Bitcoin anti-spam fork stalls after two blocks mined

A proposed Bitcoin anti-spam fork went live but stalled after miners produced two consecutive blocks on the alternative chain and then ceased mining on it. The chain did not grow beyond those initial blocks.

Developers proposed the change to reduce spam transactions by changing consensus rules that affect how low-value and bulk transactions are processed. The new rules only applied on the alternative chain.

Miners briefly enforced the new rules by mining the first two blocks. Most of the network’s mining power did not move to the alternative chain, so it lacked the sustained hashing needed to extend the chain.

Because the fork lacked hashing support, the two blocks remained isolated and could be orphaned if miners returned to the main chain. Operators of nodes, wallets and exchanges generally require broad and clear support before recognizing transactions on a new chain; few infrastructure providers adopted the forked rules during the brief mining period.

Coordination among miners, node operators and service providers is required for contentious protocol changes. Economic incentives can discourage participation in a small fork because miners and service providers risk working on a chain users and exchanges do not accept.

Past network changes show different outcomes. A 2017 split created a lasting separate chain when a section of miners and developers executed a hard fork. The 2021 Taproot upgrade was adopted as a soft fork after extended coordination and signaling across wallets, miners and node operators.

The main Bitcoin network continues to run its existing consensus rules. Developers can revise the proposal and seek wider support or pursue a soft-fork approach that requires signaling by a large share of miners and full nodes. Any new attempt will need backing from mining pools, exchanges and wallet providers before it can gain recognition.