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GET
/
onchain
/
op-return-count
OP Return Count
curl --request GET \
  --url https://api.cryptoquant.com/v2/onchain/op-return-count \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer <token>'
{
  "status": {
    "code": 123,
    "message": "<string>"
  },
  "result": {
    "window": "<string>",
    "data": [
      {
        "date": "<string>",
        "amount_null_data": 123
      }
    ]
  }
}

​
What it measures

Total daily count of OP_RETURN codes embedded in Bitcoin transactions — used by protocols (RUNES, Ordinals, OMNI/Tether) to write data on-chain

​
How to interpret it

High OP_RETURN activity = strong secondary protocol demand → more transaction competition → higher fees → more miner revenue. Sudden collapses drag down transaction count, block utilization, fees, and cause Metcalfe bands to shift downward.

​
Key thresholds

802K/day (Apr 2024) = all-time high at RUNES launch; 508K (Nov 2024) = still elevated; ~10K (Feb 2025) = collapsed 98%+ causing network activity one-year low; 81M total in 2024 = record annual inscriptions

​
How to use it

Primary indicator for network demand and fee-pressure. Monitor for sustained collapses as an early warning of falling miner revenue, lower transaction fees, and downward pressure on Metcalfe valuation bands.

Run this metric in CryptoQuant Analytics

Authorizations

​
Authorization
string
header
required

For each API request, include the Authorization HTTP header with Bearer {access_token}.

Query Parameters

​
window
string
default:day

Time interval for aggregation.

​
from
string

Starting time, formatted as YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS (UTC). If window=day, YYYYMMDD is also accepted.

​
to
string

Ending time, formatted as YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS (UTC). If window=day, YYYYMMDD is also accepted.

​
limit
integer

Maximum number of data rows to return.

Response

200 - application/json

network activity

​
status
object
required

Returned with every response; indicates whether the request was successful.

​
result
object
required