Independent Proof Artifact Engine

AXLE-rs is an experimental Rust-native platform for creating durable, verifiable proof artifacts designed for compliance, insurance, and legal applications. Unlike traditional proof systems that focus on formal methods research, AXLE-rs provides a production-ready infrastructure for generating, attesting, and independently verifying legally significant artifacts that meet regulatory requirements.

Why AXLE-rs Exists

Modern compliance workflows require more than just verification - they need auditable trails, regulatory compliance, and independent verification capabilities. AXLE-rs addresses this gap by providing:

• Independent Verification: Create artifacts that can be verified by third parties without requiring the original issuer
• Regulatory Compliance: Built-in support for insurance risk assessments, compliance controls, and legal disclosures
• Audit Trails: Cryptographic receipts and signing for immutable audit trails
• Pluggable Policies: Configurable verification policies for different regulatory domains

Core Concepts

.axle Artifact Format

A standardized directory structure that bundles:

• manifest.json: Artifact metadata and schema version
• Typed JSON files: claim.json, evidence.json, verification_policy.json
• hashes.json: Canonical hashes for content addressing
• Optional signed components

Key Innovations

• Signing Layer: ed25519 digital signatures with receipt_id generation
• Verification Policy: Schema-versioned policies for different claim types
• ProofMail: Structured data model for delivery and receipt
• Independent Verification: CLI/endpoint that only requires artifact + public key

Claim Types

• insurance_risk: Risk assessment proofs
• compliance_control: Regulatory compliance verification
• legal_disclosure: Legal statement attestation
• decision_proof: Algorithmic decision justification

System Model

formal statement? → Lean source / proof candidate → AXLE processing → .axle artifact → 
Signing Layer → Receipt Binding → Independent Verification

Getting Started

# Create a signed artifact
axle-rs issue claim.json evidence.json --signing-key private.key

# Verify an artifact independently
axle-rs verify --artifact-dir .axle --public-key public.key

# Generate a receipt for audit trails
axle-rs attest claim.json evidence.json --receipt-path receipt.json

Documentation

• Artifact Format Specification
• Verification Policy Guide
• Receipt Binding Protocol
• Delivery Channels
• API Reference

Compliance Focus

AXLE-rs is built for organizations that need to:

• Maintain auditable proof trails for regulatory compliance
• Provide independent verification to auditors or regulators
• Generate legally significant artifacts with cryptographic assurance
• Integrate with existing compliance workflows and systems
• Meet documentation requirements for insurance claims and legal proceedings