# PunkGo Kernel
[](https://github.com/PunkGo/punkgo-kernel/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
[](https://crates.io/crates/punkgo-kernel)
> Every AI action gets a receipt.
A local sovereignty compute kernel — append-only event system with cryptographic audit trails. The kernel is a **committer, not a judge**: it provides a single linearization point for actions and verifiable proofs, not moral authority.
<p align="center">
<img src="assets/trust-layers.svg" alt="PunkGo trust layers — Merkle ordering, Ed25519 identity, TSA time binding" width="680">
</p>
## Trust Layers
Each layer adds a guarantee the layer below cannot provide:
| **Merkle** | Ordering + integrity | "this event is in the tree, the tree is append-only" |
| **Ed25519** | Identity binding | "this kernel instance signed this checkpoint" |
| **TSA** | Time binding | "this checkpoint existed before time T" |
A root operator with database access could rebuild the tree — this is the single-machine trust boundary. TSA (via [punkgo-jack](https://github.com/PunkGo/punkgo-jack)) adds time binding: you cannot backdate a timestamped checkpoint.
## Quick Start
```bash
cargo install punkgo-kernel # installs punkgo-kerneld daemon
punkgo-kerneld # start the kernel
```
Pair with [punkgo-jack](https://github.com/PunkGo/punkgo-jack) for AI tool integration:
```bash
cargo install punkgo-jack
punkgo-jack setup claude-code # install hooks into Claude Code
# every tool call now gets a cryptographic receipt
```
## How It Works
Every action goes through a **7-step pipeline** — validate, quote energy, reserve, check payload, settle, append to Merkle tree, return receipt.
<p align="center">
<img src="assets/pipeline.svg" alt="PunkGo 7-step submit pipeline" width="680">
</p>
The receipt contains an event ID, log index, and cryptographic hash. Third parties can verify any event with an RFC 6962 inclusion proof — 3 hashes verify 1 event in 8; 20 hashes verify 1 event in a million.
## Evolution
| **v0.5.0** | Ed25519 checkpoint signing, trust layer architecture | [PIP-003](docs/PIP-003_EN.md) |
| v0.4.0 | Per-PID IPC, single-instance guard, `--replace` | [CHANGELOG](CHANGELOG.md) |
| v0.3.0 | Energy starvation fix, Windows IPC fix | [CHANGELOG](CHANGELOG.md) |
| v0.2.0 | Execute submission — kernel commits, agent executes | [PIP-002](docs/PIP-002_EN.md) |
| v0.1.0 | Energy + Actors + Boundaries + Consent + Merkle audit | [PIP-001](docs/PIP-001_EN.md) |
## Ecosystem
- **[punkgo-jack](https://github.com/PunkGo/punkgo-jack)** — AI tool hook adapter (Claude Code, Cursor). Every tool call gets a receipt + optional RFC 3161 TSA timestamp
- **[punkgo-watchdog](https://github.com/PunkGo/punkgo-watchdog)** — real-time kernel monitor with terminal dashboard
## Documentation
| [Whitepaper](docs/PunkGo_Whitepaper_EN.md) ([ZH](docs/PunkGo_Whitepaper_ZH.md)) | Foundational axioms, world model, 7 invariants |
| [PIP-001](docs/PIP-001_EN.md) ([ZH](docs/PIP-001_ZH.md)) | Energy, actors, boundaries, consent |
| [PIP-002](docs/PIP-002_EN.md) ([ZH](docs/PIP-002_ZH.md)) | Execute submission |
| [PIP-003](docs/PIP-003_EN.md) ([ZH](docs/PIP-003_ZH.md)) | Checkpoint authentication |
| [Architecture](docs/ARCHITECTURE.md) | Crate structure, pipeline, IPC |
| [Tool Definitions](specs/kernel-tools.json) | MCP-compatible JSON schemas |
## Design Philosophy
- **Committer, not judge** — single linearization point, not moral authority
- **No a-priori restrictions** — opt-in design, not pre-emptive
- **Append-only** — errors corrected by compensating events, never rewriting
- **Hardware-anchored** — energy tied to physical compute (INT8 TOPS)
## License
[MIT](LICENSE)