@slicedearth/whoisleuth-cli 1.34.0 → 1.39.1

package/docs/cli.md

@@ -1,17 +1,11 @@
-# WHOISleuth CLI
+# WHOISleuth CLI guide
 
-The first-party command-line interface runs the same local classification and
-lookup modules as the Express and serverless adapters. It does not call the
-hosted WHOISleuth deployment.
-
-`whoisleuth --help` displays the copyright, AGPL-3.0-only licence, and official
-source location. It groups commands by investigation, discovery, saved-evidence,
-integrity, and calibration workflows. `whoisleuth <command> --help` displays the
-command's purpose, focused invocation, example, and collection boundary without
-printing the full command list. `whoisleuth commands --json` exposes those same
-contracts as a stable local catalogue for wrappers and terminal tooling.
-Packaged copies include `LICENSE`, `NOTICE`, and
-`TRADEMARKS.md` alongside the CLI documentation.
+The first-party CLI runs locally and uses the same bounded classification,
+collection, and analysis modules as the web application. It does not call the
+hosted WHOISleuth deployment. Use this guide for installation, first commands,
+collection boundaries, output, and automation behaviour. The
+[complete CLI reference](cli-reference.md) documents every command family and
+artefact contract.
 
 ## Installation
 
@@ -24,866 +18,249 @@ npm install --global --ignore-scripts @slicedearth/whoisleuth-cli
 whoisleuth doctor
 ```
 
-Update and verify an existing global installation with:
+Update and verify an existing installation with:
 
 ```bash
 npm install --global --ignore-scripts @slicedearth/whoisleuth-cli@latest
 whoisleuth --version
+whoisleuth doctor
 ```
 
-The scoped package and application share one semantic version. The package runs
-locally and does not call the hosted WHOISleuth deployment. Networked commands
-contact only the sources described by their collection profile; offline review,
-comparison, verification, completion, and manual commands remain local.
+The scoped package and application share one semantic version. The package
+includes `LICENSE`, `NOTICE`, `TRADEMARKS.md`, this guide, and the complete
+reference. It requires no lifecycle scripts, so the examples disable them.
+An unqualified `npx whoisleuth` is not this project.
 
-## Commands
+From a repository checkout, replace `whoisleuth` with
+`node bin/whoisleuth.mts`. Maintainers can assemble, install, and smoke-test the
+exact compiled package closure without publishing it:
 
 ```bash
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts lookup example.com
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts lookup AS13335 --json
-printf 'example.com\n' | node bin/whoisleuth.mts lookup --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts lookup example.com --deep
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts lookup example.com --deep --plan --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts lookup example.com --deep --summary
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts lookup example.com --deep --verbose
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts lookup example.com --deep --markdown --output lookup.md
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts lookup example.com --deep --json --strict-exit --events
-cat domains.txt | node bin/whoisleuth.mts bulk --jsonl
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts bulk domains.txt --csv --registered-only
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts bulk domains.txt --domains --inconclusive-only
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts bulk domains.txt --queries --errors-only
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts bulk domains.txt --concurrency 4
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts bulk domains.txt --deep --checkpoint bulk-checkpoint.json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts bulk domains.txt --deep --checkpoint bulk-checkpoint.json --resume
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts ct-search 'example brand' --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts discover example.com --preset common --jsonl
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts discover example.test --dictionary private-terms.txt --snapshot discovery-state.json --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts discover-scan example.test --scan-limit 50 --checkpoint candidate-scan.json --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts discover-scan example.test --deep --scan-limit 20 --resolver 192.0.2.53 --observation-snapshot observed-candidates.json --csv
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts posture example.com --selectors selector1 --retired-selectors selector0 --mail-profile defensive-no-mail --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts http example.com --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts tls example.com --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts registry-support example.uk --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts risk-calibrate calibration.json --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts verify-artifact workspace.json --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts verify-artifact lookup.json --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts verify-artifact workspace-encrypted.json --passphrase-file passphrase.txt --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts source-report lookup.json --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts inspect-archive workspace.json --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts inspect-archive workspace.json --search example.invalid --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts sign-artifact response-packet.json --private-key-file analyst-private.pem > response-packet.signed.json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts verify-signature response-packet.signed.json --public-key-file analyst-public.pem
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts lookup example.com --deep --json > lookup.json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts compare lookup.json --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts page-compare official.json candidate.json --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts mail-review bulk.json --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts diff first-lookup.json second-lookup.json --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts timeline first-observation.json second-observation.json latest-observation.json --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts export lookup.json > evidence.json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts export lookup.json --markdown > evidence.md
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts export lookup.json --html > evidence.html
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts doctor
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts doctor --network --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts commands --json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts completion zsh
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts completion powershell
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts manual | man -l -
+npm run cli:package:check
 ```
 
-These examples run from a checked-out repository; replace
-`node bin/whoisleuth.mts` with `whoisleuth` after installation. The root
-application package remains private. A separate scoped CLI archive is assembled
-from the exact executable dependency closure, installed in a temporary
-directory, and smoke tested with:
+## First commands
+
+Inspect the installed capabilities before collection:
 
 ```bash
-npm run cli:package:check
+whoisleuth --help
+whoisleuth commands
+whoisleuth doctor
+whoisleuth lookup example.com --plan --json
+```
+
+Run a fast lookup or deliberately request the deeper profile:
+
+```bash
+whoisleuth lookup example.com
+whoisleuth lookup example.com --deep
+whoisleuth lookup example.com --deep --summary
+whoisleuth lookup example.com --deep --markdown --output lookup.md
 ```
 
-The check includes only the executable, reachable TypeScript modules, CLI
-guide, licence, notices, and trademark terms. It excludes application routes,
-deployment adapters, tests, and development tools. Direct runtime dependencies
-are pinned to the exact versions exercised by the reviewed repository lockfile.
-The package and its dependencies require no lifecycle scripts, so the install
-examples disable them explicitly.
-Its generated manifest stays private. Release-candidate assembly is a separate
-explicit operation and never publishes from a developer checkout. Use the
-scoped package name; an unqualified `npx whoisleuth` is not this project.
-
-Lookup defaults to the conservative fast profile. `--deep` must be requested
-explicitly and can add bounded WHOIS, DNS, website, TLS, registrar RDAP, and
-observed-network IP RDAP work for a domain. The browser Console's optional
-security.txt and external intelligence selections are not CLI flags; the CLI
-does not run those actions implicitly.
-
-For a directly entered public IP address, `lookup --deep` can also run one
-bounded reverse-DNS query. Terminal output shows the explicit source state and
-up to five normalized PTR names; JSON retains up to eight. PTR names are
-operator-published routing context, not proof of hosting control or ownership.
-Fast lookups do not run this query.
-
-`lookup --plan` performs classification and prints a versioned preflight without
-starting collection. It lists the normalized target, selected fast or deep
-mode, planned source families, conditional operations, and the data each family
-may receive. The plan cannot predict live feature configuration, cache state,
-redirects, referrals, source availability, or an exact request count. It can be
-combined with `--json`, but not with report, detail, strict-exit, progress-event,
-or quiet options.
-
-Only one query is accepted by `lookup`. Multiple-input processing belongs to
-the explicit `bulk` command rather than being silently inferred by `lookup`.
-Standard input is capped at 4 KiB and must contain one non-empty line.
-
-`registry-support` is an offline catalogue view. It accepts one domain, bare
-suffix, or leading-dot suffix as an argument or on stdin and makes no network
-request. Its output is described below.
-
-`doctor` is offline by default. It checks the Node runtime, platform, terminal
-capabilities, and availability of offline command families. `doctor --network`
-adds independent bounded public-DNS, HTTPS/RDAP bootstrap, and WHOIS port 43
-checks against fixed IANA diagnostic infrastructure. The three probes run
-within the same per-probe ceiling so one stalled transport does not block the
-others. The report retains only state, HTTP status, and a bounded explanation,
-not resolved addresses or response content. A failed optional network check
-returns the partial-failure exit code rather than claiming that all CLI
-collection is unavailable.
-
-`completion bash`, `completion zsh`, `completion fish`, and `completion
-powershell` print static shell completion scripts to stdout. The command does
-not edit a shell profile or make a network request. Review the generated script
-before sourcing it or placing it in the relevant shell completion directory.
-`manual` prints a generated roff manual page and likewise changes no local
-configuration.
-
-`commands` prints the installed command catalogue without running collection or
-reading evidence. `commands --json` emits version 1 of the
-`whoisleuth.cli.command-catalogue` schema, including each command's usage,
-example, declared collection mode, collection scope, and boundary. This is the
-supported discovery contract for local wrappers; it is not a permission grant
-or a substitute for focused help.
-
-Focused command help and the generated manual classify every operation as
-offline or networked and state the relevant target, input, and concurrency
-ceiling. These labels describe observable behavior rather than granting
-authorization. The packaged `DISCLOSURE` defines the intended defensive scope;
-operators remain responsible for law, provider terms, and authorization.
-
-## Deployment boundary
-
-The CLI runs locally. The serverless deployment publishes only `frontend/build`
-and packages functions only from `netlify/functions`, so `bin/` and `cli/` are
-not part of the hosted static site or function bundle. The application root and
-ordinary package-check candidate remain private. Explicitly reviewed CLI
-release candidates can be published under the scoped public package described
-in the installation section.
-
-Commands that query RDAP, WHOIS, DNS, HTTP, TLS, or Certificate Transparency do
-so directly from the machine running the CLI. They do not use the hosted login,
-hosted session, or deployment usage controls; upstream providers can see and
-rate-limit the local machine's network address. Offline `discover`, `compare`,
-`page-compare`, `mail-review`, `diff`, `timeline`, `risk-calibrate`, `verify-artifact`, `source-report`, `export`,
-`commands`, `completion`, and `manual` operations make no network requests. Commands write
-to stdout unless the analyst deliberately selects a local output file.
-
-## Output
-
-Human-readable terminal output is the default. On an interactive terminal it
-uses restrained semantic colour, groups Lookup evidence by purpose, wraps
-prose to the detected terminal width, and shows transient progress on stderr
-for slower collection. State remains explicit in text, so colour is never the
-only distinction. Redirected terminal output, JSON, and JSONL contain no ANSI
-sequences or progress text. `--no-color` and a non-empty conventional
-`NO_COLOR` environment variable disable colour; `WHOISLEUTH_NO_PROGRESS=1`
-disables the transient indicator. Command examples remain one copyable line
-even when prose is wrapped for a narrow terminal.
-
-Every command accepts `--output <file>` as a safer alternative to shell
-redirection. WHOISleuth buffers bounded output, creates a private temporary file
-beside the destination, syncs it, and publishes it atomically with mode `0600`.
-An existing destination is refused. `--force` is valid only with `--output` and
-allows an intentional atomic replacement. A failed or cancelled command does
-not publish a partial output file. Output is capped at 32 MiB.
-
-`lookup --markdown` and `lookup --html` build the existing normalized evidence
-report directly after one completed domain lookup. They do not start a second
-collection. These report formats reject IP and ASN inputs before collection;
-JSON and terminal output remain available for those query types.
-
-Lookup terminal output supports three detail levels. The standard view keeps
-the normal bounded evidence summary. `--summary` keeps the source states and
-key findings while omitting endpoints and supporting detail. `--verbose` adds
-the document generation time and the existing bounded per-source collection
-timings. These switches are presentation-only and cannot be combined with
-`--json`; they do not change collection or the result document.
-
-`--json` writes one versioned document to standard output:
-
-```json
-{
-  "schema": "whoisleuth.cli.lookup",
-  "version": 1,
-  "generatedAt": "2026-07-14T00:00:00.000Z",
-  "mode": "fast",
-  "query": "example.com",
-  "type": "domain"
-}
+Process an explicit bounded list, generate lookalike candidates, or inspect a
+saved result without sending it anywhere:
+
+```bash
+whoisleuth bulk domains.txt --csv
+whoisleuth discover example.com --preset common --jsonl
+whoisleuth verify-artifact lookup.json --json
+whoisleuth compare lookup.json --json
+```
+
+Only one query is accepted by `lookup`; multi-input processing belongs to
+`bulk`. Standard input to `lookup` is capped at 4 KiB and must contain one
+non-empty line.
+
+## Collection profiles
+
+Commands are classified as either networked or offline in focused help, the
+generated manual, and `commands --json`.
+
+| Profile | Boundary |
+| --- | --- |
+| Fast Lookup | Conservative default for domain triage. It does not run WHOIS or deep website and TLS collection. |
+| Deep Lookup | Explicitly requested bounded RDAP, WHOIS, DNS, website, TLS, registrar-RDAP, and observed-network work where applicable. |
+| Compact deep Bulk | Uses the shared Lookup orchestration but omits full-only response fields and collectors. |
+| Offline review | Reads only the named bounded artefact or analyst-authored input and makes no network request. |
+
+Networked commands run from the local machine and contact the sources declared
+by their profile. They do not use the hosted login or hosted usage controls;
+upstream services can see and rate-limit the local network address. The CLI
+does not implicitly enable the browser Console's optional external intelligence
+actions.
+
+`lookup --plan` performs classification and emits a versioned preflight without
+starting collection. It lists planned source families and disclosure targets,
+but cannot predict cache state, live configuration, redirects, referrals,
+source availability, or exact request count.
+
+`doctor` is offline by default. `doctor --network` adds three independent,
+bounded checks against fixed diagnostic infrastructure and retains only state,
+HTTP status, and a bounded explanation.
+
+## Command map
+
+| Goal | Commands |
+| --- | --- |
+| Investigate a target | `lookup`, `http`, `tls`, `posture`, `registry-support` |
+| Review many targets | `bulk`, `discover`, `discover-scan`, `ct-search` |
+| Compare saved evidence | `compare`, `page-compare`, `diff`, `reconcile`, `timeline`, `mail-review` |
+| Review supplied evidence | `review-evidence`, `registry-doctor`, `source-report`, `sharing-review` |
+| Plan and assure changes | `domain-control`, `assurance`, `workflow-plan` |
+| Verify and package evidence | `verify-artifact`, `inspect-archive`, `sign-artifact`, `verify-signature`, `export` |
+| Calibrate offline | `risk-calibrate`, `lookalike-calibrate` |
+| Operate the CLI | `doctor`, `commands`, `completion`, `manual` |
+
+Use focused help for the exact arguments and collection ceiling:
+
+```bash
+whoisleuth lookup --help
+whoisleuth sharing-review --help
+whoisleuth commands --json
+whoisleuth manual | man -l -
 ```
 
-The complete document also carries the normalized `rdap`, `whois`,
-`availability`, and `diagnostics` sections returned by the shared lookup
-orchestrator. Machine output goes to stdout. Usage and lookup errors go to
-stderr, so redirected JSON is not mixed with diagnostics.
-
-Human-readable domain lookup output separately shows the registrar RDAP status
-and endpoint whenever the shared lookup diagnostics represent that follow-up.
-Deep mode may report success, unsupported, not found, or an explicit failure;
-fast mode reports the existing skipped state. IP, ASN, and lookup responses
-without registrar diagnostics remain unchanged. These source states are
-provenance only and do not decide availability or imply safety.
-
-When a deep domain response includes registry interpretation version 1, the
-terminal summary also shows the lifecycle label, separately attributed RDAP and
-WHOIS disclosure states, reconciliation state, and complete, partial, and
-unavailable publication counts. It does not print published contact routes.
-The JSON document retains the bounded interpretation and its limitations.
-
-A deep domain lookup can also show the status, selected public address, and
-registered network name from the bounded observed network context. It uses the
-same address and IP RDAP source represented in the JSON document. This is
-point-in-time edge or network-registration context, not proof of the origin
-host, hosting control, ownership, intent, or maliciousness. Fast and compact
-commands do not run the enrichment.
-
-The deep terminal summary also reports the website activity state, page title,
-DNS, HTTP, and TLS source states, bounded publisher-declared structured
-identity entities, up to six bounded technology indicators, a browser-library
-profile count, and the four passive security-posture counts.
-These are concise projections of the same evidence already present in the
-lookup response. The browser-library line counts apparent components and
-catalogue advisory matches without retaining script references or raw
-signatures. These summaries make no extra request, omit raw evidence
-descriptions, and do not turn a technology or advisory match, or a missing
-posture signal, into proof of exploitability, hosting control, ownership, or
-maliciousness. Use `--json` when the full bounded evidence, limitations, and
-source diagnostics are required.
-
-`lookup --strict-exit` is an opt-in automation policy. It still emits the
-ordinary complete output document, but returns exit code 4 when a requested
-diagnostic source is partial, unavailable, rate-limited, timed out, or failed.
-The default exit contract remains unchanged, so inconclusive source health does
-not silently break existing scripts.
-
-`lookup --events` and `bulk --events` write versioned
-`whoisleuth.cli.progress` version 1 JSONL lifecycle events to stderr while the
-ordinary final result stays on stdout. Events contain only the command,
-sequence, time, source state or Bulk item index, categorical failure reasons,
-and final exit status. They do not contain a target, query, endpoint, file
-path, error detail, or evidence value. Human progress and error text are
-suppressed while events are active. `--events` cannot be combined with
-`--output`, because the final event must describe the same completed stdout
-delivery observed by the caller.
-
-Pressing Ctrl-C asks an in-flight Lookup or Bulk run to stop, suppresses any
-partial final result, flushes an enabled Bulk checkpoint, and exits with code
-130. Already started network operations remain subject to their existing hard
-timeouts while the shared in-process API unwinds; the executable terminates
-after CLI cleanup. A second Ctrl-C removes any known unpublished temporary
-output file on a best-effort basis before exiting immediately.
-
-Bulk can persist compact progress with `--checkpoint <file>`. A new checkpoint
-is private, bounded to 16 MiB, versioned, and tied to the exact ordered input
-and scan mode by SHA-256. It stores only compact per-item results, never full
-Lookup responses. Reusing the same path is refused unless `--resume` is also
-specified. Resume revalidates the complete untrusted document and skips only
-the exact completed rows; changed input, mode, schema, digest, or malformed
-results fail closed.
-
-If checkpoint persistence fails after collection, WHOISleuth still emits the
-completed final result, reports the checkpoint limitation, and exits with code
-4. The last successfully published checkpoint remains available, but it may
-not contain the final completed items.
-
-`diff <left.json> <right.json>` compares two different saved domain Lookup
-documents entirely offline. It reuses the bounded Bulk comparison model for
-registration, DNS, page identity, mail, certificate, and relationship fields,
-keeps missing and unavailable evidence distinct, and makes no ownership or
-maliciousness inference. The output records both original observation times.
-
-`timeline <observation.json> <observation.json> [...]` accepts from 2 to 20
-saved Lookup documents for one domain, orders them by their validated
-observation times, and compares each adjacent pair offline. The 32 MiB aggregate
-input ceiling is enforced while files are read and again by the timeline
-builder. Output retains normalized field states and observation times but no
-input filenames or raw registry payloads. A difference can reflect a domain
-change or changed collection conditions, so the command makes no current-state,
-ownership, intent, safety, or maliciousness conclusion.
-
-When diagnostics version 5, 6, 7, or 8 reports a documented registry collection
-constraint, terminal output also shows the suffix, WHOIS and RDAP access
-profiles, and the bounded limitation. This is static access-policy context: it
-does not make another request, and restricted, unpublished, or unavailable
-machine access is not evidence that a domain is unregistered or safe.
+## Output and automation
+
+Human-readable terminal output is the default. Interactive terminals use
+restrained semantic colour and transient progress on stderr. Redirected output,
+JSON, and JSONL contain no ANSI sequences or progress text. State remains
+explicit in text, so colour is never the only distinction.
+
+- `--json` and `--jsonl` provide bounded machine-readable documents.
+- `--summary` and `--verbose` change human detail without changing collection.
+- `--no-color` or `NO_COLOR` disables colour.
+- `WHOISLEUTH_NO_PROGRESS=1` disables the transient progress indicator.
+- `--events` keeps the final document on stdout and writes versioned JSONL
+  lifecycle events to stderr.
+- `--strict-exit` treats failures in explicitly requested source families as a
+  partial failure while keeping skipped or unsupported sources neutral.
+
+Every command accepts `--output <file>`. WHOISleuth buffers bounded output,
+creates a private temporary file beside the destination, syncs it, and publishes
+it atomically with mode `0600`. Existing destinations are refused unless
+`--force` is deliberately combined with `--output`. Failed or cancelled
+commands do not publish partial files. Output is capped at 32 MiB.
 
 ## Exit codes
 
 | Code | Meaning |
 | ---: | --- |
-| 0 | Command completed. Individual sources may still be partial or inconclusive; inspect diagnostics. |
+| 0 | Command completed. Individual sources can still be partial or inconclusive; inspect diagnostics. |
 | 2 | Invalid command, option, input, or stdin shape. |
-| 3 | The requested lookup, collection, or comparison operation could not run. |
-| 4 | A bounded operation completed partially, such as Bulk item failures or failed explicit Doctor network checks. |
+| 3 | The requested lookup, collection, or comparison could not run. |
+| 4 | A bounded operation completed partially. |
 | 70 | Unexpected CLI bootstrap failure. |
-| 130 | The analyst cancelled the command. No partial final result was emitted. |
-
-This release supports `lookup`, `bulk`, `ct-search`, `discover`, `discover-scan`, `posture`,
-`http`, `tls`, `registry-support`, `risk-calibrate`, `verify-artifact`,
-`inspect-archive`, `sign-artifact`, `verify-signature`, `source-report`,
-`compare`, `page-compare`, `mail-review`, `diff`, `timeline`, `export`, `doctor`, `commands`, `completion`, and `manual`. Additional command families
-are added as separate bounded increments rather than exposing incomplete
-aliases.
-
-## Registry capability coverage
-
-`registry-support` projects the embedded, versioned registry compatibility
-catalogue for one domain or suffix. It distinguishes an explicit
-fixture-backed or access-documented suffix profile from the generic IANA
-discovery profile and reports the RDAP and WHOIS discovery/access paths,
-WHOIS query and parser profiles, any bounded fallback, fixture scenarios,
-verification references, documentation references, and the catalogue's
-limitation. The same document includes a dated, official-source aggregate of
-generic, generic-restricted, sponsored, and infrastructure RDAP coverage. That
-snapshot is separate from the suffix profile and from live reachability.
-
-Terminal output is bounded and control-safe. `--json` emits version 2 of the
-`whoisleuth.cli.registry-support` schema. Unknown but syntactically valid
-suffixes retain the generic `discovery_only` profile; malformed input exits
-with code 2. The command never probes a registry or tests current reachability.
-Coverage is context only and cannot decide registration, availability,
-ownership, safety, or maliciousness.
-
-The separate maintenance command `npm run rdap-extensions:drift` compares the
-pinned official RDAP extension fixture with the reviewed local interpretation
-catalogue entirely offline. `--live` performs one bounded manual fetch from the
-fixed official CSV URL and reports added, removed, renamed, status-changed,
-unrecognized, and local-only identifiers. `--json` emits
-`whoisleuth.rdap-extension-drift-audit` version 1. Drift exits with status 1 and
-requires specification and fixture review; the command never enables an
-extension, changes authority or availability logic, or issues reverse search.
-
-`npm run service-dependencies:audit` validates the passive service-dependency
-catalogue entirely offline. It checks the catalogue digest, duplicate
-identifiers and target suffixes, evidence classes, source and licence
-treatment, source dates, and a fixed 180-day review age. `--json` emits
-`whoisleuth.service-dependency-signature-audit` version 1. A stale or changed
-signature requires manual provider and benign-fixture review; the command
-never resolves a target, checks an account, or tests claimability.
-
-## Offline Risk calibration
-
-`risk-calibrate` replays a versioned analyst-labelled fixture dataset through
-the exact Risk model shared with the web application. It does not perform a
-lookup, contact the hosted deployment, persist the dataset, alter model weights,
-choose a threshold, or tune the model automatically. The report compares fixed
-thresholds from 40 through 90 and identifies 70 as the current review band.
-
-Input is capped at 2 MiB and 500 records. Each record requires a unique bounded
-ID, an ASCII DNS hostname, one existing analyst disposition, and a strict
-whitelist of current scoring inputs. Unknown fields are discarded; arrays,
-strings, ages, booleans, provider records, and external findings are revalidated
-and bounded before scoring. The accepted dataset envelope is:
-
-```json
-{
-  "schema": "whoisleuth.risk-calibration-dataset",
-  "version": 1,
-  "records": [
-    {
-      "id": "fixture-1",
-      "domain": "login.example.test",
-      "analystDisposition": "confirmed_abuse",
-      "evidence": {
-        "availability": "registered",
-        "mutationTypes": ["dictionary"],
-        "hasPasswordField": true
-      }
-    }
-  ]
-}
-```
+| 130 | The analyst cancelled the command; no partial final result was emitted. |
 
-`confirmed_abuse` is treated as a positive calibration label; `false_positive`
-and `expected` are negative labels. `unreviewed`, `suspicious`, and
-`closed_no_action` remain contextual and are excluded from threshold quality
-metrics, as are records for which Risk is not applicable. Terminal output caps
-its record list at 100 while `--json` retains the complete bounded report,
-factor breakdowns, score bands, and per-threshold confusion metrics. Analyst
-dispositions and heuristic scores are review context: neither proves
-maliciousness or safety.
-
-The authenticated Monitor workspace can deliberately create the accepted
-dataset from explicitly selected cases. Selection is available only when a case
-has a reviewed disposition and retained normalized evidence. That local export
-contains the case ID, domain, disposition, and a bounded whitelist of current
-scoring inputs. It excludes notes, tags, assertions, actions, contacts, raw
-source data, provider payloads, and stored Risk scores. Before download, a local
-review step shows the selected, included, and excluded counts, the domains and
-dispositions that will be written, and the excluded evidence classes. The CLI
-still validates every exported record and never trains, tunes, or changes the
-Risk model.
-
-## Offline artifact verification
-
-`verify-artifact` validates a supported local artifact without printing its
-evidence contents. Input is capped at 15 MiB. It currently recognises ordinary
-and encrypted workspace archives, case-response packets, acquisition-decision
-exports, domain-comparison exports, Bulk mail-exposure exports, and Bulk review
-manifests. It also validates the bounded versioned structure of saved CLI
-Lookup JSON. Because saved Lookup documents do not embed a checksum or
-signature, that result is reported as `structure_valid` with content integrity
-explicitly unchecked. Saved Lookup validation retains its stricter 8 MiB
-document ceiling.
-
-For an ordinary workspace archive, the command validates the versioned
-structure, section byte counts, record counts, and per-section checksums. For a
-supported signed review artifact, it validates the declared SHA-256 digest. An
-encrypted archive without `--passphrase-file` can establish only that the
-envelope is structurally valid; it reports `envelope_valid` and explicitly
-leaves authenticated encryption and inner checksums unchecked.
-
-Supplying a separate passphrase file, capped at 1 KiB, allows authenticated
-decryption followed by the ordinary workspace checks. The passphrase is never
-accepted as a command-line value, printed, or retained. Verification detects
-changes against the artifact's declared contract; it does not authenticate the
-analyst or establish that an observation was accurate or remains current.
-
-## Privacy-safe source reliability report
-
-`source-report` summarises source states, durations, truncation, and rate-limit
-counts from one version-1 CLI Lookup, Bulk, or Bulk-item document, a JSON array
-of up to 100 such documents, or an array containing only previously generated
-source-reliability reports. Lookup documents and reports cannot be mixed.
-Merged reports preserve exact state and sample totals and add bounded ranges
-for each input report's median and p95 duration, a bounded source timeline,
-fast/deep/unknown cohorts, and the earliest and latest valid report generation
-times. Exact duplicate reports are rejected so one saved report is not
-accidentally counted twice. Per-source failure, partial, truncation, and
-rate-limit rates remain separate. The command does not pretend that aggregate
-timing distributions can reconstruct the original target-level samples. Input
-is capped at 12 MiB and traversal, source, duration, and output counts are
-bounded.
-
-The report retains only fixed source identifiers and aggregate operational
-counts. It does not output targets, queries, endpoints, source limitations, raw
-evidence, or provider payloads. Observation-envelope duration and the
-potentially overlapping Lookup timing are reported separately and never added
-together. It is a local engineering diagnostic, not analytics, a source-quality
-score, or evidence that a collector is currently healthy.
-
-## Workspace archive inspection
-
-`inspect-archive` verifies an ordinary or encrypted workspace archive and then
-reports its versioned sections, counts, byte sizes, and checksum states without
-printing stored records. An encrypted archive requires
-`--passphrase-file`; passphrases are never accepted on the command line.
-
-An optional `--search` is exact and case-insensitive across a fixed allowlist
-of target fields. Default matches disclose only the section, field name, and a
-SHA-256 digest. `--reveal` must be selected explicitly to print the matched
-value. Notes, contacts, raw evidence, arbitrary object fields, and partial text
-search are excluded. Unicode domain searches are canonicalized to their
-DNS-safe ASCII form before exact comparison. `--require-match` makes a
-no-match result fail for automation and is valid only with `--search`.
-Traversal, input size, matches, depth, arrays, and strings are bounded.
-
-## Optional evidence-package signing
-
-`sign-artifact` signs a locally verified case-response packet or supported
-review manifest with an externally managed Ed25519 private key:
+## Detailed command reference
 
-```bash
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts sign-artifact packet.json --private-key-file analyst-private.pem > packet.signed.json
-node bin/whoisleuth.mts verify-signature packet.signed.json --public-key-file analyst-public.pem
-```
+The headings below preserve the established guide anchors while moving their
+full contracts into the packaged reference.
 
-The signed package embeds the public key, key identifier, signature time, and
-original artifact. Verification first checks the exact package field set and
-signature, then the artifact's own checksums or manifest. A result is reported
-as `signature_valid`; signer trust is separately reported as `trusted_key` or
-`embedded_key_only`. Without a separately supplied trusted public key,
-verification establishes only that the package is internally self-consistent.
-WHOISleuth does not generate, store, recover, rotate, publish, or establish
-trust in signing keys.
-
-## Bulk lookup
-
-`bulk` accepts a newline-delimited file or stdin. It preserves input order,
-removes case-insensitive duplicates, and returns a result for every retained
-query. Input is capped at 1 MiB. Fast mode is capped at 500 queries with four
-workers by default. Deep mode is capped at 50 queries with two workers by
-default. Explicit concurrency cannot exceed eight in fast mode or three in
-deep mode.
-
-Bulk uses the shared compact lookup response, so it does not retain raw RDAP
-objects or WHOIS response bodies. `--json` returns one bounded collection;
-`--jsonl` emits one self-contained versioned item per line. `--domains` emits
-only successfully normalized domain names, while `--queries` preserves the
-selected bounded input queries and is suitable for an exact retry queue.
-Version 2 adds a
-bounded `dnsSummary` projection for observed A, AAAA, NS, and MX records plus
-null MX, SPF, and DMARC state. `--csv` writes fixed columns for automation,
-including the DNS summaries and explicit outcome.
-
-`--registered-only`, `--inconclusive-only`, and `--errors-only` are mutually
-exclusive output filters. The first retains registered, for-sale, and expiring
-authority-aware states. The second retains unknown authority states and failed
-rows. The third retains only rows whose lookup operation failed, which is useful
-for producing an exact retry queue without treating an inconclusive successful
-lookup as an operational error. Filtering does not change collection and never
-converts an unavailable or failed source into an unregistered result. Machine
-documents record collected and emitted counts. A mixture of successful and
-failed queries exits with code 4 while preserving every collected result before
-output filtering. For example, `bulk domains.txt --queries --errors-only`
-produces only the exact failed inputs while retaining the partial-failure exit.
-
-## Certificate Transparency search
-
-`ct-search` accepts one keyword as an argument or on stdin and calls the same
-bounded Certificate Transparency module as the web application. It contacts
-the upstream public log search service directly from the local machine; it
-does not call the hosted WHOISleuth deployment. Quote a multi-word keyword so
-the shell passes it as one argument.
-
-Terminal output summarizes certificate rows, observed hostnames, canonical
-registrable-domain matches, observation times, and completeness. It shows at
-most 100 matches and five hostnames per match, with explicit omission notes.
-`--json` returns the complete bounded structured result in the versioned
-`whoisleuth.cli.ct-search` schema. CT observations do not prove that a website
-is active or malicious.
-
-## Lookalike discovery
-
-`discover` runs the same pure, bounded lookalike generator as the Discover
-tool without making network requests. It accepts a brand label or a
-domain with one suffix label. The default TLD set is `com,net,org`; replace it
-with `--tlds com,net` when narrower coverage is wanted.
-
-Generation presets are `common`, `impersonation`, and `all` (the default).
-Keyboard-aware mutations support `qwerty` (the default), `azerty`, and
-`qwertz`; `--keyboard all` uses their bounded combined neighbour set, including
-adjacent number-row keys. Supply a UTF-8 text file with
-`--dictionary terms.txt` to add up to 100 local terms when
-using the `impersonation` or `all` preset. Dictionary input is capped at 4,096
-bytes and individual terms at 32 characters. Machine output records accepted
-and rejected term counts but never copies the private terms into its metadata.
-
-Use `--families <ids>` instead of `--preset` to run an exact comma-separated
-selection. Supported IDs are `character_addition`, `character_omission`,
-`character_duplication`, `character_transposition`, `pluralization`,
-`tld_embedding`, `www_prefix`, `hyphenation`, `separator_omission`,
-`word_reordering`, `keyboard_substitution`, `keyboard_insertion`, `vowel_swap`,
-`bitsquatting`, `ascii_homoglyph`, `unicode_homoglyph`,
-`unicode_whole_label`, `unicode_homoglyph_depth_2`, `dictionary`,
-`dictionary_token_replacement`, `tld_typo`, and `tld_substitution`. Machine
-output records the normalized custom selection. A custom dictionary file
-requires `dictionary` or `dictionary_token_replacement` in that selection.
-
-`--domains` writes the unique candidate names only. `--snapshot <file>` keeps
-one private, versioned local observation of the normalized seed, generation
-configuration, custom-dictionary digest, and candidate set. The first run
-creates the snapshot; later runs report added and removed candidates before
-atomically replacing it. The snapshot never stores private dictionary terms.
-Use the same command from a local scheduler such as cron or a system timer to
-perform repeatable discovery runs. WHOISleuth does not install a scheduler,
-run a background daemon, or infer that an added candidate is registered,
-active, available, or malicious.
-
-Dotted subdomain permutations are intentionally excluded because the lookup
-pipeline validates a hostname's registrable parent. The CLI does not present
-authoritative parent registration evidence as proof that a generated hostname
-exists.
-
-Terminal output is capped at 200 candidates with an explicit notice. Versioned
-JSON and JSONL use `whoisleuth.cli.discover` schema version 2 and retain the
-complete bounded candidate set and mutation provenance. Internationalised
-candidates show the DNS-safe ASCII form and readable Unicode form together in
-terminal output. The Impersonation and All presets can add up to six
-deterministic whole-label Unicode candidates when every letter has a reviewed
-same-script replacement. The command generates candidates only. It does not
-claim that a domain is registered, active, or malicious.
-
-`unicode_homoglyph_depth_2` is an explicit `--families` option and is never
-enabled by a preset. It replaces exactly two ASCII letters with characters
-from the same reviewed script, ranks curated mappings first, and returns at
-most 256 candidates. JSON and terminal output report generated candidates,
-cross-script or invalid combinations omitted by policy, and lower-ranked
-label variants omitted by the family or overall generation budget.
-
-## Supervised candidate scan
-
-`discover-scan` composes the same bounded generator with the compact Lookup
-collector. Unlike `discover`, it is an explicitly networked command. It selects
-the first deterministic candidates up to `--scan-limit`, processes fixed
-chunks sequentially, and retains each registration and DNS source state. Fast
-mode is the default and accepts at most 500 candidates. Explicit `--deep` mode
-is capped at 50 candidates and concurrency 3 because it can add WHOIS, DNS,
-HTTP, TLS, page, and technology work for every selected candidate.
-
-Use `--chunk-size 1-100`, `--concurrency 1-8`, and the existing private
-`--checkpoint <file> [--resume]` boundary to control a run. The checkpoint is
-tied to the exact ordered candidate set and scan mode. A new generation order,
-limit, or mode requires another checkpoint. `--resolver` accepts at most three
-literal IPv4 or IPv6 recursive-resolver addresses and applies them only to DNS
-observations in this local run. Resolver hostnames and automatic third-party
-resolver selection are not supported. The selected resolvers can observe the
-queried candidates and may apply their own logging and retention policies.
-
-An optional newline-delimited `--allowlist` accepts at most 500 domains and 64
-KiB. Matching candidates remain in evidence and are labelled `suppressed` in
-the review queue; the full list and unmatched entries are not copied into
-output, while each matching scanned candidate necessarily exposes that match.
-Allowlisting never deletes a result or asserts that it is safe. Output filters
-select registered, inconclusive, acquisition-review, or
-suppressed rows without changing whole-run counts or source health. JSON,
-JSONL, CSV, and domain-list forms retain mutation provenance and explicit
-review lanes. The queue provides next manual actions, not automatic lookup,
-acquisition, blocking, submission, or enforcement.
-
-Deep compact results can group exact shared addresses, nameservers, and mail
-servers observed across at least two candidates. These bounded relationships
-are pivot leads only. Common hosting, delivery, registrar, and mail services
-can produce the same relationship without common ownership or control.
-
-`--observation-snapshot <file>` keeps a private versioned local projection of
-registration state, confidence, and bounded A, AAAA, NS, MX, null-MX, SPF, and
-DMARC summaries for the exact candidate set, mode, and resolver selection.
-Version 2 records registration and DNS observation times and latest component
-states separately; version 1 is read and normalized on the next write. A later
-identical run reports material field changes only for components collected
-with enough completeness to support the comparison. If registration or DNS is
-partial or unavailable, the prior usable evidence for that component is
-preserved and the attempt is reported as unavailable rather than converting
-missing data into a removal. Raw registry
-records, contacts, page content, and request details are excluded. Snapshot
-differences are review prompts, not proof of ownership, control, intent,
-safety, or maliciousness.
-
-## Domain posture audit
-
-`posture` runs the standard-profile form of the owned-domain DNS and
-email-security audit used by Brand Profiles. It queries registry status and
-DNSSEC evidence, nameserver delegation, SPF, DMARC, MX, CAA, MTA-STS, TLS-RPT,
-and BIMI directly from the local machine. Literal SPF include and redirect
-branches are expanded within fixed depth, policy-query, DNS-term, void-answer,
-cycle, and time bounds. External DMARC reporting authorization and external
-nameserver, mail, SPF, and reporting dependencies are separately reported.
-Supply up to ten known active and retired DKIM selectors in total with
-`--selectors selector1,selector2` and `--retired-selectors selector0`;
-selectors cannot be reliably discovered from DNS, so no-selector output
-reports DKIM as not checked. Use `--mail-profile standard`,
-`--mail-profile defensive-no-mail`, or `--mail-profile parked` to make the
-intended mail posture explicit rather than inferring it from DNS.
-
-Terminal output shows each pass, review, action, or informational result and
-caps displayed records at five per check with an explicit omission notice.
-Versioned JSON retains the complete bounded report, including SPF traversal,
-DMARC authorization, and dependency provenance. Warnings and dangers are
-findings rather than command failures; transient resolver or policy-fetch
-failures remain informational and should be retried before changing DNS.
-
-## HTTP intelligence
-
-`http` runs the same bounded safe homepage probe used by a deep lookup. It
-tries HTTPS before HTTP, follows only validated public-network redirects, caps
-each attempt at six seconds, and captures at most 300,000 response bytes for
-hashing and metadata. A non-success HTTP response still proves that a web
-service answered; failure of both schemes remains inconclusive rather than
-evidence that no website exists.
-
-The command reports normalized redirect, response, content, selected security-
-header, body-hash, completeness, and attempt provenance. Captured homepage text
-is never written to terminal or JSON output. Query strings are removed by the
-shared HTTP evidence normalizer, and terminal values are additionally bounded
-and control-safe.
-
-## TLS intelligence
-
-`tls` runs the same bounded one-connection TLS collector used by deep lookups.
-It resolves the hostname once through the public-address guard, validates every
-answer, connects directly to the first validated address on port 443, and keeps
-the original hostname for SNI and certificate identity checking. Resolution
-and handshake work share a five-second deadline.
-
-The report retains the negotiated protocol, ALPN and cipher, runtime trust and
-hostname checks, certificate validity, bounded subject and issuer names, SANs,
-SAN class counts, signature algorithm and OID, extended-key-usage purposes,
-classified Authority Information Access presence counts, SHA-256 certificate
-and public-key fingerprints, a bounded certificate chain, and neutral
-findings. AIA responder and issuer locations are classified as HTTP, HTTPS, or
-other and then discarded; they are not retained or followed. The collector
-stores no certificate bytes, session material, or application data and does
-not enumerate supported protocol or cipher suites.
-A failed collection is inconclusive rather than proof that no TLS service
-exists.
-
-## Registry-source comparison
-
-`compare` reads one version-1 `whoisleuth.cli.lookup` domain document from a
-file or stdin and emits a version-3 `whoisleuth.cli.compare` document. Its
-primary comparison reconciles normalized registry RDAP and WHOIS fields. When
-the saved deep lookup also represents the optional registrar RDAP follow-up,
-an additional sibling comparison reconciles the portable registry and
-registrar RDAP publication fields. The command does not repeat the lookup,
-contact the hosted deployment, or treat a conflict as a command failure. Use a
-deep lookup when multiple sources are wanted; a fast lookup deliberately
-records WHOIS as skipped, and comparison preserves that state as unavailable
-rather than misreporting RDAP-only publication.
-
-Input is capped at 8 MiB and must retain the lookup schema, mode, source
-diagnostics, and normalized parsed source sections. Per-value, list, and event
-bounds are revalidated because saved JSON is treated as untrusted input. A
-successful registrar source must include a normalized object and agree with
-its diagnostic status. Raw RDAP JSON, registrar contacts and source-specific
-handles, WHOIS response bodies, availability evidence, and unrelated lookup
-fields are not copied into the comparison result.
-
-When the saved Lookup contains valid version-5, version-6, or version-7, context-only
-registry-access diagnostics, version 3 retains their bounded suffix, access profiles, and
-limitation. Terminal output labels the same collection context explicitly.
-It explains source reachability only and cannot decide registration,
-availability, ownership, safety, or maliciousness. Older documents and saved
-lookups without that context do not gain a registry-access field.
-
-Terminal and versioned JSON output cover domain identity, registry object ID,
-registrar, registrar IANA ID, lifecycle dates, DNSSEC, statuses, and name
-servers. The shared comparison model normalizes harmless case, punctuation,
-ordering, and date-precision differences while distinguishing conflicts,
-one-source publication, redaction, incomplete sources, and unavailable
-sources. This is source reconciliation, not an availability, ownership, or
-maliciousness decision.
-
-## Static page comparison
-
-`page-compare <left.json> <right.json>` reads two different version-1 saved
-Deep domain Lookup documents and compares the already-retained static page
-identity, exact and perceptual favicon evidence, technology identifiers, TLS
-issuer label, and TLS public-key fingerprint. DOM structure is compared first
-by its exact bounded tag-sequence digest, then, when both captures provide it,
-by a parse5-tokenized structural SimHash. It makes no request and requires
-complete supported static page-identity observations on both sides.
-
-Each page component remains independent. Exact, similar, overlapping,
-different, unavailable, and partial evidence are not collapsed into a score.
-Matching components are investigative relationships rather than proof of
-copying, common ownership, control, intent, safety, or maliciousness. Static
-comparison does not execute JavaScript; use the optional local rendered
-capture package only when that additional active behavior is authorised.
-
-## Passive mail exposure review
-
-`mail-review [bulk.json|bulk.jsonl]` reads version-2 Bulk output locally and
-summarizes MX, null MX, SPF, DMARC, and mail-provider relationships. It keeps
-authenticated mail, authentication gaps, incomplete authentication evidence,
-no explicit MX, null MX, and incomplete DNS evidence as separate states.
-Shared-provider relationships are based only on the registrable domain of an
-observed MX hostname and do not establish shared ownership or control.
-
-The command makes no DNS or SMTP request and retains no source path. It does
-not test message acceptance, relay behavior, mailbox existence, catch-all
-behavior, SMTP banners, or whether a mail server is rogue, safe, or malicious.
-
-## Optional local rendered capture
-
-`packages/web-capture` is a private repo-local Playwright package, not part of
-the distributable core CLI or hosted application. It requires an explicit
-authorization flag and one new output directory:
+### Registry capability coverage
 
-```bash
-npm run capture:local -- https://example.test --output-dir ./capture-example --authorize-rendered-capture
-npm run capture:compare -- ./official/manifest.json ./candidate/manifest.json --json
-```
+[Read the complete registry capability reference.](cli-reference.md#registry-capability-coverage)
+
+### Offline Risk calibration
+
+[Read the calibration dataset and replay contract.](cli-reference.md#offline-risk-calibration)
+
+### Lookalike review-yield calibration
+
+[Read the reviewed candidate calibration contract.](cli-reference.md#lookalike-review-yield-calibration)
+
+### Offline artefact verification
+
+[Read the archive, saved Lookup, and signed-artefact verification contract.](cli-reference.md#offline-artefact-verification)
+
+### Privacy-safe source reliability report
+
+[Read the target-free source diagnostic contract.](cli-reference.md#privacy-safe-source-reliability-report)
+
+### Workspace archive inspection
+
+[Read the redacted archive summary and search contract.](cli-reference.md#workspace-archive-inspection)
+
+### Optional evidence-package signing
+
+[Read the local signing and verification contract.](cli-reference.md#optional-evidence-package-signing)
+
+### Bulk lookup
+
+[Read Bulk bounds, filters, formats, checkpoints, and cancellation behaviour.](cli-reference.md#bulk-lookup)
+
+### Certificate Transparency search
+
+[Read the CT query and source-limit contract.](cli-reference.md#certificate-transparency-search)
+
+### Lookalike discovery
+
+[Read candidate generation, dictionaries, snapshots, and output behaviour.](cli-reference.md#lookalike-discovery)
+
+### Supervised candidate scan
+
+[Read the bounded candidate collection workflow.](cli-reference.md#supervised-candidate-scan)
+
+### Domain posture audit
+
+[Read the DNS, mail, and certificate posture contract.](cli-reference.md#domain-posture-audit)
+
+### HTTP intelligence
+
+[Read the bounded HTTP collection contract.](cli-reference.md#http-intelligence)
+
+### TLS intelligence
+
+[Read the bounded TLS collection contract.](cli-reference.md#tls-intelligence)
+
+### Registry-source comparison
+
+[Read the normalised RDAP and WHOIS comparison contract.](cli-reference.md#registry-source-comparison)
+
+### Static page comparison
+
+[Read saved page-identity comparison behaviour.](cli-reference.md#static-page-comparison)
+
+### Passive mail exposure review
+
+[Read the saved-evidence mail review contract.](cli-reference.md#passive-mail-exposure-review)
+
+### Offline supplied-evidence review
+
+[Read the DNSSEC, DANE, and supplied-observation review contract.](cli-reference.md#offline-supplied-evidence-review)
+
+### Domain control manifests
+
+[Read desired-state manifest and drift-review behaviour.](cli-reference.md#domain-control-manifests)
+
+### Domain assurance review
+
+[Read planned-change, recovery-dependency, and retirement contracts.](cli-reference.md#domain-assurance-review)
+
+### Pre-sharing review
+
+[Read the local marking, scope, redaction, and integrity preflight.](cli-reference.md#pre-sharing-review)
+
+### Fixed investigation plans
+
+[Read the plan-only recipe contract and approval gates.](cli-reference.md#fixed-investigation-plans)
+
+### Optional local rendered capture
+
+[Read the separate Playwright capture package boundary.](cli-reference.md#optional-local-rendered-capture)
+
+### Lookup evidence export
+
+[Read normalised JSON, Markdown, and HTML export behaviour.](cli-reference.md#lookup-evidence-export)
+
+## Safety and limitations
 
-It writes a fixed 1024x768 PNG, screenshot SHA-256 and perceptual dHash, a DOM
-digest containing hashes and bounded element counts rather than markup or page
-text, and a version-2 `whoisleuth.web-capture-manifest` compatible with the
-Cases importer. Version-1 manifests remain importable.
-
-Rendered capture executes page JavaScript. It caps HTTP(S) requests and request
-hostnames, blocks downloads, service workers, WebSockets, non-read methods,
-credentials, non-default ports, and private or reserved addresses, and retains
-no request path, query, headers, bodies, cookies, credentials, DOM markup, or
-page text. The browser connection is not pinned to the address checked before
-each hostname's first request, so DNS rebinding remains a residual risk. Use a
-disposable network-restricted environment for untrusted targets.
-
-The separate offline comparison command accepts two selected version-2 local
-capture manifests. It first verifies each referenced screenshot and DOM digest
-against its declared size, SHA-256, screenshot dimensions, and perceptual hash;
-it also validates bounded source and limitation metadata and requires the DOM,
-manifest, and source collection times to agree. It then
-compares screenshot distance, exact rendered DOM and visible-text digests,
-bounded element counts, page identity, technologies, and request-domain sets.
-It does not recrawl either target, reveal the input paths, or collapse the
-independent components into a similarity or maliciousness score. A missing
-perceptual hash remains unavailable rather than becoming a visual difference.
-
-## Lookup evidence export
-
-`export` converts one version-1 `whoisleuth.cli.lookup` domain document from a
-file or stdin into the same versioned `whoisleuth.lookup-evidence` JSON package
-produced by the web Lookup tool. It performs no lookup and writes only to
-stdout, so use ordinary shell redirection when a file is wanted. Pretty JSON is
-the default; `--compact` emits one compact JSON line for pipeline use, while
-`--markdown` produces a readable source-attributed summary and `--html`
-produces a self-contained printable report. Compact, Markdown, and HTML output
-are mutually exclusive.
-
-The saved input is capped at 8 MiB and revalidated using the same schema,
-source-status, parsed-data, scalar, list, and event boundaries as `compare`.
-The export retains query context, source diagnostics, normalized registry data,
-raw registry RDAP JSON, the raw WHOIS referral chain, availability analysis,
-and the shared registry-source comparison. Version 23 can add the exact local
-SSLBL comparison already represented by a deep full Lookup. Version 21 adds the bounded registry
-lifecycle, disclosure, publication-quality, reconciliation, and abuse-routing
-interpretation derived from the already-collected sources. Registrar RDAP raw
-data, contacts, entities, links, notices, and source-specific handles remain
-excluded. Schema version 20 replaces selected security-policy values in
-retained HTTP evidence
-with presence-only markers and can include fixed response-policy findings from
-an already-represented deep lookup. Version 19 additionally retains the bounded credential-surface projection
-when the saved deep lookup represents it. Version 18 retains the bounded structured identity projection
-when the saved deep lookup represents it. Version 17 retains the normalized portable-field comparison, explicit
-source-health states, a strict bounded projection of observed network
-registration, an optional normalized security.txt disclosure source, HTTPS
-service-binding publications, and the passive browser-library profile when the
-saved deep lookup represents them. Raw IP RDAP payloads, security.txt response
-bodies, script references, matched script content, and contact entities remain
-excluded.
-
-Markdown output summarizes query context, assessment state, registry sources,
-source reconciliation, network observations, and collection diagnostics. It
-escapes all upstream text as untrusted content, bounds displayed values and
-lists, and deliberately omits raw RDAP JSON and full WHOIS response bodies.
-Use JSON when the complete evidence package or machine processing is required.
-The browser Console reuses this bounded Markdown renderer for domain results
-after first reducing the typed Lookup response to the known normalized fields
-needed by the report. It separately offers bounded IP and ASN summaries from
-their normalized RDAP and source-health fields; IP reports can also include
-bounded reverse-DNS context already collected by Lookup. The browser action
-does not change the CLI input or output contract.
-When a version-5, version-6, or version-7 lookup records a documented registry-access constraint, both
-Markdown and HTML include that context in collection diagnostics without
-changing its non-authoritative interpretation. Both formats also include the
-selected address and bounded network registration when present, together with
-the edge-versus-origin limitation.
-
-HTML uses the same bounded summary model as Markdown. The generated document
-contains inline styling for screen and print, but no scripts, forms, active
-links, or external resources. A restrictive embedded Content Security Policy
-provides defense in depth when the local file is opened in a browser. All
-registry values are HTML-escaped and displayed as text.
-
-This is a deliberately rich evidence package. Raw registry sources can contain
-publicly published contact data, and deep availability evidence can contain
-bounded website, DNS, mail, page-identity, and TLS observations. Review and
-secure the output before sharing it. The CLI does not add browser-only IDN
-profile analysis, so that optional evidence field is `null`.
+WHOISleuth is a defensive investigation tool, not an authorisation mechanism.
+Operators remain responsible for applicable law, registry and provider terms,
+and permission to assess a target. Missing, unsupported, partial, or failed
+evidence never establishes absence, availability, safety, ownership, or intent.
+Offline analyst assertions remain separately attributed and are not converted
+into observed facts.