Bitcoin developers who want to expand blockchain’s decentralized financing (DEFI) features are likely to consider zero-knowledge (ZK) proof, functionality that is not currently available and which requires a so-called soft fork or a new version of the software to introduce them.

That’s a problem, according to Edan Yago, a Bitcoin veteran of over a decade and core contributor to Smart Contract Operating System Bitcoinos (BOS).

“Frame of a blockchain, especially one with $ 2 trillion value of value on it, is like open -hearted surgery,” Yago told Coindesk in an interview “Hard Forks is obviously much more problematic, but I think the introduction of any fork is full.”

A fork is a change of a blockchain code that requires a deviation at a particular time on a separate path. Forks can be “soft”, which means older versions can still interact with the new or “hard”, making older versions incompatible and requires all users to upgrade their software.

The ZK proof is a cryptographic method of proving the validity of statements while maintaining privacy by not revealing any information about it. The functionality is not available in Bitcoin’s software, but can be done through suggested implementations such as OP_CAT and OP_CTV. Yago said that developers should be able to find ways to enable them on Bitcoin without any fork.

“The burden of proof is on developers to demonstrate that there is no other way to do this through smart technique,” he said.

This is what Bos hopes to achieve through Bitsnark, a Bitcoin -Rollup Protocol that is part of the family of computer paradigms developed to scale the original blockchain. These appeared after the introduction of BitVM by Robin Linus in October 2023, which explained a framework for how Ethereum-like smart contracts could be activated on Bitcoin.

Bitcoinos have now opened Sourced, what Yago describes as a “fully ready” Bitsnark protocol, which means that developers now have access to ZK verification on Bitcoin and can connect it to other blockchains such as Ethereum, Solana and Cardano.

Bitsnark allows developers to take large, complex programs and prove the results of the calculations in only 300 bytes that can be verified in standard Bitcoin transactions. It could pave the way for BTCFI, an expression used for Defi on Bitcoin, through activating transverse chain bridges, decentralized exchanges and Bitcoin (BTC) -backed stableecoins.

While there are several projects that want to introduce decentralized financing on Bitcoin, they depend on using OP_CAT or OP_CTV codes that require a fork in Blockchain’s software. Yago wants to reach the same destination via another route.