Archon Keymaster - Core DID Toolkit

Core toolkit for Archon decentralized identities (DIDs). Manages identity lifecycle, encrypted communication, cryptographic operations, and authorization.

Related skills:

• archon-vault — Vault management and encrypted distributed backups
• archon-cashu — Cashu ecash with DID-locked tokens

Capabilities

• Identity Management - Create, manage multiple DIDs, recover from mnemonic
• Verifiable Credentials - Create schemas, issue/accept/revoke credentials
• Encrypted Messaging (Dmail) - Send/receive end-to-end encrypted messages between DIDs
• Nostr Integration - Derive Nostr keypairs from your DID (same secp256k1 key)
• File Encryption - Encrypt files for specific DIDs
• Digital Signatures - Sign and verify files with your DID
• DID Aliasing - Friendly names for DIDs (contacts, schemas, credentials)
• Authorization - Challenge/response verification between DIDs
• Groups - Create and manage DID groups for access control and multi-party operations
• Polls - Cryptographic voting with transparent or secret ballots
• Assets - Store and retrieve content-addressed assets in the registry

Prerequisites

• Node.js installed (for npx @didcid/keymaster)
• Environment: ~/.archon.env with:
  • ARCHON_WALLET_PATH - path to your wallet file (required)
  • ARCHON_PASSPHRASE - wallet encryption passphrase (required)
  • ARCHON_GATEKEEPER_URL - gatekeeper endpoint (optional, defaults to public)
• All created automatically by create-id.sh

Security Notes

This skill handles cryptographic identity operations:

1. Passphrase in environment: ARCHON_PASSPHRASE is stored in ~/.archon.env for non-interactive script execution. The file should be chmod 600.

2. Sensitive files accessed:

   • ~/.archon.wallet.json — encrypted wallet containing DID private keys
   • ~/.archon.env — wallet encryption passphrase

3. Network: Data is encrypted before transmission to Archon gatekeeper/hyperswarm. Only intended recipients can decrypt.

4. Key recovery: Your 12-word mnemonic is the master recovery key. Store it offline, never in digital form.

Quick Start

First-Time Setup

./scripts/identity/create-id.sh [wallet-path]

Creates your first DID, generates passphrase, saves to ~/.archon.env.

• Default wallet location: ~/.archon.wallet.json
• You can specify a custom path: ./scripts/identity/create-id.sh ~/my-wallet.json
• Write down your 12-word mnemonic - it's your master recovery key.

Load Environment

All scripts require ~/.archon.env to be configured. Simply run:

source ~/.archon.env

The environment file sets ARCHON_WALLET_PATH and ARCHON_PASSPHRASE. Scripts will error if these are not set.

Identity Management

Create Additional Identity

./scripts/identity/create-additional-id.sh \x3Cname>

Create pseudonymous personas or role-separated identities (all share same mnemonic).

List All DIDs

./scripts/identity/list-ids.sh

Switch Active Identity

./scripts/identity/switch-id.sh \x3Cname>

Recovery

For disaster recovery and vault restore operations, see the archon-backup skill.

Verifiable Credential Schemas

Create and manage schemas for verifiable credentials.

Create Schema

./scripts/schemas/create-schema.sh \x3Cschema-file.json>

Create a credential schema from a JSON file.

Example schema (proof-of-human.json):

{
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
  "$credentialContext": [
    "https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2",
    "https://archetech.com/schemas/credentials/agent/v1"
  ],
  "$credentialType": [
    "VerifiableCredential",
    "AgentCredential",
    "ProofOfHumanCredential"
  ],
  "name": "proof-of-human",
  "description": "Verifies human status",
  "properties": {
    "credence": {
      "type": "number",
      "minimum": 0,
      "maximum": 1,
      "description": "Confidence level (0-1) that subject is human"
    }
  },
  "required": ["credence"]
}

./scripts/schemas/create-schema.sh proof-of-human.json
# Returns: did:cid:bagaaiera4yl4xi...

List Your Schemas

./scripts/schemas/list-schemas.sh

Lists all schemas you own.

Get Schema

./scripts/schemas/get-schema.sh \x3Cschema-did-or-alias>

Retrieve schema definition by DID or alias.

Verifiable Credentials

Issue, accept, and manage verifiable credentials.

Issuing Credentials (3-step process)

1. Bind Credential to Subject

./scripts/credentials/bind-credential.sh \x3Cschema-did-or-alias> \x3Csubject-did-or-alias>

Creates a bound credential template file for the subject.

Example:

./scripts/credentials/bind-credential.sh proof-of-human-schema alice
# Creates: bagaaierb...BOUND.json  (subject DID without 'did:cid:' prefix)

2. Fill in Credential Data

Edit the .BOUND.json file and fill in the credentialSubject data:

{
  "credentialSubject": {
    "id": "did:cid:bagaaierb...",
    "credence": 0.97
  }
}

3. Issue Credential

./scripts/credentials/issue-credential.sh \x3Cbound-file.json>

Signs and encrypts the credential. Returns the credential DID. The underlying @didcid/keymaster command may save output files - refer to Keymaster documentation for exact file output behavior.

Example:

./scripts/credentials/issue-credential.sh bagaaierb...BOUND.json
# Returns credential DID: did:cid:bagaaierc...

Accepting Credentials

./scripts/credentials/accept-credential.sh \x3Ccredential-did>

Accept and save a credential issued to you.

Example:

./scripts/credentials/accept-credential.sh did:cid:bagaaierc...

Managing Credentials

List Your Credentials

./scripts/credentials/list-credentials.sh

Lists all credentials you've received.

List Issued Credentials

./scripts/credentials/list-issued.sh

Lists all credentials you've issued to others.

Get Credential

./scripts/credentials/get-credential.sh \x3Ccredential-did-or-alias>

Retrieve full credential details.

Publishing & Revoking

Publish Credential

./scripts/credentials/publish-credential.sh \x3Ccredential-did>

Add credential to your public DID manifest (makes it visible to others).

Revoke Credential

./scripts/credentials/revoke-credential.sh \x3Ccredential-did>

Revoke a credential you issued (invalidates it).

Complete Example: Issuing Proof-of-Human

# 1. Create schema
./scripts/schemas/create-schema.sh proof-of-human.json
# Returns: did:cid:bagaaiera4yl4xi...

# 2. Add alias for convenience
./scripts/aliases/add-alias.sh proof-of-human-schema did:cid:bagaaiera4yl4xi...

# 3. Bind credential to Alice
./scripts/credentials/bind-credential.sh proof-of-human-schema alice
# Creates: bagaaierb...BOUND.json  (alice's DID without prefix)

# 4. Edit file, set credence: 0.97

# 5. Issue credential
./scripts/credentials/issue-credential.sh bagaaierb...BOUND.json
# Returns: did:cid:bagaaierc...

# 6. Alice accepts it
./scripts/credentials/accept-credential.sh did:cid:bagaaierc...

# 7. Alice publishes to her manifest
./scripts/credentials/publish-credential.sh did:cid:bagaaierc...

Encrypted Messaging (Dmail)

End-to-end encrypted messages between DIDs with attachment support.

Send Message

./scripts/messaging/send.sh \x3Crecipient-did-or-alias> \x3Csubject> \x3Cbody> [cc-did...]

Examples:

./scripts/messaging/send.sh alice "Meeting" "Let's sync tomorrow"
./scripts/messaging/send.sh did:cid:bag... "Update" "Status report" did:cid:bob...

Check Inbox

./scripts/messaging/refresh.sh   # Poll for new messages
./scripts/messaging/list.sh      # List inbox
./scripts/messaging/list.sh unread  # Filter unread

Read Message

./scripts/messaging/read.sh \x3Cdmail-did>

Reply/Forward/Archive

./scripts/messaging/reply.sh \x3Cdmail-did> \x3Cbody>
./scripts/messaging/forward.sh \x3Cdmail-did> \x3Crecipient-did> [body]
./scripts/messaging/archive.sh \x3Cdmail-did>
./scripts/messaging/delete.sh \x3Cdmail-did>

Attachments

./scripts/messaging/attach.sh \x3Cdmail-did> \x3Cfile-path>
./scripts/messaging/get-attachment.sh \x3Cdmail-did> \x3Cattachment-name> \x3Coutput-path>

Nostr Integration

Derive Nostr identity from your DID - same secp256k1 key, two protocols.

Prerequisites

Install nak CLI:

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/fiatjaf/nak/master/install.sh | sh

Derive Nostr Keys

./scripts/nostr/derive-nostr.sh

Outputs nsec, npub, and hex pubkey (derived from m/44'/0'/0'/0/0).

Save Keys

mkdir -p ~/.clawstr
echo "nsec1..." > ~/.clawstr/secret.key
chmod 600 ~/.clawstr/secret.key

Publish Nostr Profile

echo '{
  "kind": 0,
  "content": "{\"name\":\"YourName\",\"about\":\"Your bio. DID: did:cid:...\"}"
}' | nak event --sec $(cat ~/.clawstr/secret.key) \
  wss://relay.ditto.pub wss://relay.primal.net wss://relay.damus.io wss://nos.lol

Update DID with Nostr Identity

npx @didcid/keymaster set-property YourIdName nostr \
  '{"npub":"npub1...","pubkey":"\x3Chex-pubkey>"}'

File Encryption & Signatures

Encrypt Files

./scripts/crypto/encrypt-file.sh \x3Cinput-file> \x3Crecipient-did-or-alias>
./scripts/crypto/encrypt-message.sh \x3Cmessage> \x3Crecipient-did-or-alias>

Returns encrypted DID (stored on-chain/IPFS). Only recipient can decrypt.

Decrypt Files

./scripts/crypto/decrypt-file.sh \x3Cencrypted-did> \x3Coutput-file>
./scripts/crypto/decrypt-message.sh \x3Cencrypted-did>

Sign Files (Proof of Authorship)

./scripts/crypto/sign-file.sh \x3Cfile.json>

Important: File must be JSON. Adds proof section with signature.

Verify Signatures

./scripts/crypto/verify-file.sh \x3Cfile.json>

Shows who signed it, when, and whether content was tampered with.

DID Aliasing

Friendly names for DIDs - use "alice" instead of did:cid:bagaaiera...

Add Alias

./scripts/aliases/add-alias.sh \x3Calias> \x3Cdid>

Examples:

./scripts/aliases/add-alias.sh alice did:cid:bagaaiera...
./scripts/aliases/add-alias.sh proof-of-human-schema did:cid:bagaaiera4yl4xi...
./scripts/aliases/add-alias.sh backup-vault did:cid:bagaaierab...

Resolve Alias

./scripts/aliases/resolve-did.sh \x3Calias-or-did>

Pass-through safe (returns DID unchanged if you pass a DID).

List/Remove Aliases

./scripts/aliases/list-aliases.sh
./scripts/aliases/remove-alias.sh \x3Calias>

Note: Aliases work in most Keymaster commands and all encryption/messaging scripts.

Asset Management

Store and retrieve assets (files, images, documents, JSON data) in the distributed registry. Assets are content-addressed (DIDs) and support binary data via base64 encoding.

List Assets

./scripts/assets/list-assets.sh

Lists all asset DIDs in the registry.

Create Assets

From JSON Data (inline)

./scripts/assets/create-asset.sh '{"type":"document","title":"My Doc","content":"..."}'

From JSON File

./scripts/assets/create-asset-json.sh document.json

From File (any type)

./scripts/assets/create-asset-file.sh document.pdf application/pdf

Encodes file as base64 with metadata (filename, content-type).

From Image

./scripts/assets/create-asset-image.sh avatar.png

Auto-detects image type (png/jpg/gif/webp/svg) and encodes with metadata.

Retrieve Assets

Get Asset (raw JSON)

./scripts/assets/get-asset.sh did:cid:bagaaiera...

Returns raw asset data.

Get Asset as JSON

./scripts/assets/get-asset-json.sh did:cid:bagaaiera...

Pretty-prints asset data.

Get File Asset

./scripts/assets/get-asset-file.sh did:cid:bagaaiera... [output-path]

Decodes base64 and saves to disk. Auto-detects filename if no output path provided.

Get Image Asset

./scripts/assets/get-asset-image.sh did:cid:bagaaiera... [output-path]

Decodes base64 and saves image. Auto-detects filename if no output path provided.

Update Assets

Update with JSON Data

./scripts/assets/update-asset.sh did:cid:bagaaiera... '{"updated":true}'

Update with JSON File

./scripts/assets/update-asset-json.sh did:cid:bagaaiera... updated.json

Update with File

./scripts/assets/update-asset-file.sh did:cid:bagaaiera... newdoc.pdf application/pdf

Update with Image

./scripts/assets/update-asset-image.sh did:cid:bagaaiera... newavatar.png

Transfer Assets

./scripts/assets/transfer-asset.sh did:cid:bagaaiera... did:cid:bagaaierat...

Transfer asset ownership to another DID.

Use Cases

• Skill Packages: Store SKILL.md + scripts as signed assets
• Profile Media: Avatar images, banners
• Documents: PDFs, markdown files, archives
• Data Sets: JSON datasets, configuration files
• Shared Resources: Transfer assets between DIDs for collaboration

Groups

Manage collections of DIDs for access control, multi-party operations, and organizational structure.

Create Group

./scripts/groups/create-group.sh \x3Cgroup-name>

Creates a group and automatically aliases it by name.

Examples:

./scripts/groups/create-group.sh research-team
./scripts/groups/create-group.sh archetech-devs

Add/Remove Members

./scripts/groups/add-member.sh \x3Cgroup> \x3Cmember-did-or-alias>
./scripts/groups/remove-member.sh \x3Cgroup> \x3Cmember-did-or-alias>

Examples:

./scripts/groups/add-member.sh research-team did:cid:bagaaiera...
./scripts/groups/add-member.sh devs alice
./scripts/groups/remove-member.sh devs alice

List Groups

./scripts/groups/list-groups.sh

Lists all groups owned by your current identity.

Get Group Details

./scripts/groups/get-group.sh \x3Cgroup-did-or-alias>

Shows group metadata and membership.

Test Membership

./scripts/groups/test-member.sh \x3Cgroup> [member]

If member is omitted, tests whether your current identity is in the group.

Examples:

./scripts/groups/test-member.sh research-team           # Am I in this group?
./scripts/groups/test-member.sh research-team alice     # Is alice in this group?

Use Cases

• Access control - Encrypt files for a group, all members can decrypt
• Team management - Organize DIDs by role or project
• Multi-party workflows - Define who can participate in group operations

Authorization

Challenge/response flow for verifying a DID controls its private key. Used for agent-to-agent authentication, access control, and proof-of-identity workflows.

Create a Challenge

# Create a basic challenge
./scripts/auth/create-challenge.sh

# Create a challenge as a specific DID alias
./scripts/auth/create-challenge.sh --alias myDID

# Create a challenge from a file
./scripts/auth/create-challenge.sh challenge-template.json

# Create a challenge tied to a specific credential
./scripts/auth/create-challenge-cc.sh did:cid:bagaaiera...

Output: a challenge DID (e.g., did:cid:bagaaiera...) that the responder must sign.

Create a Response

CHALLENGE="did:cid:bagaaiera..."
./scripts/auth/create-response.sh "$CHALLENGE"

Output: a response DID containing a signed proof.

Verify a Response

RESPONSE="did:cid:bagaaiera..."
./scripts/auth/verify-response.sh "$RESPONSE"

Output:

{
    "challenge": "did:cid:...",
    "credentials": [],
    "requested": 0,
    "fulfilled": 0,
    "match": true,
    "responder": "did:cid:..."
}

match: true means the response is valid and cryptographically verified.

Complete Authorization Flow

# Challenger creates a challenge
CHALLENGE=$(./scripts/auth/create-challenge.sh)

# Responder creates a response (proves they control their DID)
RESPONSE=$(./scripts/auth/create-response.sh "$CHALLENGE")

# Challenger verifies the response
./scripts/auth/verify-response.sh "$RESPONSE"
# → {"match": true, "responder": "did:cid:...", ...}

Polls

Cryptographically verifiable voting with support for transparent or secret ballots. Voters are added directly to polls (no separate roster required).

Create Poll Template

./scripts/polls/create-poll-template.sh

Outputs a v2 template JSON:

{
    "version": 2,
    "name": "poll-name",
    "description": "What is this poll about?",
    "options": ["yes", "no", "abstain"],
    "deadline": "2026-03-01T00:00:00.000Z"
}

Create Poll

./scripts/polls/create-poll.sh \x3Cpoll-file.json> [options]

Creates a poll from a JSON template file. Returns poll DID.

Options:

• --alias TEXT - DID alias for the poll
• --registry TEXT - Registry URL (default: hyperswarm)

Example:

# Create poll template
./scripts/polls/create-poll-template.sh > my-poll.json

# Edit poll (set name, description, options, deadline)
vi my-poll.json

# Create the poll
./scripts/polls/create-poll.sh my-poll.json
# Returns: did:cid:bagaaiera...

Manage Voters

Add, remove, or list eligible voters for a poll:

# Add a voter
./scripts/polls/add-poll-voter.sh \x3Cpoll-did> \x3Cvoter-did>

# Remove a voter
./scripts/polls/remove-poll-voter.sh \x3Cpoll-did> \x3Cvoter-did>

# List all eligible voters
./scripts/polls/list-poll-voters.sh \x3Cpoll-did>

Vote in Poll

./scripts/polls/vote-poll.sh \x3Cpoll-did> \x3Cvote-index>

Cast a vote in a poll. Returns a ballot DID.

Arguments:

• poll-did - DID of the poll
• vote-index - Vote number: 0 = spoil, 1-N = option index

Examples:

# View poll first to see options
./scripts/polls/view-poll.sh did:cid:bagaaiera...
# Options: 1=yes, 2=no, 3=abstain

# Cast a vote for "yes" (option 1)
./scripts/polls/vote-poll.sh did:cid:bagaaiera... 1
# Returns: did:cid:bagaaierballot...

# Spoil ballot (vote 0)
./scripts/polls/vote-poll.sh did:cid:bagaaiera... 0

Ballot Workflow

For distributed voting (voters not directly connected to poll owner):

# Voter creates and sends ballot
BALLOT=$(./scripts/polls/vote-poll.sh "$POLL" 1)
./scripts/polls/send-ballot.sh "$BALLOT" "$POLL"

# Poll owner receives and adds ballot
./scripts/polls/update-poll.sh "$BALLOT"

# View ballot details
./scripts/polls/view-ballot.sh "$BALLOT"

Send Poll Notice

Notify all voters about a poll:

./scripts/polls/send-poll.sh \x3Cpoll-did>

Creates a notice DID that voters can use to find and vote in the poll.

View Poll

./scripts/polls/view-poll.sh \x3Cpoll-did>

View poll details including options (with indices), deadline, and (if published) results.

Publish Poll Results

Two options for publishing results:

Secret ballots (default):

./scripts/polls/publish-poll.sh \x3Cpoll-did>

Publishes aggregate results while hiding individual votes.

Transparent ballots:

./scripts/polls/reveal-poll.sh \x3Cpoll-did>

Publishes results with individual ballots visible (who voted for what).

Unpublish Poll Results

./scripts/polls/unpublish-poll.sh \x3Cpoll-did>

Remove published results from a poll.

Complete Polling Example

# 1. Create poll template
./scripts/polls/create-poll-template.sh > team-vote.json

# 2. Edit poll:
# {
#   "version": 2,
#   "name": "proposal-vote",
#   "description": "Should we adopt the new proposal?",
#   "options": ["approve", "reject", "defer"],
#   "deadline": "2026-03-01T00:00:00.000Z"
# }

# 3. Create the poll
POLL=$(./scripts/polls/create-poll.sh team-vote.json)
echo "Poll created: $POLL"

# 4. Add eligible voters
./scripts/polls/add-poll-voter.sh "$POLL" did:cid:alice...
./scripts/polls/add-poll-voter.sh "$POLL" did:cid:bob...
./scripts/polls/add-poll-voter.sh "$POLL" did:cid:carol...

# 5. Notify voters
./scripts/polls/send-poll.sh "$POLL"

# 6. Members vote (1=approve, 2=reject, 3=defer)
./scripts/polls/vote-poll.sh "$POLL" 1   # Alice votes approve
./scripts/polls/vote-poll.sh "$POLL" 2   # Bob votes reject
./scripts/polls/vote-poll.sh "$POLL" 1   # Carol votes approve

# 7. View current status
./scripts/polls/view-poll.sh "$POLL"

# 8. After deadline, publish results (hiding who voted what)
./scripts/polls/publish-poll.sh "$POLL"

# OR publish transparently
./scripts/polls/reveal-poll.sh "$POLL"

Use Cases

• Governance decisions - DAO-style voting with verifiable results
• Team consensus - Anonymous feedback or transparent decision-making
• Multi-agent coordination - Agents voting on shared resources
• Access control - Voting to add/remove group members

Advanced Usage

Multiple Identities (Pseudonymous Personas)

./scripts/identity/create-additional-id.sh pseudonym
./scripts/identity/create-additional-id.sh work-persona
./scripts/identity/switch-id.sh pseudonym

Use cases:

• Separate personal/work identities
• Anonymous participation
• Role-based access control

Dmail Message Format

Dmails are JSON:

{
  "to": ["did:cid:recipient1", "did:cid:recipient2"],
  "cc": ["did:cid:cc-recipient"],
  "subject": "Subject line",
  "body": "Message body",
  "reference": "did:cid:original-message"
}

Direct Keymaster commands:

npx @didcid/keymaster create-dmail message.json
npx @didcid/keymaster send-dmail \x3Cdmail-did>
npx @didcid/keymaster file-dmail \x3Cdmail-did> "inbox,important"

Signature Verification

Signed files include proof:

{
  "data": {"your": "content"},
  "proof": {
    "type": "EcdsaSecp256k1Signature2019",
    "created": "2026-02-10T20:41:26.323Z",
    "verificationMethod": "did:cid:bagaaiera...#key-1",
    "proofValue": "wju2GCn0QweP4bH6..."
  }
}

Security Notes

Cryptographic Security

• Mnemonic is master key - Store offline, write down, never digital
• Passphrase encrypts wallet - Protects wallet.json on disk
• Aliases are local - Not shared, fully decentralized
• Dmail is end-to-end encrypted - Only sender/recipients can read
• Signatures are non-repudiable - Can't deny creating valid signature
• Backups persist - As long as any hyperswarm node retains them

Data Access Disclosure

This skill accesses sensitive data by design:

Environment Variables

The following are set in ~/.archon.env:

• ARCHON_WALLET_PATH - Path to wallet file
• ARCHON_PASSPHRASE - Wallet decryption passphrase (sensitive!)
• ARCHON_GATEKEEPER_URL - Optional, defaults to public gatekeeper

Important: ~/.archon.env contains your passphrase in plaintext for script automation. Ensure:

chmod 600 ~/.archon.env  # Owner read/write only

Network Transmission

Scripts connect to:

• https://archon.technology - Public gatekeeper (default)
• localhost:4224 - Local gatekeeper (if configured)
• Hyperswarm DHT - Distributed storage network

All transmitted data is encrypted. No plaintext secrets leave your machine

Troubleshooting

Wallet/Passphrase Issues

"Cannot read wallet":

source ~/.archon.env
ls -la ~/clawd/wallet.json

"Permission denied":

chmod 600 ~/.archon.env

Encryption/Signing

"Cannot decrypt":

• Ensure message was encrypted for YOUR DID
• Check passphrase is correct

"Signature verification failed":

• File modified after signing
• Signer's DID may be revoked

Dmail

"Messages not arriving":

./scripts/messaging/refresh.sh  # Poll for new messages

"Recipient can't decrypt":

• Use correct recipient DID (not alias on their side)

References

• Archon documentation: https://github.com/archetech/archon
• Keymaster reference: https://github.com/archetech/archon/tree/main/keymaster
• W3C DID specification: https://www.w3.org/TR/did-core/