- Jon Atack advises avoiding Bitcoin transactions during August’s BIP-110 activation period.
- Low miner support for BIP-110 has raised concerns over temporary Bitcoin chain splits.
- Jon Atack urged independent thinking as debate over Bitcoin’s proposed BIP-110 changes continues.
Jon Atack, a longtime Bitcoin Core contributor and Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) maintainer, has advised users to avoid making Bitcoin transactions during the second week of August because of expected network changes.
As a precaution, Atack said he plans to run both his own version of Bitcoin Core and Knots 110 to monitor the network. He also said he will keep his Bitcoin holdings separate and inactive during the period.
“Avoid transacting during the second week of August until the dust settles and reorg risk subsides,” Atack said, adding that the recommendation is purely precautionary in case unexpected issues emerge.
What Is Changing in August
The warning comes as Bitcoin approaches the expected activation window for BIP-110, a proposed one-year soft fork that would temporarily limit arbitrary, non-monetary data in transactions.
This includes large OP_RETURN outputs used by protocols such as Ordinals, Runes, and inscriptions. The proposal seeks to reduce blockchain spam and keep Bitcoin focused on payments. However, some argue it could split the network if the community fails to reach consensus.
BIP-110 uses a modified activation process that requires 55% miner signaling instead of Bitcoin’s traditional 95% threshold for soft forks.
If that threshold is not reached, a mandatory signaling window is scheduled to begin around block 961,632. This is currently projected for August 7, when BIP-110-compatible nodes would begin rejecting blocks that fail to signal support.
Current miner support remains minimal. Recent monitoring shows virtually no major mining pools signaling for the proposal, raising concerns among some developers that differing node behavior could temporarily create competing chains or blockchain reorganizations.
Against that backdrop, Atack recommended waiting until any potential chain reorganization (reorg) risks have passed before sending transactions.
Atack to Monitor Bitcoin Core and Knots
Atack said he will observe how both Bitcoin Core and Knots 110 behave during the transition. Running both implementations will allow him to compare any differences while keeping his funds isolated from potential reorganization risks.
Beyond the technical warning, Atack also addressed what he described as growing polarization within the Bitcoin community.
He argued that framing the debate as “you’re either with us or against us” creates a false dilemma. Instead, he encouraged people to think independently and evaluate issues with nuance, uncertainty, and less ego. Notably, Atack added that his comments were not directed at any specific group.
Related: Adam Back Calls BIP-110 ‘Technically Defective’ as Bitcoin Governance Debate Heats Up
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