AGENTS.md@src/bernstein/core/lineage git:20260824.34090c6A

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# Lineage: artifact provenance

Per-artifact provenance in two layers: Lineage v1 (Sigstore-style transparency log:
RFC 8785 JCS canonicalisation, sha256 entry hashes, Ed25519 JWS) and `LineageSpine`, the
single always-on Merkle+HMAC store that every adapter artifact write routes through.

## Key files

| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
| `spine.py` | The always-on spine: one append-only chained JSONL store per run |
| `entry.py` | `LineageEntry` frozen dataclass; `canonicalise` / `entry_hash` |
| `identity.py` | `AgentCard` (A2A subset); Ed25519 `sign_detached` / `verify_detached` |
| `signed_write.py` | `seal_write` / `SignedLineageLog` signed-write path |
| `coverage.py` | Anchors a `ToolCoverageRecord` (issue #3769) as a `"coverage"`-kind entry keyed by `tool_call_id` (issue #3770). Anchors a `content_hash` commitment only, not the record's bytes - a reader that cannot independently recover the payload must treat the claim as unverified, never fabricate a passing record from the entry alone |
| `activity.py` | Active-set closure and provenance graph resolution over the receipt ledger |
| `gate.py` | Lineage CI gate (ADR-009 §6.2) |

## Invariants

- Adapter artifact writes route through `LineageSpine.record` at the
  single write boundary in `../../adapters/base.py` - no per-adapter
  opt-in, no second write path (`spine.py` docstring, issue #2292).
- Spine entries chain: `entry_hash = H(prev_hash, artifact_path, content_hash, actor, step_id,
  model, timestamp)`. Changing the entry shape breaks head-hash verification for existing runs.
- The spine's HMAC tag reuses the audit-chain key
  (`../security/audit.py`); key handling rules from that module apply.
- A new `LineageEntry` field must be optional, default `None`, dropped from `_canonical_body`
  when `None`, and read back in `_entry_from_dict` (cf. `attachment_digests`) - that is what
  keeps every historical entry's bytes, HMAC and JWS valid.
- `parent_hashes` is the artefact's ancestry only: tip projection reads
  two or more as a *fork merge*, so other inputs need their own field.
- Design rationale: `docs/decisions/009-lineage-v1.md`.

## Testing

Single files only, e.g. `uv run pytest tests/unit/test_lineage_record.py -x -q`;
the `test_lineage_*.py` files cover entries, stores, signing, and gates.

<!-- Reviewed 2026-08-24 against this subtree; the notes above still hold. -->