Knots Nodes Reject Bitcoin Core’s New Relay Rules, Signaling Policy Rift
Nearly 4,000 Bitcoin nodes running Bitcoin Knots have announced they will defy Bitcoin Core’s latest mempool and transaction relay policies. The update—introduced in Bitcoin Core 24.0—tightens default replace-by-fee (RBF) settings and enforces stricter transaction validation rules designed to curb spam and optimize block inclusion. According to Bitnodes data, 3,983 Knots nodes plan to ignore the new rules, maintaining the previous relay policy. Bitcoin Core developers argue the changes enhance network efficiency and security, while the Knots team and supporting operators warn that unilateral policy shifts risk fragmenting the network and undermining decentralization. Although this dispute highlights governance tensions, consensus rules remain unchanged and blocks adhering to Core’s standards will still propagate across the network. Traders should watch for potential short-term mempool disruptions, but a lasting consensus split appears unlikely.
Neutral
The announcement that nearly 4,000 Bitcoin Knots nodes will reject Bitcoin Core’s new relay rules underscores policy governance disputes but stops short of a consensus fork. Historically, similar disagreements—such as the 2017 SegWit activation debates—triggered temporary mempool instability without causing lasting chain splits. In the short term, traders may see uneven transaction propagation and fee fluctuations as Knots and Core nodes diverge on relay behavior. However, because consensus rules remain intact and the majority of nodes run Core, the market impact is likely limited. Over the long term, this episode could prompt clearer governance processes and reinforce the importance of broad developer and operator coordination, ultimately supporting network stability.