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Low 49 Bitcoin

policy: Allow any transaction version with < minrelay

Public commit record

What the developer wrote

Authored by Greg Sanders

73/100 · Adequate
policy: Allow any transaction version with < minrelay

Prior to cluster mempool, a policy was in place that
disallowed non-TRUC transactions from being
TX_RECONSIDERABLE in a package setting if it was below
minrelay. This was meant to simplify reasoning about mempool
trimming requirements with non-trivial transaction
topologies in the mempool. This is no longer a concern
post-cluster mempool, so this is relaxed.

In effect, this makes 0-value parent transactions relayable
through the network without the TRUC restrictions and
thus the anti-pinning protections.
✓ Specific, descriptive subject✓ Names a concrete action or component✓ Provides detailed explanatory context
The short version

What changed, and why it matters

This Bitcoin Core commit relaxes a mempool policy rule. Previously, only a special transaction type called TRUC could be below the minimum relay fee when submitted as part of a package. Now any transaction version can be below that fee if it is part of a package that overall pays enough fees. The change is described by the developers as safe because of the newer cluster mempool design, but it removes one anti-pinning protection and makes zero-fee parent transactions relayable under certain conditions.

Recommended action

Treat as a policy change rather than a critical security patch. Node operators and downstream projects should review whether the relaxed fee policy affects their mempool/relay assumptions, especially regarding pinning-resistance and ephemeral/zero-fee transaction handling. Monitor for related follow-up discussions or incidents.

Security signals we found

01

Relaxation of mempool fee policy

02

Removal of per-transaction minimum relay fee enforcement for non-TRUC transactions in packages

03

Zero-fee parent transactions become relayable through package submission

04

Loss of an anti-pinning protection noted in commit message

05

Change is framed by authors as safe post-cluster-mempool, not as a vulnerability fix

Risk score

Why this scored 49/100

Our methodology →
Potential impact 12/30
Exploitability 10/25
Stealth signal 8/15
Affected reach 10/15
Confidence 6/10
Evidence quality 3/5
Human-validated context

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