Meowcoin Apex: Preparing for the Biggest Update in Meowcoin History

Something big is coming to Meowcoin, and we want to give the community plenty of time to prepare. In the coming weeks, we will be releasing the first release candidate for the Apex update — a full rebase of Meowcoin onto Bitcoin Core 30.2. This is the largest change in Meowcoin's history, and we want every community member to know what to expect before it arrives.

What is the Apex Update?

Meowcoin was originally forked from Ravencoin, which itself forked from Bitcoin around version 0.17 back in 2017. That means the core of Meowcoin has been running on seven-year-old Bitcoin code while Bitcoin itself has continued to evolve significantly. The Apex update closes that gap entirely, bringing Meowcoin all the way up to Bitcoin Core 30.2 in a single release.

Everything that makes Meowcoin unique has been preserved. MeowPow mining, AuxPoW merge mining, the LWMA difficulty adjustment keeping the 50/50 balance between GPU and ASIC miners, and the animal shelter donation model are all fully intact in the new codebase.

To match Bitcoin Core's versioning going forward, Meowcoin will jump from v3.0.6 directly to v30.2.0 with this release.

What's Actually Changing

The Apex update brings years of Bitcoin Core development to Meowcoin all at once. Some of the highlights:

• Modern wallet architecture — the old wallet.dat format is being replaced with a more secure descriptor wallet system. A built-in migration tool will handle the conversion for you.
• SegWit support — smaller and cheaper transactions on the Meowcoin network.
• Taproot — lays the groundwork for improved privacy and future smart contract capabilities.
• New address formats — Bech32 and Bech32m addresses alongside existing legacy addresses.
• Encrypted node communication — BIP324 v2 encrypted peer-to-peer transport.
• Modern build system — CMake replaces the older autotools setup.
• PSMT support — Partially Signed Meowcoin Transactions, Meowcoin's version of Bitcoin's PSBT standard, opening the door to multisig and hardware wallet support.

What This Means for You

For Regular Users

Your funds are safe. The new wallet includes a built-in migration tool to convert your existing wallet to the new format. We will publish step-by-step instructions alongside the release candidate.

One important thing to know now: the Apex update uses the same data directory as your current Meowcoin installation. Before you install the new client, you will want to back up your existing Meowcoin data folder. We will cover exactly where to find it and how to back it up in the release documentation, but it is worth knowing this ahead of time so you are not caught off guard.

For Miners

MeowPow GPU mining and AuxPoW merge mining continue exactly as before. The LWMA difficulty adjustment is preserved. Your mining setup does not need to change — just update your node software when the time comes.

For Pool Operators

Pool operator support will be critical to a smooth Apex rollout. If you operate a pool and want to help with testing, or if you want to get ahead of the update and ensure your pool is ready for the new client, we encourage you to reach out. Miners who want to help test mining against the new Meowcoin Apex node are also welcome to get involved early. Jump into the official Meowcoin Discord if you have any questions or concerns — we want to work with you directly to make this transition as smooth as possible.

For Developers

The rebase onto Bitcoin Core 30.2 opens up the full modern Bitcoin Core RPC interface and tooling ecosystem. PSMT support enables multisig workflows. Taproot is the foundation for future features the community can build on.

A Note on the Release Candidate

The Apex release candidate will be for testing purposes. Most users should remain on v3.0.6 until the final release. The RC is for technically minded community members who want to explore early, help find issues, and give feedback before the final release ships.

We will publish full release notes, migration instructions, and platform-specific documentation when the RC drops. For now, the most important thing you can do is be aware that this update is coming and start thinking about backing up your wallet and data directory.

The Road Ahead

Apex is a foundation, not a destination. Once Meowcoin is running on Bitcoin Core 30.2, the door opens to ongoing improvements that have simply not been possible on the old codebase. Future possibilities include hardware wallet support via PSMT, improved privacy features, and the ability to pull in future Bitcoin Core improvements as they are released.

We are excited for what this means for Meowcoin's long-term future, and we are grateful to the community for the continued support that makes work like this possible.

Stay tuned. The Apex release candidate is coming soon.

Follow updates at mewccrypto.com and in the official Meowcoin Discord.