# RFC-0004: Attestation envelope ## Status Draft ## Context RStack has evidence JSONL and builder/validator reports, but evidence is not yet packaged into a standard signable envelope. Enterprise users need tamper-evident provenance and audit-friendly evidence bundles. ## Decision Design a local-first attestation envelope inspired by DSSE/SLSA/Sigstore patterns. Initial implementation can be unsigned but schema-compatible with future signing. Envelopes should reference run ID, task ID, stage, subject artifacts, builder/validator identity, evidence, and verification results. ## Alternatives considered - **Raw JSONL only:** easy, but hard to verify or cite. - **Require signing immediately:** too much setup for early users. - **Adopt DSSE byte-for-byte now:** may overfit before RStack payloads are stable. ## Research references - RStack research bibliography: `research/bibliography.md` - RStack prior-art comparison: `research/prior-art-ai-sdlc-framework.md` - RStack current-state audit: `research/current-state-audit.md` - Epic tracker: https://github.com/richard-devbot/SDLC-rstack/issues/79 - Prior-art repo: https://github.com/ai-sdlc-framework/ai-sdlc - Roadmap issue: https://github.com/richard-devbot/SDLC-rstack/issues/73 ## Implementation plan - Define `AttestationEnvelope` schema. - Add envelope generation for builder/validator/release readiness. - Add verification helper for local structural checks. - Add docs explaining unsigned vs signed modes. - Add future hooks for Sigstore signing. ## Validation - Envelope schema validation passes. - Verification fails malformed evidence. - Package dry-run includes schemas/docs. - Research paper can cite evidence-envelope semantics without claiming cryptographic signing until implemented. ## Paper angle Wrap builder, validator, and release evidence in a structured signable envelope. This RFC records the rationale before implementation so the RStack paper can cite design intent, accepted tradeoffs, and validation criteria.