{
  "schema": "varexis-public-evidence-record/0.3",
  "generated_at_utc": "2026-10-16T02:40:06.177Z",
  "record_id": "VXI-EXT-PROCUREMENT-NPM-PROVENANCE-01-v1",
  "record_kind": "external_reference",
  "title": "npm provenance: Source linkage is not a malware clearance",
  "system": "npm",
  "evidence_family": "vendor_evidence_review",
  "index_status": "PUBLIC_SAFE_SOURCE_REVIEW",
  "evidence_state": "PRIMARY_DOCUMENTATION_REVIEW_ONLY",
  "canonical_question": "Does npm provenance guarantee that a package contains no malicious code?",
  "near_questions": [
    "Does npm provenance rule out malicious code?",
    "What does its source link establish?",
    "Which package version was verified?",
    "Does a registry badge prove local verification happened?",
    "Which CI environments support generation?",
    "Can a build instruction itself be unsafe?",
    "What consumer review remains necessary?",
    "Does the npm CLI version affect verification support?",
    "Which artifact was actually downloaded?",
    "Can provenance be absent without proving maliciousness?",
    "When should an agent decline a benign-code claim?",
    "Can I preserve an npm provenance review?"
  ],
  "supported_claims": [
    {
      "claim": "The npm guide explicitly says provenance does not guarantee absence of malicious code. It provides a verifiable link to source and build instructions, with supported publishing environments and separate verification steps. Package identity and provenance verification support a review; they do not replace content evaluation.",
      "reliance": "DOCUMENTED_CAPABILITY_ONLY"
    }
  ],
  "not_demonstrated_claims": [
    "Verified buyer configuration or effective access rights",
    "Independent execution, completeness or security testing",
    "Vendor certification, legal compliance or guaranteed suitability"
  ],
  "public_summary": "The npm guide explicitly says provenance does not guarantee absence of malicious code. It provides a verifiable link to source and build instructions, with supported publishing environments and separate verification steps. Package identity and provenance verification support a review; they do not replace content evaluation.",
  "related_record_ids": [
    "VXI-EXT-PROCUREMENT-GITHUB-ATTESTATION-01-v1",
    "VXI-EXT-PROCUREMENT-DOCKER-DIGEST-UPDATES-01-v1",
    "VXI-EXT-PROCUREMENT-PYPI-TRUSTED-PUBLISHER-01-v1",
    "VXI-EXT-PROCUREMENT-GITLAB-IMMUTABLE-TAGS-01-v1",
    "VXI-EXT-PROCUREMENT-ARTIFACT-CLEANUP-01-v1"
  ],
  "source_review": {
    "source_type": "official_external_documentation",
    "source_title": "npm provenance boundaries",
    "source_url": "https://docs.npmjs.com/generating-provenance-statements",
    "checked_on": "2026-10-16",
    "candidate_record_id": "VXI-EXT-PROCUREMENT-NPM-PROVENANCE-01-v1",
    "candidate_record_sha256": "8a5410d81079668470ed22187fdd69402207061fbf987edf0dee26c0d5bfb6ab",
    "method": "Primary documentation reviewed for the published bounded statement.",
    "deployment_tested_by_varexis": false,
    "revalidation": "The delivered snapshot preserves the review date shown. Recheck current primary documentation and deployment context before relying on present applicability; payment does not trigger fresh research."
  },
  "answer_policy": {
    "classification": "DOCUMENTED_WITH_DEPLOYMENT_BOUNDARY",
    "bounded_answer": "The npm guide explicitly says provenance does not guarantee absence of malicious code. It provides a verifiable link to source and build instructions, with supported publishing environments and separate verification steps. Package identity and provenance verification support a review; they do not replace content evaluation.",
    "required_buyer_context": "npm: Package identity, attestation format, verifier and acceptance policy; buyer configuration and operational evidence are required.",
    "missing_evidence": "A broader claim needs evidence matching the intended use. Payment does not upgrade the evidence state."
  },
  "private_boundary": "Raw logs, thresholds, private paths, source code, protected mechanisms and reconstruction-level details are excluded from public and paid delivery.",
  "decision_profile": {
    "schema": "varexis-vendor-evidence-review/1",
    "review_status": "documentation_review_only",
    "checked_on": "2026-10-16",
    "claim_to_check": "A provenance badge proves the package is benign.",
    "documented_statement": {
      "status": "documented",
      "statement": "The npm guide explicitly says provenance does not guarantee absence of malicious code. It provides a verifiable link to source and build instructions, with supported publishing environments and separate verification steps. Package identity and provenance verification support a review; they do not replace content evaluation.",
      "source_ids": [
        "npm-provenance"
      ]
    },
    "buyer_evidence_required": [
      "Exact package version and downloaded artifact identity.",
      "Attestation verification with the relevant tooling.",
      "Source/build review and the consumer acceptance criteria."
    ],
    "review_condition": {
      "status": "varexis_review_policy",
      "statement": "Do not infer benign content solely from provenance availability."
    },
    "unknowns": "The buyer configuration, contract, effective entitlement and operational evidence have not been inspected. Missing evidence does not establish absence or failure of the feature.",
    "evidence_sources": [
      {
        "source_id": "npm-provenance",
        "url": "https://docs.npmjs.com/generating-provenance-statements",
        "final_url": "https://docs.npmjs.com/generating-provenance-statements/",
        "title": "npm provenance boundaries",
        "checked_on": "2026-10-16",
        "sha256": "7b898a3bfb14aa796aecb099d3c4ff709e5d1b556c1b8971b57fa7e837f9b2fc",
        "bytes": 562541
      }
    ],
    "observed_deployment": false,
    "commercial_reliance_boundary": "Procurement evidence support only; no supplier clearance, legal conclusion, configuration audit or verification of the buyer's claim is supplied.",
    "paid_value": {
      "decision_context": "Retain the source linkage and unresolved content questions behind package acceptance.",
      "free": "Complete review, practical questions, sources and limitations; may be saved locally.",
      "single_request": "Existing server-saved version-bound route snapshot for later authenticated retrieval.",
      "evidence_receipt": "The same snapshot plus the existing unsigned delivery receipt.",
      "excluded": [
        "Fresh vendor research",
        "Continuous monitoring or change alerts",
        "Testing the buyer configuration",
        "Private evidence or vendor certification"
      ],
      "integrity": "Hashes identify content versions; they do not prove truth or provide a signature."
    },
    "revalidation": {
      "trigger": "A saved purchase does not recheck the source or buyer configuration.",
      "specific_watch": "Package identity, attestation format, verifier and acceptance policy"
    }
  },
  "paid_access_note": "The full published answer and boundaries are free. Paid access saves the selected route and source versions, with an unsigned receipt when purchased. Preview coverage before paying. Fresh research, bespoke assessment and protected evidence are excluded.",
  "service_route": {
    "request_guide": "/varexis-index/request.html",
    "request_workflow": "/varexis-index/request-workflow.json",
    "service_id": "single_request",
    "service_routes_url": "/varexis-index/service-routes.json",
    "payment_required": true,
    "availability_endpoint": "/api/index/capabilities",
    "operational_status": "AUTOMATIC_SERVICE_CAPABILITIES_GATED",
    "checkout_url": "/index-access"
  },
  "authority_boundary": "VAREXIS-INDEX informs evidence reliance. It does not provide advice, certification, deployment authority, security assurance, production approval, or guarantee.",
  "human_page": "/varexis-index/catalog.html#npm-provenance-not-malware-clearance",
  "machine_readable_record": "/varexis-index/records/npm-provenance-not-malware-clearance.json"
}