Connection & SecurityAdvanced10 min read

AsicBoost and Version-Rolling on mkpool: How It Works and How to Confirm It (2026)

Published July 24, 2026

AsicBoost is one of those terms that sounds like a setting you are missing out on. It is not. On mkpool it is automatic: it is already part of how your miner is rated, and there is nothing to switch on. This guide explains what it actually does, why you will not see a speedup from it, and how to confirm it is active if you want to.

What AsicBoost does

Bitcoin mining hashes a block header with SHA-256 over and over. SHA-256 processes its input in chunks, and part of that work repeats across the many hashes a miner tries for one piece of work. AsicBoost is a way to avoid some of that repetition, so the chip finds the same shares while spending a little less energy per hash. It does not change the result or break any rules; it is a shortcut through redundant computation.

How big is the gain, really?

The original research put the theoretical maximum near 20%. Overt AsicBoost as actually deployed is commonly cited in the low teens of a percent, and the real-world efficiency improvement is a few percent. On a modern ASIC it is already included in the rated hashrate and J/TH figure, so it is not a bonus you unlock; it is baked into the number on the box.

Overt, not covert

There are two ways to get the AsicBoost effect, and the distinction matters because one of them caused a lot of noise in 2017:

Covert AsicBoost achieved it by manipulating the transaction merkle root in a hidden way. It was controversial because it interacted badly with upgrades like SegWit, and it is not used here.
Overt AsicBoost, also called version-rolling, does the same optimisation openly, by rolling a set of bits in the block header's version field. It is standardised in BIP310 and negotiated transparently between miner and pool. This is what mkpool and every modern miner use.

How mkpool handles it

When a miner connects, it and the pool negotiate optional features through a Stratum message called mining.configure. mkpool advertises a version-rolling mask in that handshake, the set of version bits a miner is allowed to roll. Any version-rolling-capable miner sees that and enables the feature immediately.

That is the whole mechanism. There is no pool option to turn on, and on most firmware no miner option either. If you looked for an AsicBoost toggle and could not find one, it is because the negotiation already happened when your miner connected. This is exactly why the Antminer setup guide tells you there is nothing to configure for it.

Confirming it is active

Because the gain is already inside your rated hashrate, you cannot confirm AsicBoost by watching for a speed increase, there will not be one. Instead:

If your miner supports version-rolling and connected normally, it is on. The feature is negotiated at connect; a successful connection with a capable miner means it was enabled.
Braiins OS reports version-rolling or AsicBoost state directly on its status page, if you want to see it explicitly.
Stock Antminers from the S9 generation onward run overt AsicBoost by default; there is no separate indicator because it is simply how they operate.

Don't chase a hashrate bump

Enabling or disabling version-rolling will not move your dashboard hashrate, and no pool can give you "AsicBoost extra speed" on top of your rated figure. Any service claiming a large hashrate gain from a magic AsicBoost switch is misrepresenting how it works.

Does it change anything else?

No. Version-rolling does not affect your share difficulty, your odds of a block, or your payout, a block reward is always paid in full to your address regardless. It also has nothing to do with encryption: you can run it on a plain, TLS or Stratum V2 connection alike. It is a low-level efficiency feature of the hashing itself, and once you know it is on, you can stop thinking about it.

Disclaimer

Firmware reporting of version-rolling varies by miner and firmware version; follow your device's documentation. Efficiency figures for AsicBoost are approximate and depend on implementation and workload. Nothing here is financial advice.

Frequently asked questions

What is AsicBoost?

AsicBoost is a technique that reduces the work an ASIC does per hash by exploiting the structure of SHA-256, so the chip finds the same shares while spending a little less energy. The modern, standardised form is overt AsicBoost, also called version-rolling, which openly uses the block header's version field. It is built into current-generation miners.

How much more efficient does AsicBoost make mining?

The original research put the theoretical maximum near 20%, and overt AsicBoost as deployed is commonly cited in the low teens of a percent; in practice the real efficiency gain is a few percent. On modern ASICs it is already included in the rated hashrate and efficiency, so it is not a bonus you switch on for extra speed; it is part of how the miner is designed to run.

Do I need to enable AsicBoost on mkpool?

No. mkpool advertises version-rolling in its mining.configure handshake, and any version-rolling-capable miner negotiates it automatically the moment it connects. There is no pool setting and, on most firmware, no miner setting either. If you went looking for an AsicBoost toggle and could not find one, that is because it is already active.

Is this the controversial covert AsicBoost from 2017?

No. Covert AsicBoost manipulated the transaction merkle root in a hidden way and was contentious because it interacted badly with proposals like SegWit. Overt AsicBoost, which is what mkpool and modern miners use, does the same optimisation openly through the version field and is standardised in BIP310. It is transparent to the pool and to the network.

How do I confirm version-rolling is actually working?

It is negotiated at connect, so if your miner supports it and connected normally, it is on. To see it explicitly, check your firmware's status page: Braiins OS reports version-rolling or AsicBoost state directly, and stock Antminers from the S9 generation onward run overt AsicBoost by default. You will not see it as a hashrate change, because it is already counted in the miner's rated figure.

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