GitHub - confidencenode/Trusteando_Protocol: Trusteando — A Decentralised Verifiable Knowledge Graph Protocol

3 min read Original article ↗

A decentralised, cryptographically verifiable Knowledge Graph.

Any organisation that publishes its structure in the same schema becomes automatically interoperable with any other that does the same — the schema is the contract.

What is Trusteando?

Trusteando is an open protocol for expressing verifiable facts as folder structures published on web servers you already control. The core idea:

  • A folder is a credential. university.es/trusteando/professors/juan-ruiz/ is proof that the university recognises Juan as a professor.
  • The hierarchy is the trust chain. Keys are derived from the folder structure — controlling a folder means controlling its key.
  • Append-only, cryptographically sealed. Facts cannot be modified after publication. History is permanent and auditable.
  • No new infrastructure. Your domain is your identity. Your web server is your node.

The entire cryptographic core is four functions and twenty lines of code:

class TrusteandoNode:
    def grant_key(self, child_path_segment)
    def respond_to_challenge(self, context_elements)
    def verify_child_authorship(self, child_path_segment, context_elements, proof)
    # + reduce_hash as the primitive operation

Where to start

You want to... Start here
Understand the protocol in 20 minutes Whitepaper §1–2
Publish your first node this afternoon Quickstart Level 1
Add cryptographic verification in a day Quickstart Level 2
Learn naming and structure conventions Style Guide
See examples for your domain Cookbook
Read the complete specification Whitepaper v0.2.1
Implement from scratch Implementation Guide
Understand the formal grammar Whitepaper Appendix H

Architecture

For a conceptual overview of how Trusteando layers work together — from human intent to auditable execution — see:

Trusteando: A Layered Architecture for Verifiable Systems

This document explains:

  • The 6-layer stack (Human Bridge → Publication Layer → AWARE → Trusteando Core → Notified Body Kit → Dossier)
  • Input/output/guarantee for each layer
  • Why layers are independent (like TCP/IP)
  • How the local-global tension (BOE vs interoperability) is resolved
  • End-to-end example (housing benefit AI)

Integration

  • AWARE + Trusteando — How canonical structure (AWARE) meets certifiable audit (Trusteando).

Repository structure

Trusteando_Protocol/
├── docs/
│   ├── architecture/
│   │   └── layers.md
│   └── integration/
│       └── aware_trusteando.md
├── whitepaper/
│   ├── trusteando_whitepaper_v021_en.md   ← full specification (v0.2.1 + v0.3 additions)
│   ├── trusteando_style_guide.md           ← naming conventions and best practices
│   ├── trusteando_quickstart.md            ← Level 1 and Level 2 guide
│   ├── trusteando_cookbook.md              ← practical examples by domain
│   ├── trusteando_implementation_guide.md  ← conformance levels, test vectors, verifier MUST
│   └── pendientes.txt
├── positioning/
│   ├── trusteando_european_positioning.md
│   ├── trusteando_ai_layer.md
│   └── trusteando_transparency.md
└── README.md

The ConfidenceNode ecosystem

Trusteando is one of three protocols under github.com/confidencenode:

Protocol Role What it solves
ConfidenceNode Protocol Theoretical framework Information asymmetry
Trusteando Protocol Verification layer Who is who, what they are authorised to do
ctx Uncertainty capture Vault layer — structured capture of what is not yet known

Current status — v0.2.1 + v0.3 additions

Stable (will not change):

  • TrusteandoNode and its four functions
  • Folder hierarchy as key hierarchy
  • since/until temporal model
  • private/ access control
  • The three conformity states (b9/v9/t9)

Added in this cycle (v0.3 prep):

  • Formal spec: credential scope mechanisms (§12.2)
  • Formal spec: distributed vocabulary repositories and alias declarations (§12.9)
  • Formal spec: name discovery — three-component system (§12.10)
  • Formal spec: active authentication with key rotation (§12.11)
  • Formal spec: social identity recovery via Shamir's Secret Sharing (§12.14)
  • ZKP direction: three use cases, candidate primitives, integration point (§12.3)
  • Normative design rule: @ vs derived folder for natural persons (§2.14.2)
  • New section: hierarchical key derivation — power and exposure + Trust Segmentation Principle (§13.11)
  • path-pattern formal example in scope context (§2.12)

May evolve:

  • Sector-specific vocabulary
  • Ecosystem conventions (style guide)
  • Reference server implementation details

Licence

GNU General Public License v3. The protocol is free and irrevocably public.

confidencenode.org/protocolos/trusteando