Dust Expiry: Clean the UTXO set from spam

This discussion delves into the considerations surrounding a proposal that aims to mitigate the challenges associated with unspent transaction output (UTXO) bloat in Bitcoin. UTXO bloat refers to the increasing storage requirements needed to track unspent coins within the network. The proposal suggests a mechanism by which the cost of addressing UTXO bloat is minimized to essentially the cost of tracking the spent or unspent status of transactions. It emphasizes that, from the consensus rules' perspective, the identity of the entity constructing the proofs necessary for this process is not of paramount importance. However, it underlines the importance of ensuring that coin owners have the capability to independently construct these proofs to maintain security and autonomy within the network.

The proposal highlights the advantage of creating static proofs, which are essentially cost-free to produce. This is notable because Bitcoin wallets previously stored transaction output (txo) proofs similar to those proposed; however, this functionality was removed due to its lack of utility at the time. The reintroduction of such proofs could leverage existing wallet functionalities, especially in older wallets, which is seen as a significant benefit. Furthermore, the possibility of entities other than the coin owners, such as miners, providing these proofs is acknowledged. Miners might find this attractive due to the potential for fee collection on spends. Yet, the discussion points out that the focus of who provides the proofs should largely remain outside the scope of the consensus rules themselves, suggesting a broader view of network participation and responsibility.