How Bitcoin Script Actually Executes P2SH Transactions, Explained for Developers
A developer writing for DEV Community has documented a common misconception about how Bitcoin Script handles Pay-to-Script-Hash (P2SH) transactions. Many learners assume that a redeemScript left on the stack after hash verification will automatically be executed, but Bitcoin Script treats stack contents strictly as data, not executable code. There is no EVAL opcode in the language, meaning no script fragment stored on the stack can be self-executed. Instead, it is Bitcoin's consensus engine — not the scripting language itself — that explicitly extracts the redeemScript from the scriptSig and runs it as a separate script after the hash check passes. The article uses annotated stack diagrams to illustrate the difference between incorrect assumptions and the actual execution model enforced by Bitcoin Core.
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