Root
Your OG root key is the single secret your entire identity descends from. Personhood is bound to it exactly once, and it is the convergence point for recovery. You rarely use it directly — it exists to derive everything else.
Derived key
Every contribution is signed by a key derived from the root using a deterministic function of context and time, e.g. m/cv'/0'/2026·Q3/git. The link from root to derived key is a mathematical fact the instant the key exists — it is simply not disclosed.
Claim
A claim is a proof that a derived key — and therefore the work it signed — descends from your root. You can only claim keys you actually control, which is why claiming work that isn’t yours is impossible.
Reveal (selective disclosure)
A reveal discloses a claim to a chosen audience. Crucially, revealing is not a new registration — it exposes a link that was true all along. You choose who sees it and when.
Attestation
An attestation is the on-chain record on Base that binds an artifact’s hash to a derived key. It is what makes a claim checkable by anyone, and what makes the whole thing permanent rather than a promise.
How they fit together