Changelog

This page tracks changes to the Universal Manifest specification, conformance fixtures, tooling, and documentation site. Entries are organized by spec version and date. Breaking changes are highlighted prominently.

How This Changelog Is Maintained

This changelog is updated manually at each significant release or milestone. The maintenance process:

When a new spec version folder is created (spec/vX.Y/), add a new version section to this page.
When conformance fixtures, tooling, or site content change significantly, add a dated entry under the relevant version.
Breaking changes are marked with a :::caution callout so they are visually distinct.
Each entry links to the relevant spec version, conformance document, or guide where applicable.

For the full release process, see Releasing and Publishing and Versioning.

v0.2 (Draft)

2026-02 — Signature Profile Draft

Specification:

Added the v0.2 signature profile specification using JCS (RFC 8785) canonicalization and Ed25519 (RFC 8032) signing.
Introduced signature field with algorithm, publicKeySpkiB64, signatureValueB64, and optional keyRef.
Published JSON Schema (schema.json) and JSON-LD context (schema.jsonld) for v0.2 at stable URLs.

Conformance:

Added v0.2 conformance document with signature verification requirements.
Added valid and invalid v0.2 fixtures covering signed manifests, tampered payloads, expired signatures, and missing key scenarios.

Tooling:

Added assertUniversalManifestV02 and assertUniversalManifestV02Fresh functions to the TypeScript helper (universal-manifest npm package).
Signature verification uses inline publicKeySpkiB64. External key resolution via keyRef (DID documents, HTTPS endpoints) is documented but out of scope for this helper.

v0.1 (Stable)

2026-02 — Production Infrastructure

Site and infrastructure:

Documentation site live at universalmanifest.net.
Resolver service live at myum.net for UMID-based manifest lookup.
JSON-LD context and JSON Schema published at stable, versioned, immutable URLs.
Domain split: spec hosting (universalmanifest.net) separated from runtime resolution (myum.net).

Integration lanes:

Published 10 integration lanes: Social/Profile, Proof-of-Personhood, OMATrust, RP1 Spatial Fabric, Smart Glasses AR, Metaverse, Chia DID/VC, Reference Runtime, Healthcare Patient Consent, Education Credentials, Smart Home.
Published integration catalog with category-based organization and contribution guide.

Tooling:

Manifest Workbench: browser-based tool for creating and editing manifests.
Verification Harness: browser-based tool for validating manifests against the spec.
Implementation Sandbox: interactive environment for testing manifest flows.

2026-01 — v0.1 Specification Release

Specification:

Published the v0.1 specification defining the core manifest structure.
Required fields: @context, @id, @type, manifestVersion, subject, issuedAt, expiresAt.
Core concepts: UMID, TTL (validity window), shards, pointers, claims, consents.
Forward-compatibility rule: consumers MUST safely ignore unrecognized fields.
Default-deny consent model: absent consents are treated as denied.

Conformance:

Published v0.1 conformance document with structural validation requirements.
Published valid and invalid conformance fixtures under examples/v0.1/.
Established fixture-driven testing pattern: valid fixtures must pass, invalid fixtures must be rejected.

Tooling:

Published universal-manifest TypeScript helper on npm.
Core functions: assertUniversalManifestV01, assertUniversalManifestV01Fresh, getManifestId.
Full TypeScript type definitions for v0.1 manifest structures.

Site Changes

2026-03 — Content Expansion

Added “About” section with One-Pager, Full Briefing, and Agent Briefing explainer documents.
Added “Use Cases” section with five commercial journey narratives (Creator, Venue Operator, App Developer, Privacy, Enterprise).
Added “Guides” section with Integration Authoring Guide.
Added Changelog page (this page).
Restructured sidebar to separate specification content from implementation tooling.
Added all integration lanes to sidebar navigation (Healthcare, Education, Smart Home previously missing).
Moved TypeScript Helper from “Getting Started” to “Tools & Reference Implementations” section.

Upcoming

Planned changes for future releases:

v0.2 finalization: Stabilize signature profile and promote from draft to stable.
Standalone conformance test suite: Language-agnostic test runner for external implementers.
Additional integration lanes: Community-contributed lanes for new domains.
Multi-language implementation guides: Guides for implementing UM consumers in Python, Go, Rust, and other languages.