{"id":12554,"date":"2026-08-29T18:59:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T18:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=12554"},"modified":"2026-08-29T18:59:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T18:59:16","slug":"bitcoin-knots-is-trying-to-fork-bitcoin-again-after-its-last-chain-died-in-two-blocks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=12554","title":{"rendered":"Bitcoin Knots is trying to fork Bitcoin again after its last chain died in two blocks"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Bitcoin Knots is preparing a Sunday rehearsal for a BLAKE2b fork after its previous breakaway BIP-110 chain stalled.<\/p>\n

On Aug. 29, Bitcoin developer Luke Dashjr told SHA-2 miners to stop mining ahead of an Aug. 30 test that would replace Bitcoin\u2019s SHA-256d proof of work with BLAKE2b on the proposed breakaway network.<\/p>\n

Dashjr said Bitcoin Knots 29.4.1rc4 would establish the final SHA-2 block before the switch. If the rehearsal succeeds, a final 29.4.1 release could preserve the new chain on Sept. 1. However, problems would trigger another release candidate and a reset to the last SHA-2 block.<\/p>\n

The attempt comes three weeks after BIP-110 split from the dominant Bitcoin chain and stalled after producing only two blocks. The new proposal seeks to avoid another dependence on existing Bitcoin miners by permanently moving the breakaway network to hardware using BLAKE2b proof of work.<\/p>\n

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Related Reading<\/span><\/p>\n

Bitcoin split into two chains overnight, but a silent miner boycott just halted the enforcing BIP-110 chain<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

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But the weekend test begins with several questions still unresolved. As of Aug. 29, the public Bitcoin Knots release page did not show rc4 or a final 29.4.1 build, while key proof-of-work changes remained open.<\/p>\n

The proposal had also not publicly identified a major exchange, wallet, custodian, explorer, or Lightning implementation committed to supporting the new chain.<\/p>\n

A successful BLAKE2b block would therefore show that the fork can run. However, it would not establish that enough miners, infrastructure providers, and users are prepared to keep it economically viable.<\/p>\n

BLAKE2b tries to solve the miner problem<\/h2>\n

The central change addresses the weakness that crippled the earlier BIP-110 branch.<\/p>\n

Instead of asking SHA-256d miners securing Bitcoin to continue producing blocks for a minority fork, the new chain would reject SHA-256d blocks after activation and rely on BLAKE2b hardware.<\/p>\n

Backers say machines originally built to mine Sia, including Bitmain\u2019s Antminer A3 and Goldshell SC5 models, can support the new proof-of-work system. Testnet4 mining instructions and a compatible DATUM Gateway fork have also been published.<\/p>\n

Whether enough miners will actually participate remains unclear.<\/p>\n

A reviewer of the open implementation calculated that one version of the proposed initial difficulty would require roughly 870 terahashes per second to maintain 10-minute block intervals. Measured testnet4 capacity was estimated at only 50 to 70 TH\/s.<\/p>\n

Those figures were based on unfinished code and are not final launch parameters. But they expose the problem facing Sunday\u2019s test: compatible mining machines do not guarantee committed hash rate. The public discussion did not disclose how much capacity operators had pledged to the mainnet fork.<\/p>\n

That makes block production one of the first measures of whether the new design has improved on BIP-110 rather than simply replacing one mining constituency with another.<\/p>\n