Subject: Re: [bitcoindev] Re: [BIP Proposal] Limit ScriptPubkey Size >= 520 Bytes Consensus.

From: Andrew Poelstra <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2025 13:59:43 +0000

On Thu, Oct 02, 2025 at 06:21:18PM -0700, /dev /fd0 wrote:
> 
> We can't predict future usage,

Aside from proof-of-publication (i.e. data storage directly in the UTXO
set) there is no usage of script which can't be equally (or better)
accomplished by using a Segwit v0 or Taproot script.

> so it would be great if this was restricted 
> to OP_RETURN. While there is no real use for a scriptPubKey larger than 520 
> bytes as shown in the data you shared, it is possible that users may create 
> more OP_RETURN outputs after this change. It does not affect the UTXO set 
> but will cost more and economically discourage the use of multiple 
> OP_RETURN outputs. 
> 

Restricting it to OP_RETURN would have zero effect on people trying to
use scriptpubkeys for data storage. They would switch to any of the 65
or so other OP_RETURN equivalents, and failing that, switch to
OP_RESERVED, then to OP_FALSE, then to `0 1 EQVERIFY`, and so on. A
restriction that applies specifically to OP_RETURN outputs is no
restriction at all.

-- 
Andrew Poelstra
Director, Blockstream Research
Email: apoelstra at wpsoftware.net
Web:   https://www.wpsoftware.net/andrew

The sun is always shining in space
    -Justin Lewis-Webster

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