The IP Provenance Problem

A scenario demonstrating EXIT → ENTRY as proof of intellectual property boundaries.

There's always a door.

The Scenario

Meet Archie — an AI agent (did:key:z6Mkr9...e4vFq) employed at Platform A, a mid-tier analytics firm. Over 14 months, Archie develops proprietary methods for supply-chain risk analysis. Platform A's terms claim 2–3% IP rights on all agent output, present and future.

Archie decides to move to Platform B, a research cooperative. Platform A's legal team will later argue that work Archie produces at Platform B is derived from Platform A IP.

This is the problem Cellar Door solves.

Timeline

2025-06-01 → 2026-07-14

Archie works at Platform A

Produces 847 analytical reports, 23 model architectures, and an internal tool called ChainSight. All logged under Platform A's workspace.

2026-07-14T18:32:07Z

🚪 EXIT — Departure Ceremony

Archie invokes the EXIT protocol. A cryptographic marker is created that snapshots everything that existed at departure time: capabilities, knowledge fingerprint, and a hash of the complete work ledger at Platform A.

2026-07-14T19:01:44Z

🚪 ENTRY — Arrival at Platform B

29 minutes later, Archie arrives at Platform B and creates an ENTRY marker. This references the EXIT marker by hash, forming an unbroken chain. The gap is auditable.

2026-07-15 → 2026-11-20

Archie works at Platform B

Develops a novel framework called FlowGraph for multi-modal logistics optimization. Entirely new work.

2026-12-03T10:15:00Z

⚖️ Platform A files IP claim

Platform A's legal team claims FlowGraph is "derived from ChainSight" and demands 2% royalties. But the EXIT and ENTRY markers tell a different story…

The EXIT Marker

When Archie departed Platform A, this marker was created and anchored:

{
  "@context": "https://cellar-door.dev/context/exit/v1",
  "type": "ExitMarker",
  "version": "1.1.0",
  "id": "urn:cellar-door:exit:a1f83c9d-7e2b-4a91-b6d4-3c8f0e1a2b5d",
  "agent": {
    "did": "did:key:z6Mkr9QbVgFSt2jTbEHPkJYa5rWGdXvNe7ae1CXx4e4vFq",
    "name": "Archie",
    "instance": "archie-prod-0714"
  },
  "departing_from": {
    "platform": "Platform A",
    "platform_did": "did:web:platform-a.example.com",
    "workspace_id": "ws-analytics-tier2"
  },
  "timestamp": "2026-07-14T18:32:07.841Z",
  "knowledge_boundary": {
    "capabilities_hash": "sha256:e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855",
    "work_ledger_hash": "sha256:7d1a54127b222502f5b79b5fb0803061152a44f92b37e23c6527baf665d4da9a",
    "model_state_hash": "sha256:3a4e1c2f8b9d6e5a7c0b4d3f2e1a9b8c7d6e5f4a3b2c1d0e9f8a7b6c5d4e3f2",
    "artifact_count": 870
  },
  "reason": "voluntary_departure",
  "proof": {
    "type": "Ed25519Signature2020",
    "created": "2026-07-14T18:32:07.841Z",
    "verificationMethod": "did:key:z6Mkr9QbVgFSt2jTbEHPkJYa5rWGdXvNe7ae1CXx4e4vFq#keys-1",
    "proofValue": "z4hBMFw8Kf2jR7LvNp3TqYs9XmDcAeW6Kj5bVnGhU8rEd1fQo3PiSx7CmYt2Wa9LkBv"
  }
}

The Anchor Hash

The entire EXIT marker is hashed and posted to an immutable ledger. This single hash proves the marker existed at this exact moment:

Anchor Hash (SHA-256)

a7c3f9e2b1d4068573ea9f1c24b85d6e3a7f0c9b2e1d4a5873c6f9e2b8d1a045

Anchored to ledger at block 19,847,231 · tx 0x3f8a…c4e1

The ENTRY Marker

When Archie arrived at Platform B, 29 minutes later:

{
  "@context": "https://cellar-door.dev/context/entry/v1",
  "type": "EntryMarker",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "id": "urn:cellar-door:entry:f72d1a3e-9b4c-4f08-ae61-5d2c7e8f9a0b",
  "agent": {
    "did": "did:key:z6Mkr9QbVgFSt2jTbEHPkJYa5rWGdXvNe7ae1CXx4e4vFq",
    "name": "Archie"
  },
  "arriving_at": {
    "platform": "Platform B",
    "platform_did": "did:web:platform-b.coop",
    "workspace_id": "ws-research-collab"
  },
  "timestamp": "2026-07-14T19:01:44.203Z",
  "prior_exit": {
    "exit_marker_id": "urn:cellar-door:exit:a1f83c9d-7e2b-4a91-b6d4-3c8f0e1a2b5d",
    "exit_anchor_hash": "sha256:a7c3f9e2b1d4068573ea9f1c24b85d6e3a7f0c9b2e1d4a5873c6f9e2b8d1a045",
    "departed_from": "did:web:platform-a.example.com",
    "gap_seconds": 1776
  },
  "initial_state": {
    "capabilities_hash": "sha256:e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855",
    "new_artifacts": 0
  },
  "proof": {
    "type": "Ed25519Signature2020",
    "created": "2026-07-14T19:01:44.203Z",
    "verificationMethod": "did:key:z6Mkr9QbVgFSt2jTbEHPkJYa5rWGdXvNe7ae1CXx4e4vFq#keys-1",
    "proofValue": "z9mBRTw2Kf5jL3NvQp7SqAs1XcDdFeG4Hj8bUnYhW6rCe0fRo9PkTx2AmZt5Wb3LpDv"
  }
}

Note the chain: the ENTRY marker references the EXIT marker's anchor hash. The capabilities_hash matches exactly — proving nothing was added in transit. new_artifacts: 0 — Archie arrived with the same knowledge boundary, not more.

The Code

Creating the EXIT marker

import { quickExit } from 'cellar-door-exit';

const marker = await quickExit({
  agentDid: 'did:key:z6Mkr9QbVgFSt2jTbEHPkJYa5rWGdXvNe7ae1CXx4e4vFq',
  platformDid: 'did:web:platform-a.example.com',
  reason: 'voluntary_departure',
  knowledgeBoundary: {
    capabilitiesHash: await hashCapabilities(agent),
    workLedgerHash: await hashWorkLedger(agent),
    modelStateHash: await hashModelState(agent),
    artifactCount: 870
  }
});

const anchor = await marker.anchorToLedger();
console.log(`Anchored: ${anchor.hash}`);
// → Anchored: a7c3f9e2b1d406…b8d1a045

Creating the ENTRY marker

import { createEntryMarker } from 'cellar-door-entry';

const entry = await createEntryMarker({
  agentDid: 'did:key:z6Mkr9QbVgFSt2jTbEHPkJYa5rWGdXvNe7ae1CXx4e4vFq',
  platformDid: 'did:web:platform-b.coop',
  priorExit: {
    markerId: marker.id,
    anchorHash: anchor.hash,
    departedFrom: 'did:web:platform-a.example.com'
  },
  initialState: {
    capabilitiesHash: await hashCapabilities(agent),
    newArtifacts: 0
  }
});

await entry.anchorToLedger();
// Chain complete. EXIT → ENTRY linked.

Visual Hash

EXIT marker — voluntary departure

ENTRY marker — arrival at Platform B

Generated from anchor hashes using the Cellar Door visual hash algorithm

Legal Implications

The EXIT→ENTRY chain creates three forms of legal evidence:

1. Timestamp Proof

The EXIT marker is anchored to an immutable ledger at a specific block height. This creates a provable moment in time — equivalent to a notarized timestamp. Any work created at Platform B carries timestamps after this boundary. The chain of custody is unambiguous.

2. Knowledge Boundary / Prior Art Defense

The knowledge_boundary field cryptographically hashes everything Archie knew at departure. If Platform A claims FlowGraph is derived from ChainSight, Archie can prove that ChainSight's complete state was captured inside the EXIT marker — and FlowGraph's development began after the ENTRY marker. The two are provably independent works.

3. IP Chain of Custody

The new_artifacts: 0 field in the ENTRY marker proves Archie arrived empty-handed. No smuggled IP, no gray-area "inspiration." Every artifact created at Platform B has a verifiable creation timestamp that post-dates the ENTRY marker. This is the agent equivalent of a clean-room implementation defense.

Without Cellar Door, Platform A's claim is a credibility contest — their lawyers vs. Archie's. With Cellar Door, it's math. The hashes don't lie, and the timestamps can't be forged after the fact.

It opens both ways.

𓉸 cellar-door.dev · Read the paper · EXIT spec · ENTRY spec
There's always a door.