Latest Bitcoin TLDR Newsletters

Sep 22 - Sep 28, 2025

Andrew Poelstra's insights on the Bitcoin Development Mailing List underscore the delicate balance between scalability and network health, highlighting critical areas such as the importance of nodes and the potential reconsideration of transaction filters and standardness limits. The discussions reveal ongoing debates within the community on optimizing Bitcoin's performance while preserving its decentralized ethos, suggesting possible future directions for its technical evolution ([source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/CAAANnUz3V-ciTB1+9tUz8yByhd66UpyPJTZEQFrPRMjLXZfdwQ@mail.gmail.com/T/#mb4ad1fe9f693076c604d72a54087e635c2dff6b7)). Rusty Russell and Julian Moik's collaborative work on Bitcoin's scripting language aims to enhance its functionalities, proposing significant improvements like a variable operations budget and new opcodes to facilitate data introspection within scripts. Their project, currently in draft phase and open for community feedback, demonstrates a proactive approach to revitalizing Bitcoin scripting, potentially broadening its utility and efficiency ([source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/877bxknwk6.fsf@rustcorp.com.au/T/#m20f4efc6f3423e540b6d43644db14cc2b4db5581)). The release of Bitcoin Core version v30.0rc2 marks a critical step towards the next major update, embodying the collaborative effort to refine the platform. This version, intended for testing, comes with detailed release notes and a testing guide, encouraging community involvement in the finalization process. Such developments reflect the ongoing endeavours to ensure Bitcoin Core's stability and reliability for users ([source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/4ea117fc-31b4-4478-90c5-2e62352ad2b7n@googlegroups.com/T/#u#m578d77088bc3a838e7ec64cc2117a8b7d6ecb310)). The Guardian Address Signal Protocol, proposed in response to growing security concerns among Bitcoin users, introduces a novel mechanism for wallets to lock under duress, preventing unauthorized UTXO spending. This approach, seeking to enhance user safety without compromising privacy, highlights the community's efforts to adapt to evolving threats and ensure the security of bitcoin transactions. The initiative encompasses detailed implementation standards and invites feedback, underlining the importance of community input in shaping Bitcoin's future security landscape ([source](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/proposal-guardian-address-gaspv1/2006)).

Sep 15 - Sep 21, 2025

Toby Sharp introduces an innovative approach to Bitcoin consensus rules through the development of the Hornet Node and a domain-specific language (DSL), Hornet DSL, which facilitates a declarative and executable framework aimed at enhancing the understanding and implementation of Bitcoin's consensus mechanisms. This project has reached a significant milestone by successfully synchronizing headers and blocks, with plans to incorporate full script validation, demonstrating its potential to align with and improve upon Bitcoin's existing protocol standards. The initiative underscores a broader movement towards increasing the transparency, efficiency, and security in blockchain technology development, with further details available at [Hornet Node and the Hornet DSL: A Minimal, Executable Specification for Bitcoin Consensus](hornetnode.org/paper.html). ZmnSCPxj presents the MultiChannel and MultiPTLC constructions within the Bitcoin Lightning Network as a novel solution to achieve high availability, consistency, and partition tolerance, enhancing network reliability. These constructions introduce a shift in trust dynamics, requiring Lightning Service Providers (LSPs) to trust each other regarding fund safety, while ensuring users' funds remain secure under all conditions. The proposed Decker-Wattenhofer nested construction variant aims to reduce the need for mutual trust among LSPs by utilizing a complex network of payment channels to prevent unauthorized fund access, despite the challenges in managing channel states and the necessity for periodic and onchain cleanups to maintain operability. This development signifies a substantial step forward in addressing the Lightning Network's critical issues of availability, consistency, and partition tolerance, detailed further at [A Decker-Wattenhofer MultiChannel for Reduced Inter-LSP Trust](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/a-decker-wattenhofer-multichannel-for-reduced-inter-lsp-trust/1994).

Sep 8 - Sep 14, 2025

The workshop on CHECKSIGFROMSTACK, led by Michael Zaikin, brought together Bitcoin developers to delve into the Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP), exploring its applications and transaction creation techniques. The session emphasized community collaboration in advancing Bitcoin's development, with subsequent workshops planned to further investigate the creation and implications of different types of pools using CTV and CSFS technologies [source](https://ctv-csfs-workshops.github.io/bip348/logs). In parallel, significant strides were made in Bitcoin Core's development, with the release candidate for version 30.0rc1 announced by fanquake, marking a critical step towards the new major version. This release candidate, available for testing, introduces various updates and improvements, encouraging community feedback to ensure its readiness for official release [source](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/bitcoin-core-v30-0-release-candidate-is-available/1980). Keyser Söze proposed two Bitcoin Improvement Proposals aiming to enhance wallet interoperability and security through standardized encryption and serialization formats, underscoring an ongoing effort to achieve a more secure, standardized, and interoperable framework within the Bitcoin ecosystem [source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/06b5d067-7293-4618-b3c5-510380a55efan@googlegroups.com/T/#u#m1bfc71750061f5bc1b4867968cbe5933e4cf36f9). Meanwhile, ZmnSCPxj's discussion on the CAP Theorem's implications for Bitcoin and the Lightning Network highlighted the trade-offs between consistency, availability, and partition tolerance in distributed systems. The analysis illustrated how Bitcoin’s design prioritizes availability and partition tolerance, while the Lightning Network seeks to achieve consistency and partition tolerance, suggesting innovations like multi-signature schemes and Point Time-Locked Contracts (PTLCs) to balance these principles with the needs of financial transactions [source](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/multichannel-and-multiptlc-towards-a-global-high-availability-cp-database-for-bitcoin-payments/1983).

Sep 1 - Sep 7, 2025

The development team at WizardSardine has made significant strides in securing Liana wallet descriptors, incorporating an encryption scheme inspired by Salvatore Ingala's work, with the progress documented through draft implementations and a Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) for community feedback. Resources and discussions have been made available on [GitHub](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/pull/1951) and [DelvingBitcoin](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/a-simple-backup-scheme-for-wallet-accounts), highlighting the technical advancements and open questions regarding cryptographic methodologies and the choice of cipher. An upcoming Bitcoin development workshop, detailed on [ctv-csfs-workshops.github.io](https://ctv-csfs-workshops.github.io/bip119/logs), aims to deepen the understanding of BIP 348 and the creation of CSFS transactions, indicating a concerted effort to engage the community in protocol enhancement discussions. Concurrently, the release of Bitcoin Knots version 29.1.knots20250903, as announced by Luke Dashjr, brings new features and improvements to the software, with further details and community engagement opportunities available at [bitcoinknots.org](https://bitcoinknots.org/files/29.x/29.1.knots20250903/). Christopher Allen's efforts to integrate FROST with BDK for enhancing Bitcoin's security through distributed key generation and Schnorr-based signatures are showcased through demonstrations and resources available at [Blockchain Commons' GitHub](https://github.com/sponsors/BlockchainCommons). This initiative exemplifies the ongoing advancements in Bitcoin technology and the community's dedication to improving security and functionality. Meanwhile, research revealing vulnerabilities in the Bitcoin network through stealthier variants of BGP hijacking underscores the critical need for enhanced security measures, as discussed on [DelvingBitcoin](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/eclipsing-bitcoin-nodes-with-bgp-interception-attacks/1965), suggesting strategies for mitigating potential eclipse attacks and emphasizing the importance of robust defense mechanisms.

Aug 25 - Aug 31, 2025

Olaoluwa Osuntokun has proposed the addition of Elliptic Curve operation op codes to Bitcoin's scripting language to enhance its smart contract capabilities, utilizing Taproot to enable more dynamic and versatile applications like optimized Discreet Log Contracts and EC-based sigma protocols. This advancement, detailed in the Bitcoin Improvement Proposal accessible [here](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/pull/1945), aims to significantly extend Bitcoin's scripting functionalities and is accompanied by a reference implementation for `btcd` found [here](https://github.com/btcsuite/btcd/pull/2413). Meanwhile, the release of Bitcoin Core version v29.1rc2, as announced by fanquake, introduces the latest binaries and source code available for community testing [here](https://bitcoincore.org/bin/bitcoin-core-29.1/test.rc2/) and [here](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/tree/v29.1rc2) respectively. This step is crucial for identifying critical issues before the official release, emphasizing the importance of community feedback through the GitHub issue tracker. In a separate development, Ben Westgate has suggested integrating BIP-0093 with BIP-0085 to generate codex32 backups from BIP-0032 master keys, enhancing deterministic wallet backups and seed management. The proposal, which aims to standardize the use of codex32 for better error correction and secret sharing capabilities, is elaborated on [here](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0093.mediawiki) and is supported by a draft PR for Bitcoin Core, available at [PR 32652](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/32652?utm_source=chatgpt.com). The bitcoinfuzz project, initiated by bruno and further developed with contributions from Erick Cestari and Morehouse, underscores a concerted effort to bolster security across Bitcoin and Lightning Network implementations through differential fuzzing. Having identified over 35 bugs in key projects, the venture seeks to integrate with OSS-Fuzz and enhance its infrastructure for broader fuzzing capabilities, as documented [here](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/the-state-of-bitcoinfuzz/1946). This endeavor exemplifies the ongoing commitment within the Bitcoin community to refine and secure its underlying technologies.

Aug 20 - Aug 26, 2025

Jeremy introduced a draft Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) for a new opcode, OP_TWEAKADD, aimed at enhancing Bitcoin's scripting capabilities by allowing for more efficient script execution. This proposal, hosted on [GitHub](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/pull/1944), seeks to introduce flexibility in Bitcoin scripting without requiring immediate modifications to existing infrastructure, encouraging community feedback for further refinement. Liam Eagen discussed an innovative approach named "Glock" for optimistic smart contract verification on Bitcoin, which significantly reduces on-chain data requirements and simplifies verification processes. This method, detailed in a [research paper](https://eprint.iacr.org/2025/1485) and supported by code on [GitHub](github.com/alpenlabs/dv-pari), leverages Garbled Circuits and advanced cryptographic techniques to enhance Bitcoin's smart contract capabilities while maintaining compatibility with current protocols. Olaoluwa Osuntokun proposed the addition of Elliptic Curve operation opcodes to Bitcoin's script, leveraging Taproot infrastructure to enable more dynamic smart contracts directly on the blockchain. This proposal, which is accessible [here](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/pull/1945), suggests a significant step forward in expanding Bitcoin's scripting abilities, catering to a variety of use cases including Discreet Log Contracts and partial musig2 signature verifications. Matias Monteagudo and Caraveo introduced separate BIPs aimed at enhancing Bitcoin's security and operational efficiency. Monteagudo's proposal focuses on covenant-only Taproot outputs to provide an additional security layer for institutional Bitcoin holdings, detailed [here](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/6778d5ec-91dc-4c3b-9718-581ec2cf7be6n@googlegroups.com), while Caraveo's BITCOIN C.H.I.P introduces a lending protocol that utilizes Bitcoin and HASH power as collateral, aiming to support miners and secure the network, as outlined in its [documentation](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/bitcoin-c-h-i-p-capital-hash-investment-protocol-bip/1941). These proposals represent significant advancements in Bitcoin's development, focusing on security, efficiency, and the expansion of its scripting capabilities.

Aug 12 - Aug 15, 2025

The "confidential-script-lib" library, introduced at the BTC++ hackathon, proposes a novel approach for executing advanced scripts on Bitcoin's mainnet, leveraging Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) like AWS's Nitro Enclave to ensure the confidentiality and security of transactions. This architecture enables the testing of new features and soft fork upgrades with minimal trust, utilizing a two-step emulation and signing process that enhances privacy and functionality. The failsafe mechanism and the emphasis on security through AWS's Key Management System (KMS) highlight the library's potential to serve as a middle ground in soft fork debates by demonstrating genuine demand for upgrades. [Confidential-Script-Lib](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/confidential-script-emulate-soft-forks-using-stateless-tees/1918) Ynniv's proposal for a Layer 3 Protocol aims to transform Bitcoin transactions by introducing Zero UTXO Trust-Minimized Lightning Wallets, offering users greater control and eliminating certain operational limitations. This protocol leverages cross-validation networks and strategic recovery processes for enhanced security, scalability, and efficiency, potentially broadening Bitcoin's adoption through improved Lightning Network transactions. The protocol's innovative approach to managing liquidity, privacy, and security could redefine user and operator experiences, emphasizing the role of auditors in maintaining system integrity. [Layer 3 Protocol](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/proposal-bitcoin-deposits-a-zero-utxo-trust-minimized-lightning-wallet/1922) The discussion by zawy on the Qubic attack on Monero brings to light the importance of non-repurposability in securing Proof of Work (PoW) systems, contrasting ASIC-resistant and CAPEX-intensive PoWs in terms of security advantages. The conversation extends to the potential vulnerabilities of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to state-level actors aimed at undermining digital assets to maintain control over fiat currencies and financial surveillance. This analysis underscores the complexity of ensuring the security of cryptocurrency networks against a backdrop of technological innovation and the evolving landscape of threats, including state-sponsored attacks. [Qubic Attack on Monero](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/qubic-attack-on-monero/1920)

Aug 4 - Aug 9, 2025

Antoine Riard announced the development of a natively multi-process Bitcoin full node in Rust, utilizing libbitcoinkernel to enhance node functionality and efficiency, with a demo showing successful block downloading without a binding generator. This project, still in the demo phase, aims for improved performance and integration across multiple platforms and architectures, addressing the challenges of transaction relay in a multi-process environment and exploring solutions for accurate validation ([source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/9812cde0-7bbb-41a6-8e3b-8a5d446c1b3cn@googlegroups.com/T/#u#m2ca3b6290d6e305a7e27de46c0a8f971b0069443)). James Tagg proposed the Quantum Secure Asset Verification & Escrow (QSAVE) protocol as a preemptive measure to protect Bitcoin from quantum computing threats, focusing on safeguarding vulnerable Bitcoins through a non-sovereign wealth fund model. This approach aims to maintain ownership rights and leverage dormant capital for humanitarian efforts, addressing the risks posed by quantum decryption without compromising Bitcoin’s value promise or forcing drastic measures like coin burning ([source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/SN6PR12MB2735280A252DD62231D1320AA523A@SN6PR12MB2735.namprd12.prod.outlook.com/T/#u#m4d200793abb1fcfa0608e2e4af53db1145b112d7)). The Bitcoin Foundation laid out a framework for transitioning Bitcoin to quantum-resistant cryptography, highlighting the growing threat to current encryption methods from advancements in quantum computing. This detailed proposal includes a phased migration plan to ensure network-wide resilience against quantum vulnerabilities, emphasizing the selection of quantum-resistant algorithms and calling for community feedback to refine the approach. Additionally, Maxim Orlovsky’s recent advancements in the RGB project signify a leap towards enhancing Bitcoin’s programmability and privacy through smart contracts with client-side validation, indicating a collaborative effort within the Bitcoin community to foster innovation and address emerging challenges ([source 1](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/4d6ecde7-e959-4e6c-a0aa-867af8577151n@googlegroups.com/T/#u#m6b17340df61fb954ca24db75d171aa8d665e6e67), [source 2](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/ab1212a6-f188-4987-a36f-b5676940d15bn@googlegroups.com/T/#u#me761eb33585b306a3323a7615dbfbfee15806d99)).

Jul 28 - Aug 3, 2025

Calvin Kim, alongside Tadge Dryja and Davidson Souza, proposed three Bitcoin Improvement Proposals (BIPs) focusing on Utreexo, aimed at enhancing Bitcoin's efficiency and scalability by enabling transactions verification without the entire Unspent Transaction Output (UTXO) set. The BIPs, still in the conceptual phase, are available for community feedback on [GitHub](https://github.com/utreexo/biptreexo), highlighting the collaborative effort toward improving Bitcoin's infrastructure and potentially lowering barriers to operating full nodes. Gloria Zhao announced the release candidate for Bitcoin Core version v29.1rc1, a significant step in the cryptocurrency's development, available for testing with binaries from [Bitcoin Core's official website](https://bitcoincore.org/bin/bitcoin-core-29.1/test.rc1/) and source code on [GitHub](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/tree/v29.1rc1). This version aims to enhance software reliability and stability, with community feedback playing a crucial role in identifying issues before the final release, emphasizing the importance of community involvement in Bitcoin's ongoing development. Christopher Allen highlighted Blockchain Commons' integration of FROST signing with Bitcoin transactions, improving multisignature processes and resilience. A demonstration will be showcased at the Gordian meeting, accessible via a Zoom link, with a focus on addressing challenges in integrating FROST with Bitcoin's Taproot. The initiative aligns with Blockchain Commons' educational goals, extending learning to FROST and BDK technologies, and emphasizes community engagement for navigating architectural and security complexities. In a discussion led by glozow, a proposal to lower Bitcoin Core's minimum relay feerate was outlined, motivated by observations of low-fee transactions being mined and concerns over block relay and network DoS attack prevention. The discussion on [GitHub](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/33106) invites further insights into balancing network robustness with accessibility, reflecting ongoing efforts to adapt Bitcoin's infrastructure to evolving transaction patterns and market conditions.