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jt55401 merged 1 commit into from
Aug 28, 2026
Merged

Clarify CMS setup and signing behavior #7

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42 changes: 32 additions & 10 deletions README.md
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# HTMLTrust CMS Reference

Reference CMS plugin for server-side content signing with HTMLTrust. Embeds cryptographic signatures into published content so that browsers and crawlers can verify authorship and integrity.
Reference WordPress and Hugo integrations for HTMLTrust content signing. They prepare published content for canonical hashing and embed signatures that browsers and crawlers can verify.

This is a companion to the [HTMLTrust specification](https://github.com/HTMLTrust/htmltrust-spec).

## Current status

The WordPress plugin and Hugo build integration are runnable. Drupal, Joomla, and Craft integrations are planned but have no code in this repository yet.

## WordPress prerequisites

- WordPress 5.0+
- PHP 7.2+
- PHP Intl extension
- Composer
- A running [HTMLTrust trust directory server](https://github.com/HTMLTrust/htmltrust-server-reference)

## Quick start

### WordPress

```sh
cd wordpress/
composer install
```

Symlink the `wordpress/` directory into `wp-content/plugins/`, or zip it and install it through the WordPress admin. Configure a server profile, link a WordPress user to a registered author identity, and enable signing for the post types you want to publish.

### Hugo

Copy the partials from `hugo/layouts/partials/` into your Hugo project, then follow the [Hugo integration guide](hugo/README.md) to wrap selected pages and run the optional post-build signer.

## What It Does

When an author publishes content, the plugin:

- **Normalizes** the content (strips markup, collapses whitespace) and computes a SHA-256 content hash
- **Signs** the hash via the HTMLTrust trust directory API using the author's private key
- **Embeds** the signature, author public key reference, and content hash into the published HTML
- **Canonicalizes** rendered content, including signed semantic attributes, and computes a SHA-256 content hash
- **Builds** direct-child claims, computes their canonical claims hash, and binds both hashes to the publication origin and signed-at timestamp
- **Requests** a compatibility signature from the HTMLTrust trust directory using the configured author API credential; the server performs signing for the registered author identity
- **Embeds** the signature, key reference, algorithm, content hash, signed-at claim, and direct-child claims into the published HTML
- **Supports** multiple author profiles, endorser profiles, and claim metadata (content type, license, AI involvement, etc.)
- **Displays** signature status on the frontend with verification controls

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -47,12 +75,6 @@ htmltrust-cms-reference/

## WordPress Plugin

### Prerequisites

- WordPress 5.0+
- PHP 7.2+
- A running [HTMLTrust trust directory server](https://github.com/HTMLTrust/htmltrust-server-reference)

### Installation

```sh
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6 changes: 4 additions & 2 deletions hugo/README.md
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Expand Up @@ -75,6 +75,8 @@ Run the post-build script to add the required `content-hash`, `signature`, `keyi

To add spec-conformant content hashes and full cryptographic signatures, use the post-build script after `hugo build`:

Copy `scripts/sign-site.mjs` from this integration into your Hugo project's `scripts/` directory first. The script uses only Node.js built-ins and needs no package install.

```sh
hugo --minify
node scripts/sign-site.mjs --dir public
Expand All @@ -96,10 +98,10 @@ The script finds existing `<signed-section>` elements (already wrapping the cont
```
hugo/
├── layouts/partials/
│ ├── htmltrust-signed-section.html # Core: computes hash, outputs <signed-section>
│ ├── htmltrust-signed-section.html # Wraps selected content in <signed-section>
│ └── htmltrust-meta.html # Optional: emits <meta> tags in <head>
├── scripts/
│ └── sign-site.mjs # Optional: post-build API signing
│ └── sign-site.mjs # Computes hashes and requests API signatures
└── README.md
```

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