What contract proposals are being considered for Bitcoin in 2025?

February 14th What contract proposals are being considered for Bitcoin in 2025?

The appeal by Jeremy Rubin of Bitcoin’s research and development organization Judica to build a consensus on contract proposals that can improve transaction efficiency, security and programmerism is bold. Bitcoin has an infamous, conservative development culture, and upgrade proposals are being scrutinized due to concerns about security risks and unintended consequences. If adopted, contracts could allow for improved financial applications, safes and scalability while maintaining decentralization. However, the broader debate reflects the gap between those who advocate for careful innovation and those who are cautious about changing the basic design of Bitcoin. It remains uncertain whether Rubin’s initiative will lead to widespread agreements, but it rekindled debates over the evolution of Bitcoin.

What does Jeremy Rubin’s recent call for action mean for the consensus on the contract?

Jeremy Rubin appeals to the Bitcoin development community to build a consensus on contract proposals, highlighting the need for structured, coordinated efforts to introduce meaningful upgrades to Bitcoin’s scripting capabilities. I did. A contract is a limitation on how you can spend your Bitcoin expenses, allowing for advanced features such as payment pools, vaults, and crowd control. Rubin’s approach supports a stepwise implementation starting with OP_CHECKTEMPLATEVERIFY (CTV) and OP_CHECKSIGFROMSTACK (CSFS), followed by OP_CAT and additional encryption and arithmetic operations. These upgrades are designed to improve Bitcoin’s programmership while maintaining security and decentralization. However, Rubin acknowledges the difficulty of reaching a consensus on protocol changes, as previous upgrade attempts have shown that the Bitcoin community is extremely cautious when changing base layers. It’s there.

The challenge of achieving consensus on Bitcoin comes from its decentralized nature and its strong preference among developers for stability over rapid innovation. Unlike other blockchain ecosystems that frequently introduce new features, the development process for Bitcoin is intentionally slow and conservative. Reluctance to adopt change without overwhelming agreement reflects concerns about potential security risks, unintended consequences, and difficulties in reversed changes in implemented protocols. Bitcoin upgrades require that new features not introduce systematic vulnerabilities or change the core network principles before activating careful review, peer review, and rigorous testing. There is.

The introduction of contracts to Bitcoin, if adopted, could significantly expand the functionality of the network without compromising the security model. Features such as CTV and CSFS allow for more efficient transaction batching, improved privacy mechanisms, and enhanced scalability solutions such as ARK and Lightning Network Channel factories. The second phase, which incorporates OP_CAT and cryptographic operations, further enhances Bitcoin’s scripting capabilities, allowing for more sophisticated smart contract functionality, while still taking other blockchain ecosystems into Web3, where smart contracts are located. Complete avoids the risks associated with the programming language that are found in something. He was exploited by bad actors many times. Advocates argue that these changes will make Bitcoin more competitive in financial applications without introducing unnecessary complexity.

Ultimately, Rubin’s proposal highlights the tension between innovation and conservatism in Bitcoin development. Some developers have advocated carefully introducing new features to expand Bitcoin use cases, but are skeptical of changes that could result in centralized risks or unintended consequences. I’m a developer. The process of generating consensus around contract upgrades requires thorough discussion, technical verification, and community-wide support. If successful, these upgrades could pave the way for more efficient transaction mechanisms, strengthening financial applications, and increasing flexibility in Bitcoin scripts, allowing networks to withstand censorship and to meet future needs. You will be able to adapt. However, the outcome of this effort will depend on whether developers and the wider Bitcoin community can find a common foundation on the path forward.

Overview of various contract proposals in Bitcoin

The following agreements are major changes proposed to Bitcoin’s scripting system, allowing users to enforce terms on how they can use future coins. These proposals introduce new opcodes to enhance the programmability of Bitcoin while maintaining the security model. According to the website Covenants.info, the following is a summary of the major contract proposals:

1. ON_CHECKEMPLATEVERIFY (CTV)

• overview: With CTV, transactions specify given spending terms and allow for more efficient transaction batching, congestion control, and enhanced privacy mechanisms. It ensures that the output must follow a specific expenditure template without allowing any calculations.
• Use Case: Vault, payment pool, congestion control, lightning network channel factory.
• situation: It was proposed in BIP-119 and is widely discussed, but has achieved a full consensus.

2. OP_CHECKSIGFROMSTACK (CSFS)

• overview: With CSFS, Bitcoin scripts validate signatures from any data, allowing smart contract-like functionality. This makes it easier to build complex transaction structures while maintaining security.
• Use Case: Enhanced security mechanisms for federation systems, secure vault, careful logging contracts (DLC), and multi-signature wallets.
• situation: Upgrading your initial contract will be considered in conjunction with CTV.

3. OP_CAT and arithmetic and cryptographic operations

• overview: OP_CAT (concatenation) was previously removed from Bitcoin, but is now being reconsidered for reintroduction, along with arithmetic and elliptic curve manipulation. These additions will improve Bitcoin’s scripting capabilities and allow for more efficient execution of smart contract functions.
• Use Case: More flexible contracts, highly encrypted proofs, and improved multi-signature schemes.
• situation: It is controversial due to concerns about potential complexity and security risks.

4. OP_VAULT

• overview: OP_VAULT is specially designed to improve Bitcoin custody security. It provides a safety net against theft by introducing a mechanism to implement delays before transferring funds, allowing users to collect funds during delay periods.
• Use Case: High-security self-reliance solutions, institutional Bitcoin storage, and protection against hacked or compromised keys.
• situation: It is actively developed with the proposed BIP-345.

5. ON_TXHASH and ON_CHACKENXHASHVELYIFE

• overview: These suggestions extend CTV by allowing scripts to commit to part of the transaction rather than to the entire output set. This gives you more flexibility while maintaining some of the deterministic behavior of CTV.
• Use Case: More advanced smart contracts, improved Lightning network functionality, customizable payment terms.
• situation: In early discussion and development.

6. anyprevout (apo)

• overview: Originally designed for Eltoo Lightning Network upgrades, APOs can sign transactions without specifying exact inputs, enable flexible payment structures, and enable updates to non-interacting channels.
• Use Case: Lightning Network Upgrade (ELTOO), Status, and Payment Pool.
• situation: It has been proposed in BIP-118 and is currently receiving further evaluation.

7. OP_TAPLEAF_UPDATE_VERIFY (TLUV)

• overview: With TLUV, TapRoot scripts can modify the internal tree structure, enforce conditions for future use, and provide more advanced versions of Bitcoin Coben agents.
• Use Case: Enabling fraud prevention smart contracts and dynamic contract structures.
• situation: Experimental and under discussion.

8. Catt (all contract)

• overview: Catt is a comprehensive contract framework that integrates OP_TXHASH, on_cat, CSFS, and Operations on a unified arithmetic operational system allow developers to build highly flexible smart contracts.
• Use Case: Generic transaction templates, distributed finance applications, and scalable second-tier solutions.
• situation: It is still in the theoretical stage, with various components being developed independently.

9. Matt (merkleize everything)

• overview: Matt uses Merkle Trees to implement fraud prevention smart contracts, enabling complex programmable conditions without relying on external verification mechanisms.
• Use Case: Secure safes, JoinPools, and Multi Stage Financial Contracts.
• situation: In the early conceptual and testing stages.

Which proposals are the most popular in the Bitcoin community right now?

Of the current contract proposals, OP_CHECKTEMPLATEVERIFY (CTV) and OP_CHECKSIGFROMSTACK (CSFS) are the most widely discussed and have gained considerable traction. These proposals are considered minimally impactful improvements and allow for features like transaction batches, congestion control and more sophisticated smart contracts. In particular, CTV is considered one of the most uncontroversial suggestions, as it has received extensive reviews and does not allow arbitrary calculations. Developers advocating this upgrade claim that it can be implemented with minimal risk and great benefits for scaling and security.

Another contract proposal that will attract attention is OP_Vault. It focuses on enhancing Bitcoin security by enabling a time-locked recovery mechanism for lost or stolen funds. The proposal has gained strong support from people concerned about the risk of self-identification, as it allows users to create safes that can only withdraw funds after delays, and time to intervene with owners in the event of unauthorized access. I’m giving it. OP_VAULT has been particularly accepted by those seeking to improve Bitcoin’s ease of use for long-term savings and institutional custody, as it provides a built-in safety net against certain types of attacks. However, although the concept has been widely appreciated, this challenge remains to achieve consensus on how it is implemented and activated.

More ambitious proposals like OP_CAT and CATT (contract everything) have sparked debate, but have faced more resistance due to concerns over security, complexity and potential unintended consequences. Masu. OP_CAT, which enables data concatenation in Bitcoin scripts, allows for stronger smart contracts, but also raises concerns about increased minor extractable value (MEV) risk and the possibility of script-based centralization I will. Some developers have proposed a step-by-step approach starting with CTV and CSFS and introducing OP_CAT along with arithmetic and elliptic curve manipulation, but there is still some hesitation within the wider Bitcoin development community. Overall, CTV and CSF appear to have the strongest support for short-term activation, but OP_VAULT and OP_CAT continue to generate interest, with discussions on their feasibility and potential trade-offs. It’s there.