A gaggle of builders that manages the world’s hottest full node software program, Bitcoin Core, continues to say their view that the OP_RETURN battle of 2025 is over, they’ve gained, and their dissidents are unserious folks following a hillbilly chief.
Their newest jeers embrace a brand new nickname for his or her opposition, “Knotzis,” and cackling at a minor Knots software program bug.
They proceed to bask of their victory regardless of a rising displacement of their precise software program’s dominance throughout the Bitcoin community. Certainly, Knots customers — who protest Core’s OP_RETURN adjustments — have grown 10-fold this yr, going from fewer than 400 to almost 4,000 internet-connected nodes.
Reachable Core node operators, in distinction, haven’t multiplied, hovering round 20,000 throughout the identical time interval.
In short, the OP_RETURN battle is that this yr’s most contentious disagreement between Bitcoin builders. Core devs wish to ease the reminiscence storage capabilities of the OP_RETURN scripting code for knowledge unrelated to the on-chain motion of bitcoin (BTC).
Knots devs, in distinction, wish to keep strict filters in opposition to this knowledge to disincentivize what they view as “spam” from bogging down node operators’ laptop reminiscence.
As the 2 camps have change into more and more emotional and entrenched of their beliefs, most of the arguments have degraded into name-calling and advert hominem assaults.
Bitcoin Mechanic responds to Shinobi’s name-calling.
Bitcoin Core devs snigger at Knots dissidents
There are limitless examples of verbal sparring on social media.
Antoine Poinsot, a pacesetter of the OP_RETURN battle, accused one critic of feeding an echo chamber with “what they like to hear.” He’s referred to as Knots customers “filteroors” and branded any community they may fork, “Bitcoin Brain Knots.”
Bitcoin Core dev Peter Todd, who labored with Poinsot on the pull request for his or her pro-data storage OP_RETURN change, claimed that Knots nodes accomplish “nothing.”
He additionally laughed at Knots nodes operators for falling for an “advertisement scam” by Knots chief Luke Dashjr.
Chaincode Labs developer Sergi Delgado proposed a Knots fork he referred to as Bitcoin Unknotted, a joke aspiring to make enjoyable of Knots’ shortcomings.
Delgado additionally often replies to mentions of Luke Dashjr with Jesus-themed memes, making enjoyable of Dashjr’s sedevacantist religion.
Knotzis
This month, some Core influencers began calling Knots influencers “Knotzis,” a derogatory portmanteau of Knots and Nazis.
Additionally they discovered a minor software program bug that may have an effect on Knots customers in future if not patched.
Depraved, one other Core fan, laughed “Knotzis in shambles” whereas posting a chart claiming that Knots filters failed to forestall spam knowledge.
Chaincode dev Carla Kirk-Cohen chimed in on the OP_RETURN drama whereas asserting an replace, “While y’all were fightin’ we were buildin’.”
good morning you’ve got been scammed into operating a hilly billy model of bitcoin core managed by a single man who would not get peer evaluation.
solely god can defend you at this level. https://t.co/obq7T0SSG3
— calle (@callebtc) August 21, 2025
Blaming Chaincode Labs
Many Knots customers blame Chaincode Labs staff for main the OP_RETURN knowledge storage initiative.
Chaincode is an organization and academic useful resource for technical Bitcoin staff. It serves as a cultural hub and shorthand for a neighborhood of New York Metropolis-based Bitcoin builders who attend occasions like BitDevs NYC or co-work beneath Alex Morcos and Suhas Daftuar.
Marcos’ and Daftuar’s Chaincode has been coaching Bitcoin builders since 2014. The co-founders are independently rich as quant merchants who co-founded the profitable Hudson River Buying and selling firm in 2002.
For context, after they co-founded Chaincode Labs in 2014, their Hudson River Buying and selling was answerable for 5% of all US inventory trades.
Their wealth and well-funded applications at Chaincode make them simple targets of criticism concerning company affect over Bitcoin growth.
