Chris Guida just finished rebasing a proof-of-work hard fork code onto Bitcoin Knots in early August 2026. It sits there now as a doomsday device, waiting. The move signals that some developers are genuinely worried miners will torpedo BIP-110, a soft fork designed to cap arbitrary data embedded in Bitcoin transactions for one year.

The soft fork needs 55% miner signaling over roughly two weeks to activate. As of August 2026, that signaling has been anemic. Weak. The kind of weak that makes contingency plans suddenly feel less theoretical and more like insurance you might actually need.

What BIP-110 actually does

The Reduced Data Temporary Soft Fork, or RDTS in shorthand, would throttle non-financial data in Bitcoin transactions. One year. That's the window. The idea isn't radical on its face, but miners have their reasons to resist. More data in blocks means more transaction fees. Restrict the data, restrict the revenue.

Guida's rebase isn't a threat dressed up as preparation. It's preparation dressed up as a threat. A proof-of-work algorithm change is the thermonuclear option in Bitcoin governance. It would instantly render every ASIC miner on the network obsolete. Billions in hardware becomes e-waste overnight.

The block size wars never really ended

Luke Dashjr wrote the original code back in 2017 during the block size wars, when Bitcoin nearly fractured over transaction capacity. That code has been sitting in a drawer for nine years. Dusting it off now suggests the node-operator community views this as more than theoretical miner intransigence.

Dashjr himself said he hoped the contingency would never deploy. But preparation was prudent. Bitcoin Mechanic and other node operators went further, framing the rebase as a necessary show of force. The message is clear: miners can block a soft fork, but they cannot block a community that's willing to change the rules of the game itself.

Whether that threat actually moves the needle on BIP-110 signaling remains to be seen. For now, the code is ready. The chain split is theoretical. The tension is real.

This article is informational only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Always conduct your own research before making decisions about cryptocurrency or protocol governance.