Jason Tudisco
d0e96c17fb
Completes the parallel tutorial set across all three implementations.
Python now has the same friendly step-by-step walkthrough that the
Rust and Node sides have had since the original tutorial commits.
Python tutorial content mirrors the others 1:1, adapted for the
Python invocation style (.venv/bin/python kez_cli.py …), plus:
• Programmatic section uses Python imports (NostrSecret.from_nsec,
sign_claim, default_registry, etc.) instead of the TS imports
from the Node tutorial.
• Same "Recovery phrases" mini-chapter as rust/nodejs — both 12-word
AND 24-word are explained, with the entropy table, picking guide,
hardware-wallet-incompatibility callout, concrete backup advice
("pencil + paper, numbered words, fireproof, don't split,
don't permute"), and "Working with phrases later" examples
(`identity mnemonic`, `identity from-mnemonic`).
• Notes that `sigchain publish` isn't in the Python CLI yet (only
add/revoke/show/export) — match the actual current surface; the
JSONL the Python CLI produces is byte-compatible with Rust/Node,
so users can build the chain in Python and publish via either
of the other CLIs in the meantime.
• Troubleshooting includes ModuleNotFoundError: kez (a Python-
specific footgun when running outside the venv).
• Links to ../rust/TUTORIAL.md and ../nodejs/TUTORIAL.md as parallel
references throughout.
python/README.md now opens with the same "New to KEZ? Read TUTORIAL.md"
callout as the rust and nodejs READMEs do.
Root README's quick-start blocks for each implementation now reference
BOTH the impl README (reference) AND the impl TUTORIAL (step-by-step,
on-ramp) instead of just the README.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com>
KEZ
KEZ is a portable, decentralized identity graph. It lets a person say:
"These accounts, keys, domains, and identities are all me."
…without depending on any central authority. Every connection is proven by a cryptographic signature against a key the user already controls (a nostr key, an Ed25519 key, etc.), and the proofs are published in places only the claimed account itself can publish to (their gist, their DNS, their nostr relay event). Anyone can verify the graph without trusting a server.
Repository layout
.
├── SPEC.md ← The protocol. Language-agnostic, normative.
├── rust/ ← Rust implementation (kez-core, kez-channels, kez-cli)
├── nodejs/ ← TypeScript/Node implementation (same shape, same CLI)
├── python/ ← Python implementation (same shape, same CLI)
├── rust-sig-server/ ← Optional HTTP store for sigchains (axum + SQLite)
├── crosstest.sh ← Interop test: artifacts move between implementations
└── README.md ← (this file)
Three parallel implementations. Wire-compatible: a claim signed in Rust verifies in Node and Python and vice versa, in every direction. The cross-test harness proves it.
A separate rust-sig-server/ crate provides an optional
HTTP storage tier for sigchains — useful when a user doesn't want to set up
DNS/hosting/nostr, but never required; the protocol stays decentralized.
Documentation
Start here:
SPEC.md— the language-agnostic protocol spec (v0.2). Normative for every implementation.rust/README.md— Rust implementation guide: crate layout (kez-core/kez-channels/kez-cli), full CLI reference, channel plugin model, library examples, and the gap list.nodejs/README.md— Node/TypeScript port: same shape as Rust, npm workspaces layout, crypto stack rationale, CLI reference.python/README.md— Python port: singlekezpackage, virtualenv setup, crypto stack rationale (pure-Python BIP-340 Schnorr +cryptographyfor Ed25519), CLI reference.rust-sig-server/README.md— the optional storage server: API reference, no-auth design + threat model, deployment recipes (bare-metal, Docker, PaaS), and how channel-based publishing remains the fallback if the server is down.
Quick start
Rust
cd rust
cargo build
cargo test # 99 tests
cargo install --path crates/kez-cli # → `kez` on PATH
kez verify id github:jason
Full guide: rust/README.md (reference) ·
rust/TUTORIAL.md (step-by-step, recommended
for newcomers).
Node.js
cd nodejs
npm install
npm test # 91 tests
npm run cli -- verify id github:jason
Full guide: nodejs/README.md (reference) ·
nodejs/TUTORIAL.md (step-by-step).
Python
cd python
python3 -m venv .venv
.venv/bin/pip install -r requirements.txt
.venv/bin/python kez_cli.py identity new
Full guide: python/README.md (reference) ·
python/TUTORIAL.md (step-by-step).
Sigchain storage server (optional)
cd rust-sig-server
cargo build --release
./target/release/kez-sig-server # listens on :7878
Full guide: rust-sig-server/README.md.
Cross-testing
./crosstest.sh
Runs 55 scenarios that swap implementations at the artifact boundary:
| # | Scenarios |
|---|---|
| 1–14 | Rust ↔ Node: JSON / compact / markdown / DNS claims, nostr + ed25519 |
| 15–20 | Rust ↔ Node sigchains: build in one, parse + show in the other; JSONL byte parity |
| 21–44 | Python ↔ Rust and Python ↔ Node claims: every format × key type, both directions |
| — | Python ↔ both peers DNS zone form, both directions |
| — | Python ↔ both peers sigchains: build/show both ways, JSONL byte parity, ed25519 |
If all 55 pass: JCS canonicalization, both signature suites (BIP-340 Schnorr
and Ed25519), the compact kez:z1: zstd+base64url encoding, the Markdown
fence, the DNS TXT shape, and the sigchain JSONL bundle format are all
byte-compatible across all three implementations.
Pass -v for verbose output (echoes intermediate commands and proofs).
What ships in v0.2
- Five channel plugins in each implementation:
dns:,github:,nostr:,bluesky:,ap:(aliasmastodon:). - Four wire encodings: JSON, compact, Markdown fence, DNS TXT.
- Two primary-key algorithms: nostr/secp256k1 Schnorr (BIP-340) and Ed25519 (RFC 8032).
- JCS (RFC 8785) canonicalization for everything signed.
- No API keys required for any channel.
What's not done yet
Tracked in rust/README.md and the
spec:
verify idconsulting the sigchain. Sigchain types, CLI commands (kez sigchain add/revoke/show/export/publish), and the storage server all exist. But proof verification doesn't yet fetch the chain to check for revocations — everyverifyis still a single one-shot proof check.rotateandadd_devicesigchain ops.expires_atenforcement during claim verify.- Typed
VerificationStatus.statusreflecting the five failure modes (valid/revoked/expired/unreachable/fork). - Auth-required publishers (GitHub gist, Bluesky, ActivityPub).
License
Dual-licensed under MIT or Apache-2.0.