feat(rpc): tag Zebra-mined blocks with a 🦓 coinbase marker - #10836
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Thank you for adding this back! |
jvff
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Jun 30, 2026
jvff
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Had an idea, but it's more of a style tweak, not a blocker.
jvff
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Jul 1, 2026
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/changelog |
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Proposed changelog entries for this PR. Review and paste into the relevant **`CHANGELOG.md`** (node operators)
### Breaking Changes
- The `coinbasetxn.data` field in `getblocktemplate` now always includes a `🦓` marker (`f09fa693`) after the encoded block height, changing the coinbase transaction for all blocks built by Zebra. ([#10836](https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra/pull/10836))
- `mining.extra_coinbase_data` is now limited to 86 bytes (was 94); Zebra refuses to start if this limit is exceeded. ([#10836](https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra/pull/10836))
### Added
- Zebra prepends a `🦓` marker to the coinbase input of every block it builds. When `extra_coinbase_data` is set, it is appended after the marker and a `": "` separator. ([#10836](https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra/pull/10836))
**`zebra-rpc/CHANGELOG.md`**
### Breaking Changes
- `config::mining::Config::extra_coinbase_data` is now `Option<ExtraCoinbaseData>` (was `Option<String>`), limited to 86 bytes and validated on construction. ([#10836](https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra/pull/10836))
### Added
- `config::mining::ExtraCoinbaseData` and `config::mining::ExtraCoinbaseDataTooLong` types. ([#10836](https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra/pull/10836)) |
gustavovalverde
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Jul 1, 2026
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This pull request spent 10 minutes 34 seconds in the queue, including 4 seconds running CI. Required conditions to merge
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Motivation
Closes #10835.
Solution
🦓marker (ZEBRA_COINBASE_MARKER) to the coinbase input of every block Zebra builds, as a single script push. Whenextra_coinbase_datais set, a": "separator and the operator data follow.mining.extra_coinbase_dataa validating newtype (ExtraCoinbaseData) capped at 86 bytes (the 94-byte coinbase budget minus the 4-byte marker, 2-byte separator, and 2-byte push opcode). Oversized values are unrepresentable, so the config fails to load and Zebra refuses to start.A separate marker push would need a
zcash_transparentchange; the single push carries marker + separator + data.Why
🦓, not "Zebra"?The marker is for machines — explorers and hashrate monitors that detect Zebra blocks by scanning coinbase data. Plain ASCII like "Zebra" is something miners genuinely type (pool names, messages, the word itself), so matching it would mis-tag other blocks. The 4-byte emoji (
f0 9f a6 93) is vanishingly unlikely in human text, so a hit is almost certainly a Zebra block — and it's 1 byte smaller than "Zebra", leaving more room in the tight coinbase budget. A leading emoji also reads as a deliberate tag, not incidental text.AI Disclosure