Why does KIP-0020 require a hard fork of Kaspa?

KIP-0020 requires a hard fork because it makes changes to Kaspa's rules that existing nodes cannot understand or process. A hard fork means the network must upgrade together — any node or wallet that does not update will be incompatible with the new chain. The specific changes driving this are: new consensus rules, new transaction fields introduced for versions that include covenant bindings, changes to the UTXO commitment (the cryptographic record of all unspent coins on the network), and new script opcodes. Each of these touches a fundamental layer of how Kaspa validates blocks and transactions. For everyday users, this means that when KIP-0020 activates, upgrading your wallet or node software will be required to remain on the live Kaspa network.