settle.

Don't trust this page. Verify the record.

The Settle Ledger is an append-only anchor record. At every publication we commit a manifest of SHA-256 hashes of the artifacts that carry claims — report, evidence manifest, policies, method, code — and we stamp the manifest into the Bitcoin chain with OpenTimestamps. Anything we say can be checked against it in minutes, by hand, without an account and without trusting us.

How to verify a claim

  1. Get the manifest

    Open the current anchor's SHA256SUMS — for the 22 September 2026 publication set, that is anchors/001a/SHA256SUMS. Each row is one artifact: a hash and a filename.

  2. Fetch the artifact from its public URL

    Artifacts live in the settle-hub repository (reports, policies, code) or the Ledger itself. Use the raw file URL, e.g.:

    curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/TheDocter-dev/settle-hub/main/independence-policy.md

  3. Hash it yourself

    curl -sL <raw-url> | sha256sum

    The digest must equal the manifest row, byte-exact. If it differs, what you fetched is not what we anchored — and we want to hear about it (see contact).

  4. Check the anchor commit is signed

    Ledger commits are GPG-signed. The signing key fingerprint is published in the Ledger README: 3C15 C334 A206 3681 67FB 90C8 5324 071C CD3C 0642

  5. Follow the timestamp into Bitcoin

    Each anchor ships an OpenTimestamps receipt (SHA256SUMS.ots). Verify it with the open-source ots client:

    ots verify SHA256SUMS.ots SHA256SUMS

    A valid receipt proves the manifest existed — with exactly these bytes — no later than the Bitcoin block it names. We cannot backdate, and we cannot quietly edit after the fact: any change breaks the hash row, the signed commit, or the Bitcoin proof.

What the Ledger is (and is not)

  • It is append-only. Corrections land as new entries that reference what they correct (see anchor 001a correcting 001) — history is never rewritten.
  • It anchors hashes, not trust. The proof says "these exact bytes existed at this time"; reading and judging them is still on you.
  • It is complete for published claims: if a claim of ours isn't anchored, treat it as unanchored and tell us.

Current anchors