The Bitcoin Core development team has proposed to remove the longstanding 80-byte size limit on OP_RETURN outputs in a future software update. This has ignited a heated debate within the Bitcoin community. OP_RETURN allows for the embedding of small data amounts into Bitcoin transactions with an unspendable output (UXTO), a feature that gained significant traction during the 2024 ordinals and inscription boom.
Bitcoin Core contributor Greg Sanders believes that the current 80-byte limit has outlived its usefulness. In a post on GitHub dated May 5, he posited that lifting the restriction would foster less detrimental onchain activities. He argued, “The cap merely drives [users] towards more obscure methods that harm the network.”
The developers had three alternatives to consider: maintain the cap, increase it, or completely remove it. The first two options were viewed as arbitrary and ineffective, while the third option received wide — but not unanimous — backing, as per the GitHub discussion.
According to Sanders, removing the cap could lead to a neater UTXO set, decreased transaction loads, and the reestablishment of straightforward, transparent rules within the Bitcoin protocol. However, not all members of the community share this viewpoint.
Detractors such as JAN3 CEO Samson Mow have branded the removal as “an undesirable alteration for multiple reasons.” Marty Bent, Ten31 Fund’s managing partner, pointed out on X that the proposal lacks widespread consensus. Certain community members are concerned that the change could prompt spam on the Bitcoin network, while others feel the removal of the 80-byte limit appears performative and seemingly forceful.
The debate is still ongoing on GitHub and social media platforms. The Bitcoin Core developers have yet to announce a release date for the proposed update.
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