Bitcoin's BIP-110 mandatory signaling went live today, and the network now has less than eight hours to reach the decisive block. Block 961632 will be the moment of truth, with a blockchain split still on the table if miners don't comply.
What mandatory signaling means
BIP-110 requires miners to publicly signal their support for the protocol change. This isn't a suggestion. Under the new rules, any miner that doesn't signal by the deadline risks building on a chain that the rest of the network may reject. That's where the split risk comes from. If enough hash power ignores the signal, the chain could fork into two competing versions.
The block that decides
The decisive block is 961632. It's expected to arrive in less than eight hours from the time of writing. At that point, nodes will check whether the required signaling threshold has been met. If it hasn't, the software will treat the non-signaling chain as invalid. That's the technical trigger for a potential split.
How to track the fork live
Observers can follow the action in real time. The simplest way is to watch block height on any public block explorer. Once block 961632 lands, check the block's metadata for BIP-110 signaling flags. Miners that include the signal are on the new chain; those that don't are on the old one. Several dashboards also track signaling percentages as blocks approach the deadline, so you can see the split coming before it happens.
The next few hours are tight. The clock is running, and the network's integrity depends on whether enough miners fall in line before block 961632.
