00 / PROJECT IDENTITY
Project Proof
A proof-carrying verification architecture designed to independently observe and validate workspace state changes through cryptographic commitments.
01 The verification problem
How can a workspace change be independently verified rather than trusted because an actor claims it occurred?
The architecture shifts trust away from the actor performing a change, requiring actor-neutral independent observation and cryptographic evidence binding to assert validity.
02 Precommitted task scope IMPLEMENTED PRIMITIVE
The workflow begins by establishing a rigorous boundary. It implements explicit, precommitted task contracts before any work is executed, defining exactly what is permitted to change.
03 Workspace observation IMPLEMENTED PRIMITIVE
Provides actor-neutral independent workspace observation. Implemented primitives handle regular-file, directory, and symlink observation to establish an independently observed baseline.
04 Workspace commitments IMPLEMENTED PRIMITIVE
Generates cryptographic commitments to commit cryptographically to a specific observed workspace state.
SHA-256 artifact records
SHA-256 artifact records
05 Artifact-version evidence graph FROZEN ARCHITECTURE
Designed around an evidence-bound artifact-version graph, tracing the exact lineage of changes across the filesystem.
06 Exact observed delta IMPLEMENTED PRIMITIVE
Constructs an exact observed workspace delta under the defined representation. This mechanism calculates the precise material difference between the pre-state and post-state commitments.
07 Deterministic validity FROZEN ARCHITECTURE
Employs deterministic three-valued validity. The actor performing a change is not treated as authoritative evidence. Insufficient evidence yields an UNKNOWN state rather than guessed certainty.
08 Staleness FROZEN ARCHITECTURE
The architecture defines version-specific staleness propagation when underlying cryptographic inputs change.
09 Scope reconciliation IMPLEMENTED PRIMITIVE
Implements scope-versus-observed-delta reconciliation, algorithmically verifying that the observed delta reconciles against the precommitted task contract.
10 Portable receipt / proof FROZEN ARCHITECTURE
Designed to output portable cryptographic workspace receipts, encapsulating the entire transition evidence graph.
11 Current implementation state
Project Proof has a frozen proof-carrying workspace-verification architecture. The following core primitives are currently implemented and supported by verified checkpoints:
- SHA-256 content commitments/digests
- Artifact records
- Observation primitives (file, directory, symlink)
- Workspace delta construction
- Task contracts
- Scope reconciliation
12 Limitations
While the primitives and architectural baseline are frozen, the complete end-to-end system remains under development. Networked synchronization of receipts and complex conflict resolution are not yet fully bounded.
13 Revision history
Revision A: Established architectural baseline, verified observation primitives, and defined three-valued validity mechanics.