OP_MIN - Returning the Smaller Value
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16. OP_MIN — Returning the Smaller Value
Opcode Reference
Opcode: OP_MIN
Hex: 0xA3
Decimal: 163
Input: a b
Output: min(a, b)
Overview
OP_MIN pops the top two stack elements and pushes whichever is the smaller numeric value. If both are equal, either value (the same) is pushed.
Stack Examples
Input: [b=10, a=3] → OP_MIN → [3]
Input: [b=3, a=10] → OP_MIN → [3]
Input: [b=5, a=5] → OP_MIN → [5]
Input: [b=-1, a=1] → OP_MIN → [-1]
Bitcoin Core Implementation
case OP_MIN:
{
if (stack.size() < 2)
return set_error(serror, SCRIPT_ERR_INVALID_STACK_OPERATION);
CScriptNum bn1(stacktop(-2), fRequireMinimal);
CScriptNum bn2(stacktop(-1), fRequireMinimal);
popstack(stack);
popstack(stack);
stack.push_back((bn1 < bn2 ? bn1 : bn2).getvch());
}
break;
Use Cases
OP_MIN is useful for capping a value at a maximum threshold — by taking the minimum of the submitted value and the cap, you ensure the result never exceeds the cap:
<user_value> <cap> OP_MIN
→ result is at most <cap>
In payment channel scripts, OP_MIN can be used to select the lesser of two timeout values or enforce conservative limits on numeric witnesses.
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