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Low 33 Bitcoin

Switch `SplicePrototype` feature flag to the prod feature bit

Public commit record

What the developer wrote

Authored by Matt Corallo

73/100 · Adequate
Switch `SplicePrototype` feature flag to the prod feature bit

When we shipped 0.2 we used the feature bit 155 to signal splicing,
in line with what eclair was using. However, eclair was actually
using that bit to signal splicing on a previous design which is
incompatible with the current spec.

The result of this was that eclair nodes may attempt to splice
using their protocol and we'd fail to deserialize their splice
message (resulting in a reconnect, which luckily would clear their
splice attempt and return the connection to normal).

As we really need to get off of their feature bit and there's not
much reason to keep using a non-final-spec bit, we simply redefine
`SplicePrototype` to bit 63 here.
✓ Specific, descriptive subject✓ Names a concrete action or component✓ Provides detailed explanatory context
The short version

What changed, and why it matters

This commit changes which 'feature bit' the Lightning Dev Kit uses to advertise experimental channel splicing support. Previously it used bit 155, the same bit an older Eclair implementation used for a different, incompatible splicing design. That mismatch could cause Eclair nodes to try to splice with LDK using the wrong protocol, leading to failed message parsing and repeated reconnects. The fix moves LDK's prototype splicing flag to bit 63, avoiding the collision. It is a protocol-compatibility fix, not a cryptographic vulnerability, but it does prevent a real interoperability failure.

Recommended action

Treat as a compatibility/interoperability fix. Users running nodes that negotiate splicing should upgrade to avoid collisions with Eclair's legacy splicing bit. No immediate emergency response is warranted, but the change should be included in the next release.

Security signals we found

01

Protocol feature-bit collision with a different implementation

02

Potential denial-of-service-like symptom: repeated reconnects due to failed splice message deserialization

03

No cryptographic weakness or memory-safety issue in the diff

Risk score

Why this scored 33/100

Our methodology →
Potential impact 8/30
Exploitability 3/25
Stealth signal 4/15
Affected reach 7/15
Confidence 7/10
Evidence quality 4/5
Human-validated context

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