Stay up to Date on the Latest in Bitcoin Tech

May 12 - May 17, 2025

Chris Stewart proposes a significant upgrade to Bitcoin's Script numerical capabilities, aiming to enhance precision and functionality by expanding the range of numeric operands and results for arithmetic operations. This proposal, documented on GitHub, seeks to lay the groundwork for future monetary amount integrations into Script, representing a potential leap forward for Bitcoin scripting capabilities ([GitHub repository](https://github.com/Christewart/bips/blob/2025-03-17-64bit-pt2/bip-XXXX.mediawiki)). The Bitcoin community is engaging in a vibrant debate over proposed changes to OP_RETURN limits and the management of mempools, highlighting concerns over spam transactions, blockchain bloat, and the implications for network health. These discussions underscore the community's commitment to scrutinizing potential modifications to Bitcoin's core code to ensure they align with the network's long-term interests, as evidenced by the extensive overview provided on Stacker News ([Stacker News Overview](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/a-comprehensive-op-return-limits-q-a-resource-to-combat-misinformation/1689)). Moonsettler's discussion draws attention to the inefficiency of peer-to-peer (P2P) value transfers in Bitcoin due to spam, questioning the effectiveness of traditional cost-based spam mitigation strategies. This skepticism is grounded in the observation that spammers derive more value from their activities compared to regular users, prompting a reevaluation of Bitcoin's design principles to better balance openness with spam resistance without compromising its core values ([Spam Problem Discussion](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/the-spam-problem-of-bitcoin-and-unpermissioned-broadcast-networks-in-general/1692)). The introduction of bitcointap by jb55, leveraging the Rust programming language and Bitcoin Core's eBPF USDT tracepoints, represents an innovative tool for developers to analyze Bitcoin Core's runtime behavior without performance drawbacks. This development, inspired by @0xB10C's peer_observer project, is accompanied by a demonstration video and an open invitation for community feedback, highlighting the project's commitment to enhancing Bitcoin development tools and methodologies ([bitcointap on GitHub](https://github.com/jb55/bitcointap), [Demo Video](https://cdn.jb55.com/s/bitcointap-demo.mp4)).

May 5 - May 11, 2025

Joshua Doman's "Graftleaf" proposal is a significant advancement in Bitcoin's scripting capabilities, introducing a method for generalized program composition and coin delegation through a new Taproot leaf version. It aims to overcome the limitations of previous proposals by supporting complex script compositions and delegations, promising improved privacy, fungibility, and backward compatibility with existing P2TR addresses. The technical sophistication of Graftleaf is highlighted by its design to prevent security issues like replay attacks and witness malleability, emphasizing its potential for creating complex spending policies such as "vault-of-vaults" ([source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/0b5b560b-aa0c-4669-9621-67ccbecba516n@googlegroups.com/T/#u#m2f5da099a7ecd43f8a7495cba67f9a009ca57851)). The transition from OP_VAULT (BIP-345) to OP_CHECKCONTRACTVERIFY (CCV) marks a pivotal development in Bitcoin scripting, with CCV offering a more general and efficient approach to secure Bitcoin vaults. This evolution retains the foundational appeal of VAULT while introducing improved functionality and flexibility, setting a new benchmark for future proposals despite challenges in implementing certain security-enhancing "decorator" opcodes ([source](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/withdrawing-op-vault-bip-345/1670)). Discussion on routing in payment networks, led by brh28, addresses liquidity uncertainty and inefficiencies in path discovery, proposing cooperative path queries to enhance routing efficiency and reduce costs. This model promotes a distributed routing landscape by enabling dynamic information sharing among nodes, improving the success rates of large payments, and minimizing reliance on comprehensive channel graphs. Despite privacy concerns, the approach offers a balanced mechanism for nodes to manage information disclosure, potentially revolutionizing payment routing in the network ([source](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/path-queries-overcoming-liquidity-uncertainty-and-other-routing-limitations/1672)).

Apr 28 - May 4, 2025

Anthony Towns highlighted a pivotal update in the Bitcoin network where the `mempoolfullrbf` default setting was changed in version 28.0, marking a significant shift that could influence network operations and user experiences, given the considerable adoption rate of this version. This change prompts a closer examination of its implications on transaction dynamics and support requirements [source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/CABZBVTBupMcBbOUtLbMaEmAiWGsMwisNW+k+bTUJGsUad2=ZZg@mail.gmail.com/T/#mb7bc2785adb6d821b21cceedeb33b7f641ec580c). Antoine Poinsot alerted the community to a security advisory addressing a low-severity issue in Bitcoin Core versions prior to 29.0, underscoring the importance of adhering to updated security practices and the project’s transparent disclosure policy. This advisory, along with the detailed security disclosure policy, is essential for maintaining the integrity and trustworthiness of the software [source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/EYvwAFPNEfsQ8cVwiK-8v6ovJU43Vy-ylARiDQ_1XBXAgg_ZqWIpB6m51fAIRtI-rfTmMGvGLrOe5Utl5y9uaHySELpya2ojC7yGsXnP90s=@protonmail.com/T/#u#mc3e78110ae4b67757a616e3c7492ce1cc56858c1). Matthew Zipkin suggested improvements to the Bitcoin development process by proposing an intermediary step involving GitHub "discussions" to bridge the gap between mailing list discourse and pull request reviews, aiming to enhance community engagement and feedback quality. This approach seeks to mitigate disenfranchisement felt by community members not involved in initial discussions and to streamline the review process for policy changes [source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/2294D284-77C1-4885-9585-E591FEE4878A@sprovoost.nl/T/#m42bd7df02f781ba1c91aa1db25d309126f5382be). Victor K of StarkWare introduced ColliderVM, a protocol enabling stateful computation on the Bitcoin network, facilitating a broader range of functionalities including smart contracts and layer two bridges without relying on fraud proofs. This development marks a significant leap towards enhancing Bitcoin's computational capabilities and operational efficiency, offering a glimpse into future applications that extend beyond the current scope of Bitcoin script [source](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/collidervm-protocol-for-computation-and-l2-bridges/1662).