verify-witness

name	verify-witness
description	Verify the Ed25519 witness manifest of a scaffolded harness. Fast yes/no signature check that proves the publisher signed this exact file set — separate from the full release-readiness umbrella in validate-harness.

verify-witness

Codex skill: Ed25519 witness manifest verification for a scaffolded harness.

What it does

Reads .harness/witness.json, validates the Ed25519 signature against the embedded public key, and reports VALID / INVALID with a one-line reason.

Distinct from validate-harness:

• validate-harness is the umbrella — doctor + verify + path-guard + mcp + secrets
• verify-witness is only the signature check — fast yes/no for CI / federation handshakes / multi-signer workflows

Usage from Codex

/verify-witness
/verify-witness path=./my-harness
/verify-witness path=./my-harness strict=false

Equivalent CLI

harness verify ./my-harness

Why it's separate from validate-harness

When two harnesses federate (iter 9), they need to confirm each other's witness signatures BEFORE doing the full release-readiness check. Splitting this surface lets federation peers run a fast signature handshake without paying for the full validate sweep.

Also: CI workflows that only care about signature integrity (e.g. mirroring a published harness to a private registry) can call this skill instead of the heavier umbrella.

What's checked

Check	Detail
File present	.harness/witness.json exists
Manifest shape	All required fields (harness, version, entries, public_key, signature)
Signature	Ed25519 verify against the embedded public key
Strict mode	If strict=true and no witness, exit non-zero. If false, soft-skip with PASS

Exit 0 = signature VALID. Exit 1 = INVALID / missing (strict mode).