The honest run button for GitHub repos. Proof, not vibes.

BootProof answers one question:

Did this repository actually boot?

Not “did a command run?”
Not “did Docker say containers are up?”
Not “did an AI agent say it worked?”
Not “did the README look plausible?”

BootProof inspects a repo, builds an evidence-based run plan, executes only what it can justify, observes real health, and writes a signed attestation for success or failure.

No proof, no green check.

Why BootProof exists

Every developer knows this loop:

git clone some/repo
npm install
npm run dev

Then reality appears.

Wrong Node version. Wrong pnpm version. Missing Java. Missing Clojure. Docker is running but the service is not healthy. Postgres exists but the role does not. Redis is missing. A migration fails. The app starts but nothing responds. A container is “up” but the product is unusable. An AI agent confidently says “done” because a process started.

That is not proof.

BootProof exists because repo onboarding should not depend on hope, terminal archaeology, or fake green checks.

The problem

Modern repositories are no longer simple.

A repo might contain:

• multiple workspaces
• Docker Compose services
• frontend and backend apps
• hidden runtime requirements
• package-manager version constraints
• generated assets
• database migrations
• health endpoints
• undocumented local assumptions

A README can be useful, but it is not proof.

A terminal command can be useful, but it is not proof.

A model response can be useful, but it is not proof.

BootProof turns repo booting into an evidence trail.

The core idea

BootProof separates activity from evidence.

A failed run is still useful if it tells the truth.

✗ NOT VERIFIED — package_manager_version_mismatch

What happened:
The repository requires pnpm 10.24.0, but this environment has pnpm 9.15.4.

Why BootProof refused:
The dependency install cannot be trusted with the wrong package manager version.

Safe next step:
Run corepack enable && corepack prepare pnpm@10.24.0 --activate, then rerun BootProof.

Evidence:
.bootproof/attestation.json

Predictable failure is a feature.

Quick start

Run BootProof against a local repo:

cd /path/to/repository
npx bootproof up .

BootProof will inspect the repo and either prove it booted or explain why it refused.

For CI or agent workflows:

npx bootproof up . --ci --json

For explicit local execution:

npx bootproof up . --provider local --unsafe-local

Run dependency installation only when you intend to:

npx bootproof up . --provider local --unsafe-local --install

Explain or verify an attestation:

npx bootproof explain .bootproof/attestation.json
npx bootproof verify .bootproof/attestation.json

Try it on a public Git repo

BootProof can inspect public HTTPS repositories from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Codeberg.

npx bootproof up https://github.com/dubinc/dub

Remote repositories are untrusted code, so BootProof inspects first and refuses execution until you explicitly opt in.

Remote source: https://github.com/dubinc/dub.git
Clone retained at: .bootproof/remotes/github.com/dubinc/dub-*/repo

Inference
  application: yes
  package manager: pnpm
  selected command: pnpm dev

✗ NOT VERIFIED — remote_code_execution_blocked

Why BootProof refused:
Remote repositories are untrusted code and require explicit consent.

To run remote code locally, you must say so explicitly:

npx bootproof up https://github.com/dubinc/dub --provider local --unsafe-local --install

BootProof never silently executes remote code.

What a successful run looks like

✓ install: dependencies installed
✓ start-app: app process started and was supervised
✓ health: observed HTTP 200 at http://localhost:3333

✓ BOOTED — HTTP 200 at http://localhost:3333

Evidence:
.bootproof/attestation.json

A repository is only marked BOOTED when BootProof observes health evidence.

A process start is not enough.
A successful install is not enough.
A Docker container is not enough.
A command exiting is not enough.

What BootProof gives humans

Humans get a readable diagnosis:

NOT VERIFIED — workspace_ambiguous

BootProof detected a root command that starts multiple workspaces in parallel.
Choose a specific application with --workspace <dir>; one responding workspace
is not proof that the whole repository booted.

Example:

npx bootproof up . --workspace apps/studio

BootProof is designed to make failures legible.

It should tell you whether the problem is:

• package-manager mismatch
• skipped install
• missing runtime
• ambiguous workspace
• unsupported orchestration
• allocated port
• failed service
• failed app start
• unhealthy endpoint
• health timeout

What BootProof gives machines

--json emits exactly one bootproof/result/v1 object:

{
  "schema": "bootproof/result/v1",
  "booted": false,
  "healthVerified": false,
  "failureClass": "dependency_install_skipped",
  "attestationPath": ".bootproof/attestation.json",
  "inference": {},
  "plan": {},
  "observed": []
}

--ci disables colour and interactive prompts.

Exit codes are deterministic:

That makes BootProof useful for CI, agent workflows, and repo-quality gates.

Real repo evidence

BootProof has been tested against real repositories, including small apps, monorepos, large platforms, and multi-service stacks.

The point is not to turn every repo green. The point is to produce the correct verdict.

Failure is not hidden or relabelled as support.

Evidence stays evidence.

See docs/REAL_REPO_EVIDENCE.md.

Supabase example: why honest failure matters

A fresh BootProof run against supabase/supabase detected:

stack: make-driven, node-frontend, docker-compose
repo compose: docker/docker-compose.yml
workspaces: apps/studio, apps/www, apps/docs, packages/*
selected command: make dev

BootProof refused:

✗ NOT VERIFIED — workspace_ambiguous

The root command starts multiple workspaces in parallel.
One responding workspace would not prove that the whole repository booted.

That refusal is correct.

Manual follow-up through Supabase’s official Docker route proved the platform path:

cd docker
cp .env.example .env
docker compose up -d

Core services such as Kong, Studio, DB, Auth, REST and Pooler reported healthy/running, and localhost:8000 returned Kong/API responses.

The lesson:

BootProof should not fake a monorepo-wide success just because one endpoint responds.

Airbyte example: external verification

Airbyte correctly exceeded BootProof’s direct orchestration boundary.

BootProof refused instead of pretending a normal Gradle, Make, or Compose command was enough. The documented local path required abctl, Kind and Helm. A human followed that runbook and booted the application.

BootProof could then verify the external health endpoint without claiming it started Airbyte.

bootproof verify-url http://localhost:8001/api/v1/health

External verification means:

This endpoint responded.
BootProof did not orchestrate the startup.

That distinction matters.

Main commands

Boot a repo

Boot a selected workspace

npx bootproof up . --workspace apps/studio

Run in CI/machine mode

npx bootproof up . --ci --json

Explicit local host execution

npx bootproof up . --provider local --unsafe-local

Allow dependency installation

npx bootproof up . --provider local --unsafe-local --install

Verify an existing service

npx bootproof verify-url http://localhost:8001/api/v1/health

Attach external health to the current repo

npx bootproof up . --external-health http://localhost:8001/api/v1/health

Explain an attestation

npx bootproof explain .bootproof/attestation.json

Verify an attestation

npx bootproof verify .bootproof/attestation.json

Static infrastructure diff

npx bootproof diff --base main --head HEAD
npx bootproof diff --base main --head HEAD --json

Deterministic repair

Optional BYOK AI repair suggestion

OPENAI_API_KEY=... npx bootproof fix . --ai

or:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=... BOOTPROOF_AI_PROVIDER=anthropic npx bootproof fix . --ai

bootproof up remains zero-AI.

The agent-in-the-loop model

BootProof is built for a world where humans and AI agents both touch repositories.

The intended loop is:

Diagnose
→ Classify
→ Plan
→ Risk-classify
→ Approve
→ Execute one step
→ Verify
→ Receipt
→ Repeat

AI can suggest.
Humans can approve.
BootProof proves.

The complete autonomous loop is not implemented. Today BootProof exposes four honest modes.

1. Direct orchestration

BootProof infers a supported local run path, executes it within the selected safety boundary, observes health, and writes an attestation.

Unsupported or ambiguous orchestration is refused.

2. External verification

bootproof verify-url http://localhost:8001/api/v1/health

BootProof observes a service started outside BootProof. Successful evidence is classified as externally verified and never claims BootProof started the app.

3. Agent planning

BootProof writes a deterministic, risk-classified plan and a redacted local receipt chain. It does not execute candidate actions, and planning never counts as success.

4. Deterministic repair

BootProof maps exact known failures to deterministic repair actions. Mutating commands and patches require explicit approval. Verification decides whether the failure progressed or the application booted.

See:

• docs/AGENT_IN_THE_LOOP.md
• docs/AGENT_RUN_RECEIPTS.md
• docs/DETERMINISTIC_REPAIR_SAFETY_MODEL.md

Deterministic repair

bootproof fix reads the latest signature-valid classified failure and maps exact known failures to deterministic actions.

Host and service commands show the exact command, scope and risk. They run only when the user gives explicit approval. JSON and CI modes never approve commands.

Repair receipts distinguish:

• declined
• failed
• progressed
• verified

Machine mode:

It emits one bootproof/repair-result/v1 object and exits 0 only when a verified receipt exists.

fix never applies file patches directly. To explicitly apply a signature-valid file repair to a local working tree:

Application checks the receipt signature, allowed file scope, signed content hashes, and exact current preimages before writing.

See docs/REPAIR_RECEIPT.md.

Optional BYOK AI

AI suggestions are optional and are only available after no deterministic repair is known.

OPENAI_API_KEY=... bootproof fix . --ai

or:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=... BOOTPROOF_AI_PROVIDER=anthropic bootproof fix . --ai

BootProof asks before contacting the provider, sends only redacted structured failure evidence, validates the strict bootproof/ai-repair-suggestion/v1 response through the shared safety model, and asks again before any command or patch is tested.

AI suggestions are recorded as ai_suggested.

They never enter the deterministic registry automatically.

Static infrastructure diff

bootproof diff --base main --head feature-branch
bootproof diff --base main --head HEAD --json

diff reads committed Git objects and performs static analysis only.

It does not:

• check out either ref
• execute repository code
• install dependencies
• read protected .env contents
• upload data

It reports supported drift in:

• dependency manifests and lockfiles
• Compose services and ports
• environment variable names
• start commands
• package managers
• runtime markers
• detectable health routes

A diff can require fresh proof, but it never claims the head revision boots. Run bootproof up against the intended revision to establish that with observed health evidence.

Honesty contract

BootProof is constrained on purpose.

It will not:

• mark a repo BOOTED without observed health
• execute remote code without explicit consent
• fall back from Docker to host execution silently
• render skipped steps as success
• invent secrets
• write protected .env files
• silently patch project code
• guess a workspace when the repo is ambiguous
• claim generated scaffolding exists unless it was written
• upload telemetry or hidden evidence

It will:

• sign successful attestations
• sign failed attestations
• preserve local evidence
• classify known failures
• refuse unsupported paths clearly

See docs/HONESTY_CONTRACT.md.

Safety model

BootProof treats repair actions as executable risk.

The repair safety model blocks or escalates dangerous commands before they run.

Blocked examples include:

• sudo
• shell interpreters
• pipe-to-shell downloads such as curl | sh
• inline arbitrary execution such as node -e, python -c, ruby -e
• recursive world-writable chmod
• raw disk writes
• destructive database drops
• protected .env writes
• secret exfiltration patterns

High-risk actions require explicit approval and can never be downgraded by AI-provided risk labels.

See docs/DETERMINISTIC_REPAIR_SAFETY_MODEL.md.

Current capabilities

BootProof currently provides:

• Node package-manager and start-command inference
• monorepo candidate ranking
• Docker service dependency detection
• repository Compose detection
• conservative Go main-package execution
• Rails bin/rails entrypoint detection
• explicit Make run-target execution
• Python/Flask and Go/Node hybrid detection
• localhost health-candidate discovery from repo evidence and app logs
• classified failures
• signed Ed25519 attestations
• strict JSON and fail-closed CI output
• redacted registry-entry export
• deterministic sandboxed repairs for registered failure classes
• explicit repair application with signature, scope and stale-preimage checks
• static infrastructure diff

Detection is broader than orchestration. BootProof may detect a stack and still refuse to run it if the proof boundary is not safe or clear.

Supported entrypoints

Supported execution paths are deliberately narrow.

Each path still requires observed health.

A successful docker compose up -d, process spawn, or command exit is not a green result by itself.

Failure taxonomy

Common failure classes include:

• not_an_application
• workspace_ambiguous
• dependency_install_skipped
• package_manager_version_mismatch
• python_flask_setup_required
• service_port_allocated
• postgres_auth_env_missing
• health_http_error
• health_check_timeout
• remote_code_execution_blocked
• unknown_failure

Unknown failures remain unknown, with evidence preserved for the next detector.

See docs/FAILURE_TAXONOMY.md.

Files BootProof may write

Depending on the command and observed plan, BootProof may write:

.bootproof/attestation.json
.bootproof/registry-entry.json
.bootproof/registry/<timestamp>-<hash>.json
.bootproof/runtime/
docker-compose.bootproof.yml
.env.bootproof.example

Registry artifacts are written only by explicit export commands.

Protected application env files remain untouched.

Attestation trust

Current local attestations contain:

{
  "trust": {
    "level": "local_developer_signed",
    "signer": "local_ed25519",
    "oidc": null
  }
}

Local attestations are useful evidence. CI/OIDC attestations are stronger supply-chain proof. BootProof does not pretend local laptop proof is enterprise CI proof.

The future ci_oidc_signed level is reserved but is not emitted today.

CI and registry

BootProof does not upload attestations.

A project can deliberately export a redacted local registry entry or federated public-candidate receipt and review it before committing it.

bootproof registry export .
bootproof attest export .
bootproof registry export . --federated

Public crawler, private cloud upload, and OIDC-backed trust are future integrations, not deployed services in this repository.

See:

• docs/CI_ACTION.md
• docs/REGISTRY.md

Open-source boundary

This repository contains the local trust layer:

• local diagnosis
• local planning
• local receipts
• local approvals
• optional BYOK AI suggestions
• deterministic repair safety
• no telemetry
• no automatic upload

The OSS engine works offline and does not require BootProof Cloud.

Cloud boundary

BootProof Cloud belongs in a separate private repository.

Its boundary includes future hosted capabilities such as:

• hosted AI
• shared registry
• team approval workflows
• GitHub App
• SSO/RBAC
• policy
• fleet dashboards
• audit retention

These are product boundaries, not claims that those services are implemented in this public repository.

No Cloud/SaaS code is included here.

Release packaging

The npm package contains the compiled CLI, license, README and docs.

dist/ is required at runtime, generated by npm run build during prepack, and intentionally not committed.

Run:

This packs BootProof, installs the tarball in an isolated temporary directory, and exercises the installed CLI.

See docs/RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md.

Development

For contributors working from source:

git clone https://github.com/bootproof/bootproof.git
cd bootproof
npm ci
npm run build
npm test
npm link

Then from another repository:

Generated files such as dist/, node_modules/, and .DS_Store are ignored and not committed.

What BootProof is not

BootProof is not:

• a deployment platform
• a general CI replacement
• a magic environment fixer
• an AI coding agent
• a guarantee that every repo can be run automatically
• a cloud product hidden inside an OSS repo

BootProof is the honest run button for repos.

It runs what it can, refuses what it cannot prove, signs both success and failure, and gives humans and machines the same evidence.

Status

BootProof is early alpha.

Near-term work includes:

• explicit full-platform Compose mode
• stronger multi-service health modelling
• broader deterministic remediation coverage
• more Python, Go, Ruby and Make entrypoints
• CI/OIDC-backed signing
• proof-linked badges
• verified public evidence index

Unsupported paths should fail clearly, not magically.

License

Apache-2.0