op-return/decoder.html at main · bitcoinuniverseio/op-return · GitHub

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<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1">
<title>OP_RETURN decoder: identify and explain a data carrier payload</title>
<meta name="description" content="Paste a scriptPubKey hex string. The decoder identifies whether it carries an OP-20, OP Names or OP Inscriptions payload, decodes the fields, explains rejections, and reports size and relay implications. Runs entirely in your browser.">
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<meta property="og:site_name" content="OP_RETURN protocol documentation">
<meta property="og:title" content="OP_RETURN decoder: identify and explain a data carrier payload">
<meta property="og:description" content="Client-side decoder for OP-20, OP Names and OP Inscriptions payloads carried in an OP_RETURN output.">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://bitcoinuniverseio.github.io/op-return/decoder.html">
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    <a class="mark" href="index.html"><span class="glyph" aria-hidden="true">6a</span><span>OP_RETURN</span></a>
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  <div class="wrap">
    <p class="eyebrow">Decoder 1.0.0 / bitcoin mainnet rules</p>
    <h1>Read the frame.</h1>
    <p class="lede">Paste a scriptPubKey. The decoder lays out the bytes, works out which of the three protocols claims the payload, decodes the fields, and tells you why a reader would refuse it.</p>
  </div>
</div>

<section>
  <div class="wrap">

    <div class="note">
      <strong>Everything happens in this page</strong>
      <p>The decoder is a static script in this repository. What you paste is never logged, stored or transmitted. There is no network request, no analytics and no third party code on this site.</p>
    </div>

    <noscript>
      <div class="noscript">
        <p><strong>The decoder needs JavaScript.</strong> Everything else on this site works without it. If you would rather not enable it, the <a href="vectors.html">test vectors page</a> lists real script hex with the outcome each parser produced, and the <a href="spec.html">specification</a> gives the rules the decoder applies.</p>
      </div>
    </noscript>

    <div id="decoder-fallback" class="noscript">
      <p><strong>Loading the decoder.</strong> If this message stays, the script did not run. See the <a href="vectors.html">test vectors</a> instead.</p>
    </div>

    <form id="decoder-form" class="tool" hidden>
      <div>
        <label for="decoder-input">scriptPubKey hex, for example <code>6a0b7361746f7368692e627463</code></label>
        <textarea id="decoder-input" name="script" spellcheck="false" autocapitalize="off" autocomplete="off" placeholder="6a347b2270223a226f702d3230222c..."></textarea>
      </div>
      <div class="toolrow">
        <button class="act" type="submit">Decode</button>
        <button class="act ghost" type="button" id="decoder-clear">Clear</button>
      </div>
      <div>
        <p class="legend" id="samples-label">Load a sample:</p>
        <div class="samples" role="group" aria-labelledby="samples-label">
          <button type="button" data-sample="6a347b2270223a226f702d3230222c226f70223a226d696e74222c227469636b223a2250495045222c22616d74223a2231303030227d">OP-20 mint</button>
          <button type="button" data-sample="6a477b2270223a226f702d3230222c226f70223a226465706c6f79222c227469636b223a2250495045222c226d6178223a223231303030303030222c226c696d223a2231303030227d">OP-20 deploy</button>
          <button type="button" data-sample="6a347b2270223a226f702d3230222c226f70223a226d696e74222c227469636b223a2250495045222c22616d74223a2231302e35227d">OP-20 bad amount</button>
          <button type="button" data-sample="6a0b7361746f7368692e627463">OP Names, plain text</button>
          <button type="button" data-sample="6a2c7b2270223a226f706e73222c226f70223a22726567222c226e616d65223a227361746f7368692e627463227d">OP Names, JSON reg</button>
          <button type="button" data-sample="6a0c7361746f7368692e622d7463">OP Names, bad namespace</button>
          <button type="button" data-sample="6a4c5a7b2270223a226f702d696e736372697074696f6e73222c226f70223a22696e736372696265222c22616464223a226263317177353038643671656a7874646734793572337a6172766172793063357877376b763866337434227d">OP Inscriptions</button>
          <button type="button" data-sample="6a0d7b22666f6f223a22626172227d">Unrecognised JSON</button>
          <button type="button" data-sample="6a51">Non push opcode</button>
        </div>
      </div>
      <div id="decoder-output" aria-live="polite"></div>
    </form>

    <h2 id="how">What the decoder checks</h2>
    <p class="lead-col">In order, and stopping at the first protocol that claims the payload:</p>
    <ol class="lead-col">
      <li><strong>Carrier.</strong> The script must start with <code>0x6a</code>, or with <code>0x00 0x6a</code>, which only the OP Inscriptions scanner accepts. Pushes are decoded with the rules in <a href="spec.html#carrier">R-CAR-3</a> and concatenated in order.</li>
      <li><strong>OP-20.</strong> The payload must start with a JSON object tagged <code>"p":"op-20"</code>. Field sets, duplicate keys, ticker normalisation and the amount forms are all checked as in <a href="spec.html#op20">R-20</a>.</li>
      <li><strong>OP Names.</strong> Either a JSON object tagged <code>"p":"opns"</code>, or plain text with exactly one literal dot. Identity is normalised and validated as in <a href="spec.html#opnames">R-NAME-4</a>, including the Unicode dot lookalike rejections.</li>
      <li><strong>OP Inscriptions.</strong> A JSON tag of <code>op-inscriptions</code>, <code>op_inscriptions</code> or <code>op-inscription</code>, or the narrow historical envelope described in <a href="spec.html#opinscriptions">R-OPI-5</a>.</li>
      <li><strong>Size and relay.</strong> Script bytes, payload bytes and push count, compared against the 83 byte default data carrier limit and the 4096 byte reader bound.</li>
    </ol>

    <h3>What it does not do</h3>
    <ul class="lead-col">
      <li>It reads one output. Rules that depend on the whole transaction, such as "exactly one OP_RETURN output" or "exactly one OP-20 carrier", cannot be evaluated from a single script.</li>
      <li>It does not resolve state. It cannot tell you whether a name is already registered, whether a balance exists, or who owns a receipt outpoint.</li>
      <li>It does not check addresses against a network. An address that is well formed for testnet will be reported as written.</li>
      <li>It applies mainnet rules only.</li>
    </ul>
  </div>
</section>

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      <div><b>Owning repository</b> <span>bitcoinuniverseio/op-return</span></div>
      <div><b>Source path</b> <span>/decoder.html</span></div>
      <div><b>Document version</b> <span>1.0.0</span></div>
      <div><b>Lifecycle</b> <span>experimental</span></div>
      <div><b>Chain and network</b> <span>bitcoin, mainnet</span></div>
      <div><b>Last verified</b> <span>2026-09-01</span></div>
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      <a href="https://github.com/bitcoinuniverseio/op-return/edit/main/decoder.html">Edit this page on GitHub</a>
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      <a href="https://github.com/bitcoinuniverseio/op-return/blob/main/SECURITY.md">Report a vulnerability</a>
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