Relax OP_RETURN standardness restrictions

In a recent analysis conducted by Antoine Poinsot, a comparison was made between the cost-effectiveness of using an OP_RETURN output versus the traditional "inscription envelope" method for embedding data within Bitcoin transactions. The study revealed that for data payloads smaller than 143 to 158 bytes—depending on the inclusion of transaction overhead—the OP_RETURN output is a more economical choice. This finding addresses a longstanding debate within the Bitcoin development community regarding the efficiency of different methods for data insertion.

Poinsot also expressed skepticism towards the standardness rules governing the use of OP_RETURN outputs. He highlighted that despite these regulations, there are ways to circumvent them, albeit with varying degrees of impact on data encoding efficiency. The most concerning workaround involves adding multiple unspendable outputs to a transaction, a practice still employed by some protocols today. This critique points to a need for reconsideration or adjustment of the current standardness rules to prevent potential misuse while ensuring efficient data encoding within the blockchain.