rather than any of Bitcoin's major mining pools.
Developers are now warning holders directly
The practical risk has moved beyond a technical curiosity. At least one Bitcoin developer has warned that holders could lose real BTC if they attempt to sell coins mined on the BIP-110 branch, since those coins exist only on a chain that standard Bitcoin nodes don't recognize as valid — a warning that underscores how thin and fragile the minority chain already is, even a few days into its existence.
[BIP-110] threatened Bitcoin's neutral rules.
That's how MicroStrategy's Michael Saylor characterized the proposal in his opposition to it. Blockstream CEO Adam Back went further, warning the consensus-level change could "damage Bitcoin's credibility" and risked making certain unspent transaction outputs unspendable under the new rules. Both figures were among the most prominent voices pushing back on BIP-110 well before mandatory signaling began.
Related: BIP-110 Minority Fork Now 18 Blocks Behind Bitcoin Main Chain
What happens if the branch keeps losing ground
With signaling support still stuck near 2.6% and no major mining pool showing signs of switching sides, BIP-110 looks set to remain a minority curiosity rather than the network-wide change its proponents envisioned. The mandatory signaling window runs until block 963,647, giving the branch roughly two more weeks to gain traction before that period closes — but with the gap to Bitcoin's main chain widening by dozens of blocks in just the last few days, the branch's odds of catching up, let alone overtaking the main chain, are shrinking by the day.
