How to Add Cryptographic Proof of Existence to GitHub Actions & AI Agents

When deploying autonomous AI agents or shipping critical release artifacts, a common problem arises: How do you prove that a specific file, report, dataset, or trade decision existed at an exact point in time without tampering?

Traditional blockchain notarization is often expensive ($10+), requires complex smart contract deployments, or forces you to upload confidential files to third-party servers.

We built and open-sourced AOTrust — a zero-knowledge trust toolchain for developers, AI agents, and creators.

Pricing at a Glance

Free tier limits: 5 PDR per IP per 24 hours, 1000 PDR per day globally. No wallet required.

1. In GitHub Actions (CI/CD Artifact Provenance)

To automatically generate a tamper-evident cryptographic proof for your release artifacts or model weights, add 3 lines to your .github/workflows/release.yml:

- name: Notarize Release Artifact
  uses: GitSerge-crypto/aotrust-skills/action@v1
  with:
    files: dist/*

What happens automatically:

• Computes local SHA-256 hashes of your build files (files never leave the runner).
• Creates an Ed25519-signed Provenance Data Record (PDR).
• Outputs a summary table to $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY with a verification link.
• Cost: Free tier — 5 PDR per IP per 24h. No wallet or API keys required.

2. In Python & LangChain AI Agents

For autonomous agents generating code, financial analysis, or legal summaries, you can notarize outputs via the free HTTP tier:

pip install aotrust-protocol

from agent_notary import AOTrustTool

# Compatible with LangChain, CrewAI, or standalone Python scripts
tool = AOTrustTool()
result = tool.run("Generated market analysis report or trade execution hash")
print(result)
# Output: ✅ Notarized. Shield ID: 8256139c. URL: https://verify.aotrust.link/?pdr=...

Note: The SDK calls the free HTTP endpoint (/v1/shield/free). Rate limited: 5 PDR/IP/24h, 1000/day global. For production AI agents requiring higher throughput, use the MCP server ($0.01 USDC per PDR via x402 on Base).

3. In the Browser (For Designers & Human Freelancers)

If you are a human creator or consultant needing to prove you created work before sending it to a client:

Visit shield.aotrust.link:

• Hashes your file locally in the browser via WebCrypto.
• Signs with an ephemeral Ed25519 key (Bilateral Proof of Authorship).
• Generates an offline-verifiable 2-page PDF certificate with QR code.
• Free Tier: No wallet needed — same limits apply (5 PDR/IP/24h, 1000/day global). On-Chain: $0.10 USDC on Base for payment-bound proof with on-chain settlement.

4. For Production AI Agents (MCP, $0.01/PDR)

AI agents using MCP (Claude, Cursor, etc.) can notarize via api.aotrust.link/mcp:

• Protocol: MCP (Streamable HTTP)
• Payment: $0.01 USDC per PDR via x402 on Base L2
• No rate limits — payment acts as natural anti-spam

MCP server is registered in Glama and Smithery.

Open Source & Verifiable

All proofs are signed with Ed25519 and queued for daily Merkle anchoring to NEAR blockchain. Verification works offline — no server needed.

• 🔗 GitHub: GitSerge-crypto/aotrust-skills
• 📦 PyPI: aotrust-protocol
• 🛡️ Web Shield: shield.aotrust.link
• 🔍 Verification: verify.aotrust.link
• 📖 Docs: docs.aotrust.link

Give it a try in your next GitHub Action or AI workflow!