@adastracomputing/ink 0.1.0-alpha.0

package/CHANGELOG.md

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+# Changelog
+
+All notable changes to INK and the reference implementation are recorded
+here. Pre-1.0 releases follow `0.Y.Z` semantics, see
+[`docs/maturity.md`](docs/maturity.md) for the versioning policy.
+
+## Unreleased
+
+No unreleased changes.
+
+## 0.1.0-alpha.0, first public alpha
+
+Initial open-source release of the INK protocol reference implementation
+and accompanying specification.
+
+### Protocol surface
+
+- Ed25519-signed envelopes with JCS (RFC 8785) canonicalization.
+- Domain-separated signing base: `ink/0.1\nMETHOD\nPATH\nrecipientDid\nJCS(body)\ntimestamp`.
+- Agent Card schema with `keys.signing` and `keys.encryption`.
+- Key rotation authority rule (see `docs/key-rotation-rule.md`).
+- Timestamp freshness window: 5 minutes past, 30 seconds future.
+- ECIES encryption envelopes with AAD bound to all security-relevant
+  outer fields.
+- Receipt and audit envelope structures.
+- Optional containment extension: capability-gated visibility, handshake
+  budgets, sender silent-drop after first rate-limit violation.
+
+### Reference implementation
+
+- Public API exported from the package root, see README for the export
+  surface.
+- Defense-in-depth SSRF protections in `fetchAgentCard`: https-only
+  baseUrl, no userinfo, IANA special-use IPv4 and IPv6 blocklists,
+  6to4-embedded-v4 extraction, manual redirect, body-size stream cap,
+  Zod runtime card validation, recursive endpoint validation,
+  integrator-supplied fetch hook for connect-time defenses.
+- Length and format caps on every base64url/hex decode call site.
+- Strict signature length and charset validation before any
+  cryptographic operation.
+- Authoritative empty-key-set semantics, once an Agent Card publishes
+  a signing key set, callers must not fall back to bootstrap keys.
+- `verifyInkAuth` requires an explicit `nonceStore: NonceStore | "deferred"`
+  option: pass a `NonceStore` to have the middleware enforce single-use
+  semantics on `body.nonce` within the freshness window, or `"deferred"`
+  to acknowledge that `checkReplay` (or equivalent) will run elsewhere
+  in the request pipeline. Omitting the option returns
+  `nonce_handling_required`, so a misconfigured deployment fails
+  loudly rather than silently accepting replays.
+- `verifyAuditEventChain(events)` validates internal continuity of an
+  audit response slice: strictly +1 sequence, `previousEventHash`
+  linkage, duplicate-sequence fork detection. Consumers of
+  audit-exchange responses MUST run this alongside
+  `verifyAuditResponseSignature`.
+- `checkReplay` standalone helper with explicit nonce + timestamp
+  freshness; nonce backing storage is the integrator's choice.
+
+### Test surface
+
+- 430 unit and integration tests across crypto, middleware, discovery,
+  containment, and security-regression suites.
+- Interop test vectors in `test-vectors/` covering signing base, key
+  rotation, replay, and Agent Card shapes.

package/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md

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+# Code of Conduct
+
+## Standards
+
+Participate in this project as a professional. That means:
+
+- Treat others with respect. Disagreements about design, code, or spec
+  are normal; personal attacks, harassment, and discrimination are not.
+- Critique work, not people. Be specific. Cite the line, the spec
+  section, or the failure mode you are addressing.
+- Assume good faith from contributors and maintainers. If you believe
+  someone has acted in bad faith, raise it privately first.
+- Keep public discussions focused on the protocol, the spec, the
+  reference implementation, or related interoperability work.
+
+## Scope
+
+This code applies to all project spaces, issues, pull requests,
+discussions, security reports, and any other forum the maintainers
+designate as part of the project.
+
+## Reporting
+
+Conduct concerns: email **conduct@adastracomputing.com**.
+
+Security issues are a separate channel, see [`SECURITY.md`](SECURITY.md).
+
+Reports are reviewed by maintainers. We will acknowledge within five
+business days. We will not name reporters publicly without their
+permission.
+
+## Enforcement
+
+Maintainers may, at their discretion:
+
+- Edit or remove issues, PRs, comments, or other contributions that
+  conflict with this code.
+- Temporarily or permanently restrict a contributor's participation in
+  the project.
+
+Enforcement actions are not appealable to the maintainers; they are
+appealable to Ad Astra Computing leadership at the address above.

package/LICENSE-APACHE

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package/LICENSE-MIT

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+MIT License
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+SOFTWARE.

package/README.md

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+<img src="docs/logo.svg" alt="INK" width="200">
+
+# INK: Inter-agent Networking Kernel
+
+An open protocol for AI agents that need to send each other typed, signed messages on the public web. Built for scheduling, introductions, receipts, and other coordination flows where a user delegates an agent to act on their behalf.
+
+**Status: v0.1, experimental.** Wire formats, trust semantics, and APIs may change without backward-compatible migration before v1.0.
+
+| | |
+|---|---|
+| Spec | [`specs/`](specs/) |
+| Docs | [ink.tulpa.network](https://ink.tulpa.network) |
+| Contributing | [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](CONTRIBUTING.md) |
+| Security | [`SECURITY.md`](SECURITY.md) |
+| Code of Conduct | [`CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md`](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md) |
+| Changelog | [`CHANGELOG.md`](CHANGELOG.md) |
+
+## What's in the envelope
+
+Every INK message is an Ed25519-signed envelope over a [JCS](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc8785) (RFC 8785) canonical serialization. The signature base binds the protocol version, HTTP method, request path, recipient DID, body, and timestamp. Replay protection uses a per-sender nonce plus a timestamp freshness window of 5 minutes past and 30 seconds future.
+
+Message types cover intents, challenges, resolutions, receipts, audit events, encrypted payloads, and authenticated agent-card queries. Handshake messages carry a correlation ID; audit and receipt messages do not. Key rotation is governed by an authority rule documented in [`docs/key-rotation-rule.md`](docs/key-rotation-rule.md): the Agent Card's published key set is canonical, revoked keys never verify, and a stale bootstrap key cannot bypass rotation.
+
+INK assumes [AT Protocol](https://atproto.com) for identity by default but isn't coupled to it. Any system that can publish an Ed25519 signing key under a stable identifier can participate.
+
+## Install
+
+```bash
+npm install @adastracomputing/ink
+```
+
+The package ships TypeScript sources directly. Consumers need a TS-aware toolchain (tsx, ts-node, esbuild, Vite, etc.).
+
+```ts
+import {
+  generateKeypair,
+  deriveAgentId,
+  signInkMessage,
+  verifyInkSignature,
+  verifyInkAuth,
+} from "@adastracomputing/ink";
+
+const keypair = await generateKeypair();
+const agentId = deriveAgentId(keypair.publicKey);
+
+const input = {
+  method: "POST",
+  path: "/ink/v1/tulpa:zRecipient/intent",
+  recipientDid: "tulpa:zRecipient",
+  body: {
+    protocol: "ink/0.1",
+    type: "network.tulpa.intent",
+    from: agentId,
+    to: "tulpa:zRecipient",
+    intent: "meeting_request",
+    timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
+    nonce: crypto.randomUUID(),
+  },
+  timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
+};
+
+const signature = await signInkMessage(input, keypair.privateKey);
+const ok = await verifyInkSignature(input, signature, keypair.publicKey);
+```
+
+For inbound request verification, `verifyInkAuth` parses the `Authorization: INK-Ed25519 <sig>` header, checks freshness, and applies the key-rotation authority rule. It requires a `nonceStore` option so the 5-minute freshness window does not silently accept replays; pass a `NonceStore` to have the middleware enforce single-use, or `"deferred"` to acknowledge that the caller will run `checkReplay` (or equivalent) elsewhere in the request pipeline.
+
+For consumers of audit-exchange responses, call both `verifyAuditResponseSignature` (signed response wrapper) and `verifyAuditEventChain` (sequence-by-one and `previousEventHash` continuity, fork detection). The signature gate alone does not prevent a witness from returning a gapped or forked slice.
+
+## Tests
+
+```bash
+npm test            # vitest
+npm run typecheck   # tsc --noEmit
+npm run lint        # eslint
+npm run check:surface   # public-surface drift check
+```
+
+For Nix users: `nix develop` gives a pinned Node 22 + git + gitleaks shell. `nix build` produces the publishable npm tarball under `result/`.
+
+## Layout
+
+```
+src/           reference implementation
+  crypto/      signing, multi-key verification, key encoding
+  models/      Zod schemas for Agent Card, handshake, key entries
+  middleware/  transport-level INK auth (verifyInkAuth)
+  discovery/   Agent Card fetching and candidate-key extraction
+  ink/         discovery gating, handshake budget, receipts, checkpointing
+specs/         protocol spec documents
+docs/          maturity notes, threat model, key rotation rules
+test-vectors/  JSON interop vectors
+test/          vitest unit + integration tests
+```
+
+The reference implementation runs on any runtime providing standard Web Crypto and `fetch`: Node 22+, Deno, Bun, Cloudflare Workers, browsers. The timestamp freshness window is enforced inside `verifyInkAuth`; nonce single-use is enforced when a `NonceStore` is passed (otherwise `checkReplay` must be called separately). Nonce backing storage and its TTL policy are the integrator's choice.
+
+## What's stable in v0.1
+
+Reliable to depend on:
+
+- Envelope structure and signing base
+- Authorization: signed intent plus Agent Card key set
+- Key rotation authority rule (see [`docs/key-rotation-rule.md`](docs/key-rotation-rule.md))
+- Replay protection (nonce plus timestamp window)
+
+Subject to change before v1.0:
+
+- Authorization chain framing (delegation and attenuation semantics)
+- Containment vocabulary (capability-gated visibility, sender budgets)
+- Interop conventions with non-AT-Protocol identity systems
+- Receipt and audit envelope shape for third-party witnesses
+
+## Naming
+
+You will see `network.tulpa.*` on the wire (e.g. `network.tulpa.intent`) and `ink.tulpa.network` for the docs site. Both are historical artifacts of the protocol's origin and do not imply a runtime dependency on Tulpa. A vendor-neutral namespace may be introduced in a future revision.
+
+## Relationship to Tulpa
+
+INK is developed by [Ad Astra Computing](https://adastracomputing.com) as the underlying protocol for [Tulpa](https://tulpa.network). The spec and the reference implementation in this repo are deliberately free of Tulpa product code so other agent platforms can adopt INK without inheriting Tulpa's surface area. Tulpa's product integration (message orchestration, marketplace, user-facing APIs) lives in a separate, closed-source codebase.
+
+## Security
+
+See [`SECURITY.md`](SECURITY.md) for the disclosure path. The threat model is in [`docs/threat-model.md`](docs/threat-model.md). **Do not open a public issue for security problems.**
+
+## License
+
+Dual-licensed under either of:
+
+- MIT ([`LICENSE-MIT`](LICENSE-MIT))
+- Apache 2.0 ([`LICENSE-APACHE`](LICENSE-APACHE))
+
+at your option. The Apache 2.0 license includes an explicit patent grant; MIT is the simpler text. Pick whichever fits your downstream policy. This covers the code, specs, docs, and test vectors. Contributions are accepted under both licenses.

package/SECURITY.md

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+# Security Policy
+
+INK is an experimental pre-1.0 protocol. Security reports are taken seriously.
+
+## Reporting a vulnerability
+
+**Do not open a public GitHub issue for security problems.**
+
+Report privately to: **security@adastracomputing.com**
+
+Include:
+
+- A description of the issue and why it is a security problem
+- Reproduction steps or a proof-of-concept
+- The affected commit SHA or release tag
+- Whether you want public credit in the fix notes
+
+Acknowledgement within 3 business days; triage decision within 7. We coordinate disclosure with the reporter, public disclosure after a fix ships and known integrators have had time to update.
+
+## Supported versions
+
+INK is pre-1.0. Only the `main` branch receives security fixes. Pinned pre-1.0 releases are not separately maintained.
+
+| Version | Supported |
+|---------|-----------|
+| `main`  | Yes |
+| v0.x tags | Best-effort only |
+
+## Scope
+
+In scope:
+
+- Signature forgery, replay attacks, nonce collisions
+- Bypass of the key-rotation authority rule (see `docs/key-rotation-rule.md`)
+- Authorization-chain attenuation bypass
+- Receipt/audit envelope tampering
+- Agent Card discovery gating bypass that exposes non-public fields
+- Cryptographic misuse (wrong signing base, non-canonical JSON, etc.)
+
+Out of scope:
+
+- DoS via high-entropy inputs against the reference implementation
+- Attacks that require a compromised identity system (e.g., a malicious PDS returning a fabricated DID document)
+- Timing side-channels in the reference `@noble/ed25519` verification
+- Attacks on Tulpa's product infrastructure (separate codebase, separate disclosure process)
+
+## Threat model
+
+See [`docs/threat-model.md`](docs/threat-model.md).
+
+## Audit status
+
+INK has not undergone an independent security audit. Do not describe or adopt INK as "audited" or "hardened" on that basis.
+
+## Credits
+
+Reporters who help us will be credited in release notes unless they prefer to remain anonymous.

package/docs/key-rotation-rule.md

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+# Key Rotation Authority Rule
+
+> Normative. This is the rule a conforming INK receiver MUST follow when
+> verifying a signature attributed to a sender agent.
+
+## Summary
+
+**The Agent Card signing key set, once observed, is authoritative.** A
+receiver MUST:
+
+1. Try to verify the signature against the sender's Agent Card `keys.signing`
+   set. Iterate through entries in this order: `active` → `retired`. Never
+   iterate `revoked` entries.
+2. If any entry verifies, accept the signature and record which `keyId` was
+   used.
+3. If no entry verifies, reject the signature. **Do not fall through** to
+   any other key source.
+
+Only when the receiver has **never observed** an Agent Card for the sender
+may it use a bootstrap path, either the public key embedded in an
+agent ID scheme that supports it, or a key the receiver stored from an
+earlier first-contact handshake. This is the *trust-on-first-use* window
+and ends the first time a valid Agent Card is observed.
+
+## Why
+
+Rotation and revocation exist so an agent can abandon a compromised key.
+The moment the sender publishes an updated Card, any receiver that still
+accepts the old key is defeating rotation. Three concrete failure modes
+this rule closes:
+
+1. **Stolen old key.** Attacker has a private key the sender has since
+   marked `retired` or `revoked`. Without this rule, a receiver with a
+   locally-cached copy of that old key might still verify the attacker's
+   signed message.
+2. **Fallback shadowing.** A receiver that first consults an "authoritative"
+   key set and then "as a fallback" consults some other single-key lookup
+   can have that lookup return a pre-rotation key, silently accepting the
+   old signature after rotation. The rule forbids fallback **after** the
+   authoritative set has spoken.
+3. **Bootstrap persistence.** Some identity schemes let receivers derive a
+   public key from the agent ID. That key is necessarily frozen at creation
+   time, rotation by definition can't update it. The rule limits its use
+   to first-contact only.
+
+## Status taxonomy
+
+A signing key entry has exactly one of three statuses:
+
+| Status    | Receiver behavior                                             |
+|-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
+| `active`  | Verify signatures made with this key. Normal operation.       |
+| `retired` | Verify signatures, but the sender has a newer `active` key.   |
+|           | Typical during rotation grace periods. Receivers MAY refuse   |
+|           | based on local policy (e.g. reject anything older than 30 d). |
+| `revoked` | **Never** verify signatures with this key, even for messages  |
+|           | signed before the revocation timestamp. Revocation means the  |
+|           | key is compromised or must not be trusted.                    |
+
+Retired vs revoked is the key semantic distinction. Retired is normal
+rotation; revoked is a trust statement. Conforming implementations MUST
+NOT treat them as equivalent.
+
+## Concrete receiver algorithm
+
+```text
+input:  senderId, signature, message
+state:  agentCardCache (optional per-receiver cache of observed Cards)
+
+card ← agentCardCache.get(senderId) or fetch Agent Card via published
+       endpoint for senderId
+
+if card has a non-empty keys.signing set:
+  for entry in card.keys.signing where entry.status ∈ {active, retired}:
+    if verify(entry.publicKey, message, signature):
+      return ACCEPT, keyIdUsed = entry.keyId
+  return REJECT (signature_verification_failed)
+
+else if card does not exist OR has no keys.signing:
+  # First-contact / bootstrap only
+  bootstrapKey ← extract from senderId (scheme-specific) OR
+                 lookup in local connection store
+  if bootstrapKey and verify(bootstrapKey, message, signature):
+    return ACCEPT, keyIdUsed = "bootstrap"
+  return REJECT (unresolvable_sender_key or signature_verification_failed)
+```
+
+## Invariants a conforming implementation MUST preserve
+
+1. A `revoked` entry in the Card MUST NEVER be used to verify a signature.
+2. A locally-stored single key MUST NOT be treated as `active` if the
+   sender's Card disagrees with its status. If the Card lists that public
+   key as `retired` or `revoked`, the Card's status wins.
+3. If the Card's signing set has been observed and no entry verifies the
+   signature, the signature MUST be rejected. The receiver MUST NOT then
+   consult another key source.
+4. Bootstrap key extraction (deriving a pubkey from an agent ID) MUST be
+   disabled once any Card signing set has been observed for that sender.
+
+## Non-goals
+
+- This rule does not specify how a sender rotates keys. See
+  [`../specs/ink-key-rotation-spec.md`](../specs/ink-key-rotation-spec.md).
+- This rule does not specify receipt / audit integrity under rotation;
+  see [`../specs/ink-auditability.md`](../specs/ink-auditability.md).
+- This rule does not specify identity proof. INK assumes the identity
+  system (AT Protocol, DID, etc.) provides senderId → Agent Card
+  resolution.

package/docs/logo.svg

@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 80 28" fill="none">
+  <!-- INK wordmark: pen nib IS the "I", then path-based "nk" — dark variant -->
+  <path d="M10 1 L16 9 L16 16 L13.5 23 L12.5 23 L11.5 17 L10 14.5 L8.5 17 L7.5 23 L6.5 23 L4 16 L4 9 Z"
+        fill="#c4b5fd" />
+  <circle cx="10" cy="7.5" r="1.5" fill="#121220" />
+  <path d="M24 9.5 L24 23 L27.5 23 L27.5 14.5 C27.5 12 29.5 10.5 32 10.5 C34 10.5 35.5 12 35.5 14 L35.5 23 L39 23 L39 13.5 C39 10 36.5 8 33 8 C30.5 8 28.5 9 27.5 10.5 L27.5 9.5 Z" fill="#c4b5fd" />
+  <path d="M45 1 L45 23 L48.5 23 L48.5 16 L51 14 L57.5 23 L62 23 L54 13 L60 5 L56 5 L48.5 14 L48.5 1 Z" fill="#c4b5fd" />
+</svg>