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AI Agent Receipts vs Signed Attestations
Short answer: Signed attestations can bind a statement to a signer. A receipt adds execution context, observed output, and a review path. The two formats can complement each other, but neither proves an outside result that was never observed.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-23. This page describes a reviewable evidence pattern and does not claim an outside result without upstream confirmation.
Comparison matrix
| Question | Execution receipt | Signed attestation |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Record one execution and its observed result. | Bind a statement or claim to a signer. |
| Reviewer | A person or AI checking a public call record. | A verifier checking signature and issuer material. |
| Limit | Does not create an external confirmation. | Does not necessarily show how the claimed result was produced. |
Open a public execution receipt or call its verifier. The example reports verification_status: verified for the stored record. It is not proof of an unobserved external outcome.
Frequently asked questions
AI agent receipts vs signed attestations
Signed attestations can bind a statement to a signer. A receipt adds execution context, observed output, and a review path. The two formats can complement each other, but neither proves an outside result that was never observed.
What can a verifiable receipt prove?
It can show what the execution layer recorded and what its integrity checks verify. It cannot prove an unobserved outside outcome.
How can another reviewer check the record?
Open the public receipt, compare the tool, time, result, and status, then call the verifier. Keep outside confirmations separate from the execution record.