Version 1.1.0 of BAN-KNots simplifies the disconnection of nodes in Bitcoin Knots.
In a case of extreme fragmentation, the battle of nodes could delay Bitcoin confirmations.
Noosphere88 launched on September 19, 2025 version 1.1.0 of Ban-Knots, a script available in GitHub that simplifies the management and disconnection of nodes in Bitcoin Knots, an implementation of the bitcoin software. The update seeks to facilitate its use on platforms such as Start9 and Umbrel, while the debates about the use of black lists in the Bitcoin network persists.
Version 1.1.0 of BAN-KNots introduces improvements that facilitate its use, especially for users without technical knowledge. According to the update notes published in Github, the script now automatically detects the authentication file .cookie from Bitcoin Core, eliminating the need to manually enter credentials.
It also incorporates specific support for Start9 and Umbrel, two popular platforms for Bitcoin nodes, with automatic detection of simplified environments and commands for installation. In addition, errors that affected passwords with special characters and the execution in automatic tasks, making the most robust script have been corrected.
However, the most relevant aspect of Ban-Knots lies in its technical improvements, but in its purpose: Facilitate the blockade of Bitcoin Knots nodes considered undesirable.
As we reported in cryptootics, a developer named Noosphere88 created a blacklist of attainable nodes of Bitcoin Knots, which generated concern in the community. These lists allow users to disconnect from specific nodes, which could be used to locate locally to certain participants in the process of broadcasting transactions.
For example, use on nodes that do not comply with certain rules or that are perceived as problematic.
Noosphere888 summarizes the usefulness of its protocol by exhorting as follows: “Do not connect to nodes that do not broadcast your valid transactions,” probably in reference to those transactions that have op_return content whose higher weight in the block space is not accepted by Bitcoin Knots policies.
This practice has unleashed debates about decentralization and freedom in the Bitcoin network, since the selective block is useful in the defense of certain monetary and philosophical interests, but it does not easily align with the foundational principles of the cryptoactive.
The script, created and updated by Noosphere888, allows Bitcoin Knots users to execute commands to disconnect or ban specific nodes. The new version this process with a more intuitive installation and lighter error messages, which could increase its adoption.
The controversy on black lists is not new, but the ease that BAN-KNOTS 1.1.0 offers to implement them could amplify their impact.
While some users see these tools as a way to protect the network of nodes that are not optimized to broadcast Bitcoin Core transactionsBitcoin’s main client, others warn that they could be used to segregate or create divisions on the network.
It should be noted that Knots uses stricter transaction filter policies, so this client does not broadcast transactions that are valid in Core.
In this sense, it can be argued that the nodes of both clients are secreted to each other, which has not had consequences because Bitcoin Core has a major majority of nodes and its policy is more permissive.
However, if the adoption of Ban-Knots became generalized and Bitcoin Knots persisted in their strict filters, the battle between customers could cause more tangible problems in Bitcoin, such as important delays in inclusion in transactions blocks.
For now, Ban-Knots remains a technical tool that, although useful for certain nodes administrators, raises questions about the balance between control and decentralization in Bitcoin.