SIP-044 and SIP-045 Approved: Bitcoin Staking Is Ratified

The Stacks community has approved SIP-044 (Clarity 6) and SIP-045 (Bitcoin Staking), with over 99.99% of votes in favor of both proposals. The approval clears the way for the PoX-5 hard fork on July 29, which unlocks all stacked STX and opens the door to self-custodial Bitcoin Staking, followed by the Genesis Bond in late August. Whether you hold STX, run a signer or mining node, or build on Stacks, here is what passed, what happens next, and what you need to do.

The Results

Because these upgrades require a hard fork affecting both liquid and stacked STX, the bar was intentionally high: a quorum of at least 80 million stacked STX, with 80% of stacked STX and, separately, 80% of liquid STX voting yes. Here are the results:

• 161,443,318 STX voted yes on SIP-044 and 201,488,528 STX voted yes on SIP-045
• 2 STX voted no on SIP-044 and 2 STX voted no on SIP-045
• Over 99.99% of all votes were in favor of both SIPs

The vote was open to every STX holder via a dust transaction (a minimal onchain transaction that records the vote), with solo Stackers also able to vote via a BTC dust transaction. Everything happened onchain, so anyone can verify the results independently on ballot.gg.

What the Community Approved

Consensus upgrades on Stacks go through an open governance process, and with this vote both upgrades will ship together in the July 29 hard fork.

SIP-044: Clarity 6

Clarity 6 is the next major version of Clarity, the smart contract language on Stacks. It adds new built-in functions for trustlessly verifying Bitcoin transactions onchain, which matters because contracts can react to real Bitcoin activity without trusting an oracle or intermediary (think BTC-triggered payments, Bitcoin-aware lending, and the verification that Bitcoin Staking itself relies on).

SIP-045: PoX-5 and Bitcoin Staking

PoX-5 is the upgrade to Proof of Transfer (PoX), the consensus mechanism where Stacks miners bid BTC that is redistributed to participants. It enables self-custodial Bitcoin Staking: holders lock BTC on Bitcoin L1 alongside STX on Stacks and earn BTC-denominated yield from those miner bids. The BTC is locked via standard Bitcoin script and never leaves Bitcoin L1, so there is no bridge, wrapper, or slashing.

SIP-045 also realigns the STX emission schedule, restoring Stacks block rewards to 1,000 STX to better sustain BTC yield and accelerate bootstrapping.

Full technical details are on GitHub: SIP-044 (Clarity 6) and SIP-045 (PoX-5 Bitcoin Staking).

What Happens Next

July 29: the PoX-5 hard fork. The network upgrades and Bitcoin Staking's path officially opens. Because this is a hard fork, every stacked STX will be unlocked at activation. This is expected behavior. To keep earning BTC rewards, you will need to restake your STX after the fork. Stacking providers and signers are upgrading now, and step-by-step guides for signers and pool operators are rolling out this week so participants can get back to Stacking with room to spare.

Late August: the Genesis Bond. The first protocol bond on Stacks marks the operational start of Bitcoin Staking, when BTC and STX are first bonded together to earn BTC yield.

What This Means

For STX holders and Stackers: your STX unlocks at the July 29 hard fork. Restake through your wallet or pool once your provider confirms it has upgraded, and you will keep earning BTC rewards without interruption.

For signers, pools, and miners: upgrade your nodes ahead of July 29. A dedicated signer upgrade guide covering every step, including the required smart contract calls, is being finalized now; watch official channels and reach out to the team with any questions.

For builders: Clarity 6 lands with the fork. New Bitcoin verification functions become available to your contracts on day one, and updated docs will follow the release.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to do anything before July 29? If you hold liquid STX, no. If you are Stacking, plan to restake after the hard fork unlocks your STX. If you run a signer, pool, or miner, upgrade your node before activation.

Where does Bitcoin Staking yield come from? From Stacks miners, who bid BTC through Proof of Transfer to win the right to mine blocks. That BTC is redistributed to participants. PoX has run in production for over five years and has distributed 4,200+ BTC to participants since January 2021.

Is my BTC at risk when I stake it? Your BTC is locked via standard Bitcoin script on Bitcoin L1 and stays in your custody the entire time. There is no bridge, wrapper, or slashing. The worst case is missing rewards, not losing BTC.

When can I actually stake BTC? The Genesis Bond in late August marks the start of Bitcoin Staking. The July 29 hard fork lays the technical foundation.

Thank you to everyone who voted, and to the signers, pools, miners, and builders now preparing for activation. Next stop: July 29.

Stay up to date in real time on upgrade guides and Genesis Bond announcements by following @Stacks on X.

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