[GH-ISSUE #3570] [Feature] Preserve static file identity when inspect-artifact declines a format #1326

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opened 2026-10-16 21:04:17 +00:00 by bsakaguchi · 1 comment

bsakaguchi commented

2026-10-16 21:04:17 +00:00

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Originally created by @matbrgz on GitHub (Oct 14, 2026).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/morluto/rea/issues/3570

REA 6.4.0, source checkout 183d21210acda588184dd9a0897047523aa644b2, macOS arm64.

inspect-artifact refuses an ordinary valid PNG before returning artifact Evidence. This is a feature proposal for bounded identity observations, rather than a request to treat raster files as native executables.

Minimal original fixture:

from pathlib import Path
import hashlib, struct, zlib
def chunk(kind, payload):
    return struct.pack('>I', len(payload)) + kind + payload + struct.pack('>I', zlib.crc32(kind + payload))
data = (b'\x89PNG\r\n\x1a\n'
        + chunk(b'IHDR', struct.pack('>IIBBBBB', 1, 1, 8, 6, 0, 0, 0))
        + chunk(b'IDAT', zlib.compress(b'\x00\xff\x00\x00\xff'))
        + chunk(b'IEND', b''))
Path('pixel.png').write_bytes(data)
print(len(data), hashlib.sha256(data).hexdigest())

The observed fixture is 70 bytes, SHA-256 4ff6ab670a58c14270e034e2090d9a432caa263a14e0a25785386b0c12f880b5.

rea inspect-artifact pixel.png --format json --full-output

Observed exit code 1; the envelope reports:

{
  "code": "target_unavailable",
  "category": "unsupported_target",
  "retryable": false,
  "constraint": "file_format_rejected"
}

There is no subject digest/Evidence ID in the refusal envelope. Batch callers consequently need an independent identity ledger even when the file is readable and only deeper format interpretation is unavailable.

Proposed scope:

Return bounded read-only file identity Evidence (exact input, byte count and SHA-256) when format admission declines further analysis, either as a separate operation or an explicit mode of inspect-artifact.
Preserve the unsupported/malformed distinction and its reason; keep architecture, application kind and semantic interpretation unknown.
Do not silently accept malformed native inputs for native analysis, execute selected files, or broaden provider authority.
Keep current resource limits and add original opaque-resource fixtures alongside existing malformed-native tests.

Related format-specific proposals such as #3323 and #3153 do not cover the generic identity-only case. This proposal requests a maintainer scope decision before implementation.

Originally created by @matbrgz on GitHub (Oct 14, 2026). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/morluto/rea/issues/3570 [![Type: Feature](https://img.shields.io/badge/type-feature-blue.svg?style=flat-square)](https://github.com/morluto/rea) [![Domain: Reverse Engineering](https://img.shields.io/badge/domain-reverse_engineering-blueviolet.svg?style=flat-square)](https://github.com/morluto/rea) [![Status: Proposed](https://img.shields.io/badge/status-proposed-blue.svg?style=flat-square)](https://github.com/morluto/rea) [![Ecosystem: REA](https://img.shields.io/badge/ecosystem-morluto%2Frea-8A2BE2.svg?style=flat-square)](https://github.com/morluto/rea) REA 6.4.0, source checkout `183d21210acda588184dd9a0897047523aa644b2`, macOS arm64. `inspect-artifact` refuses an ordinary valid PNG before returning artifact Evidence. This is a feature proposal for bounded identity observations, rather than a request to treat raster files as native executables. Minimal original fixture: ```python from pathlib import Path import hashlib, struct, zlib def chunk(kind, payload): return struct.pack('>I', len(payload)) + kind + payload + struct.pack('>I', zlib.crc32(kind + payload)) data = (b'\x89PNG\r\n\x1a\n' + chunk(b'IHDR', struct.pack('>IIBBBBB', 1, 1, 8, 6, 0, 0, 0)) + chunk(b'IDAT', zlib.compress(b'\x00\xff\x00\x00\xff')) + chunk(b'IEND', b'')) Path('pixel.png').write_bytes(data) print(len(data), hashlib.sha256(data).hexdigest()) ``` The observed fixture is 70 bytes, SHA-256 `4ff6ab670a58c14270e034e2090d9a432caa263a14e0a25785386b0c12f880b5`. ```sh rea inspect-artifact pixel.png --format json --full-output ``` Observed exit code 1; the envelope reports: ```json { "code": "target_unavailable", "category": "unsupported_target", "retryable": false, "constraint": "file_format_rejected" } ``` There is no subject digest/Evidence ID in the refusal envelope. Batch callers consequently need an independent identity ledger even when the file is readable and only deeper format interpretation is unavailable. Proposed scope: - Return bounded read-only file identity Evidence (exact input, byte count and SHA-256) when format admission declines further analysis, either as a separate operation or an explicit mode of `inspect-artifact`. - Preserve the unsupported/malformed distinction and its reason; keep architecture, application kind and semantic interpretation unknown. - Do not silently accept malformed native inputs for native analysis, execute selected files, or broaden provider authority. - Keep current resource limits and add original opaque-resource fixtures alongside existing malformed-native tests. Related format-specific proposals such as #3323 and #3153 do not cover the generic identity-only case. This proposal requests a maintainer scope decision before implementation.

bsakaguchi commented

2026-10-16 21:04:18 +00:00

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@matbrgz commented on GitHub (Oct 14, 2026):

Update checked on 2026-10-14 with the published rea-agents@6.5.0 in an isolated installation, Node 26.11.1, macOS arm64. The package launcher reports 6.5.0.

I reinspected the original 70-byte PNG, SHA-256 4ff6ab670a58c14270e034e2090d9a432caa263a14e0a25785386b0c12f880b5, with inspect-artifact <fixture> --format json --full-output. The CLI still exits 1, with code: target_unavailable, category: unsupported_target, constraint: file_format_rejected, and retryable: false. This is a confirmed format-scope gap for this fixture; it is not a claim that 6.5.0 regressed or that an unsupported format should be presented as a complete inventory. No target classes were loaded or executed.

The refusal still contains no file digest or Evidence ID. The requested identity-only record remains useful independently of any future PNG interpretation.

@matbrgz commented on GitHub (Oct 14, 2026): Update checked on 2026-10-14 with the published **rea-agents@6.5.0** in an isolated installation, Node 26.11.1, macOS arm64. The package launcher reports `6.5.0`. I reinspected the original 70-byte PNG, SHA-256 `4ff6ab670a58c14270e034e2090d9a432caa263a14e0a25785386b0c12f880b5`, with `inspect-artifact <fixture> --format json --full-output`. The CLI still exits **1**, with `code: target_unavailable`, `category: unsupported_target`, `constraint: file_format_rejected`, and `retryable: false`. This is a confirmed format-scope gap for this fixture; it is not a claim that 6.5.0 regressed or that an unsupported format should be presented as a complete inventory. No target classes were loaded or executed. The refusal still contains no file digest or Evidence ID. The requested identity-only record remains useful independently of any future PNG interpretation.

bsakaguchi referenced this issue

2026-10-17 21:01:32 +00:00

[GH-ISSUE #2383] [Tracker] Audit analysis and debugging coverage for the TIOBE top 100 languages (October 2026) #794

bsakaguchi referenced this issue

2026-10-17 21:10:26 +00:00

[PR #1326] [CLOSED] fix(javascript): avoid positive-zero evidence for signed zero #2803