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This guide covers agent manifest initialization and code fingerprinting using the Beltic CLI.

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What are Fingerprints?

Code fingerprints provide tamper-evident verification that an agent’s code hasn’t changed since credential issuance. How it works:
  1. CLI generates SHA256 hash of all files matching include/exclude patterns
  2. Fingerprint stored in agent manifest
  3. Verifiers can regenerate fingerprint and compare
  4. If fingerprints don’t match → code was modified

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Initializing Agent Manifests

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Interactive Mode (Default)

beltic init
Interactive prompts: 
Agent name: Aurora Refund Guide
Agent version: 2.3.0
Agent description: Conversational assistant for e-commerce refunds
Model provider: Anthropic
Model family: Claude-3 Opus
Context window: 200000
Deployment type: [standalone/monorepo/embedded/plugin/serverless]: standalone
Developer credential ID: d7aa92c7-8b07-4f35-8c9b-a2d02e26f012
Output: 
✓ Manifest created: agent-manifest.json
✓ Generated fingerprint: sha256:f6d2...

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Non-Interactive Mode

beltic init \
  --non-interactive \
  --output agent-manifest.json \
  --type standalone \
  --developer-id d7aa92c7-8b07-4f35-8c9b-a2d02e26f012
Uses defaults or values from .beltic.yaml

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With Custom Configuration

beltic init \
  --config .beltic.yaml \
  --include "src/**" \
  --include "package.json" \
  --exclude "**/*.test.*" \
  --exclude "**/node_modules/**"

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Force Overwrite

beltic init --force --output agent-manifest.json
Warning: Overwrites existing manifest without confirmation!

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Configuration File (.beltic.yaml)

Create .beltic.yaml in your project root: 
version: "1.0"

agent:
  # Basic info
  name: "Aurora Refund Guide"
  version: "2.3.0"
  description: "Conversational assistant for e-commerce refunds"

  # Files to fingerprint
  paths:
    include:
      - "src/**"
      - "package.json"
      - "tsconfig.json"
    exclude:
      - "**/*.test.*"
      - "**/*.spec.*"
      - "**/node_modules/**"
      - "**/.git/**"
      - "**/dist/**"
      - "**/build/**"

  # Dependencies
  dependencies:
    internal:
      - "@company/shared-utils"
      - "@company/api-client"
    external:
      - "anthropic@^1.0.0"
      - "express@^4.18.0"

  # Deployment
  deployment:
    type: "standalone"  # standalone, monorepo, embedded, plugin, serverless
    environment: "production"

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Fingerprint Generation

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Basic Fingerprint

beltic fingerprint
Uses:
  • Current directory as root
  • Patterns from .beltic.yaml or defaults
  • Updates agent-manifest.json automatically
Output: 
Collecting files...
  Found 47 files
Generating SHA256 fingerprint...
  Fingerprint: sha256:f6d2a8b3c4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e7f8a9b0c1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1
Updated manifest: agent-manifest.json

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Verify Mode (Don’t Write)

beltic fingerprint --verify
Compares fingerprint without modifying manifest: 
Current fingerprint:  sha256:f6d2...
Manifest fingerprint: sha256:f6d2...
✓ MATCH - Code unchanged
Or: 
Current fingerprint:  sha256:a1b2...
Manifest fingerprint: sha256:f6d2...
✗ MISMATCH - Code has changed!

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With Dependency Fingerprints

beltic fingerprint --deps
Includes fingerprints of declared dependencies: 
{
  "systemConfigFingerprint": "sha256:f6d2...",
  "dependencyFingerprints": {
    "@company/shared-utils": "sha256:a1b2...",
    "anthropic": "sha256:c3d4..."
  }
}

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Verbose Output

beltic fingerprint --verbose
Shows all files included: 
Collecting files...
  ✓ src/index.ts
  ✓ src/handlers/refund.ts
  ✓ src/handlers/lookup.ts
  ✓ package.json
  ✗ src/test/refund.test.ts (excluded)
  ✗ node_modules/... (excluded)
Total: 47 files
Generating fingerprint...
SHA256: f6d2a8b3c4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e7f8a9b0c1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1

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Custom Manifest Path

beltic fingerprint --manifest custom-manifest.json

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Custom Config

beltic fingerprint --config .beltic.production.yaml

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Deployment Types

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Standalone

Single codebase, one agent: 
deployment:
  type: "standalone"
Includes: Entire repository

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Monorepo

Multiple agents in one repository: 
deployment:
  type: "monorepo"
paths:
  include:
    - "packages/refund-agent/**"
    - "shared/**"
Includes: Only relevant packages

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Embedded

Agent embedded in larger application: 
deployment:
  type: "embedded"
paths:
  include:
    - "src/agent/**"
    - "agent-config.json"
Includes: Agent-specific code only

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Plugin

Agent as plugin/extension: 
deployment:
  type: "plugin"
paths:
  include:
    - "plugin/**"
    - "manifest.json"
Includes: Plugin directory and metadata

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Serverless

Agent as serverless functions: 
deployment:
  type: "serverless"
paths:
  include:
    - "functions/**"
    - "serverless.yml"
Includes: Functions and configuration

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Include/Exclude Patterns

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Glob Patterns

Include all TypeScript: 
include:
  - "**/*.ts"
Exclude tests: 
exclude:
  - "**/*.test.ts"
  - "**/*.spec.ts"
Include specific directories: 
include:
  - "src/**"
  - "lib/**"
exclude:
  - "src/test/**"

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Common Patterns

Node.js project: 
include:
  - "src/**"
  - "package.json"
  - "package-lock.json"
exclude:
  - "**/node_modules/**"
  - "**/.git/**"
  - "**/dist/**"
  - "**/*.test.*"
Python project: 
include:
  - "src/**"
  - "requirements.txt"
  - "pyproject.toml"
exclude:
  - "**/__pycache__/**"
  - "**/.venv/**"
  - "**/dist/**"
  - "**/*_test.py"
Monorepo: 
include:
  - "packages/agent-core/**"
  - "packages/shared/**"
  - "package.json"
exclude:
  - "**/node_modules/**"
  - "**/dist/**"

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Workflow Integration

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Development Workflow

# 1. Initialize manifest
beltic init

# 2. Develop agent code
# ... make changes ...

# 3. Update fingerprint before committing
beltic fingerprint

# 4. Commit changes
git add agent-manifest.json
git commit -m "Update agent code and fingerprint"

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CI/CD Integration

# .github/workflows/verify-fingerprint.yml
name: Verify Fingerprint

on: [pull_request]

jobs:
  verify:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Install Beltic CLI
        run: |
          # Repository is currently private
          # See /docs/early-access for access requests
          # cargo install --git https://github.com/beltic/beltic-cli

      - name: Verify fingerprint
        run: |
          beltic fingerprint --verify
          if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
            echo "Fingerprint mismatch! Run 'beltic fingerprint' to update."
            exit 1
          fi

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Pre-commit Hook

# .git/hooks/pre-commit
#!/bin/bash

echo "Verifying fingerprint..."
beltic fingerprint --verify

if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
  echo "Fingerprint mismatch! Updating..."
  beltic fingerprint
  git add agent-manifest.json
fi

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Best Practices

  1. Include only production code - Exclude tests, builds, dependencies
  2. Use .beltic.yaml - Version control your fingerprint configuration
  3. Verify in CI - Catch fingerprint mismatches before deployment
  4. Update after every code change - Keep fingerprints current
  5. Document exclusions - Comment why files are excluded

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Next Steps

Signing & Verification

Sign your manifest as a credential

Command Reference

Complete CLI command documentation

AgentCredential

Complete agent credential specification