From block 961,632, nodes running BIP-110 reject blocks that do not signal support. If almost all hashrate keeps producing non-signaling blocks, those nodes follow a smaller, separate chain.
Developer Luke Dashjr has floated a proof-of-work hard fork, a far more disruptive route than a stalled soft fork. For now it is a threat, not a scheduled event.
Running default Bitcoin Core keeps you on the chain the majority of hashrate follows. A minority split mainly affects those who deliberately run BIP-110 software.
The practical danger is transacting during instability, when confirmations on a contested chain can be unreliable. Caution around the window matters more than panic.
This is a self-contained event for those who opt in, not a network-wide crisis. Watch the signaling percentage and avoid rushed transactions during the window.
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