How it works
Binary lifecycle
Circuits are minted as binaries, activated through the registry, rotated by succession, and revoked by handle deactivation.
Each binary carries a manifest (hash, size, timestamps, self-validation state) that Control uses to index and verify artifacts. Lifecycle is intentional and auditable:
- Mint: Foundry produces a cohort zip of per-identity binaries for a variant.
- Register: manifests land in Control; handles resolve to the current artifact.
- Activate: the handle becomes eligible to mint envelopes that gates will accept.
- Rotate: mint and activate a successor; retire the predecessor without a secret-spread campaign.
- Revoke: one state change deactivates the handle; new envelopes fail anchor checks.
Because identity is compiled in, there is no vault of reusable API keys to rotate across every workload when one identity is compromised, you deactivate the handle and, if needed, mint a replacement circuit.
Mechanism claims
Identity is compiled into the circuit binary (there is no vault of reusable secrets to steal).ShippingConfig, entropy, and policy travel with the artifact; the handle resolves to the active binary.Holds under the reference architecture
Revocation is one registry state change on the circuit handle, not a rotation campaign across every workload.ShippingDeactivating a handle stops new envelopes for that identity at the control plane.Holds under the reference architecture