From 45d0b3d07af36654e4e6a92f8b2b7fcdf6845c4c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Imran Siddique <imran.siddique@opaque.co>
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 2026 11:26:53 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] fix(models): transparency is optional below Level 2

The model required a non-empty transparency URI on every record. That was
stricter than both of the repo's other normative artifacts:
schema/trace-claim.json requires the field but sets no minLength, and the
conformance suite runs TR-ANC at Level 2 only, where its own message reads
"transparency field is required at Level 2".

A Level 0 or Level 1 record is not anchored, so it has no receipt to name,
and the model left that unrepresentable. AGT hit it: its documented Phase 1
design emits an unanchored record and could not construct one.

None now means unanchored. Empty string stays rejected, deliberately: ""
is not a URI, and a field that looks populated but resolves to nothing is
worse in a trust record than an absent one.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
---
 src/agentrust_trace/models.py | 15 ++++++++++++++-
 tests/test_models.py          | 25 +++++++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 39 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/src/agentrust_trace/models.py b/src/agentrust_trace/models.py
index d0270b1..9bb7b2b 100644
--- a/src/agentrust_trace/models.py
+++ b/src/agentrust_trace/models.py
@@ -157,7 +157,20 @@ class TrustRecord(BaseModel):
     delegation: Delegation | None = None
     build_provenance: BuildProvenance
     appraisal: Appraisal
-    transparency: Annotated[str, Field(min_length=1)]
+    transparency: Annotated[str, Field(min_length=1)] | None = None
+    """SCITT receipt URI resolving to the inclusion proof on the transparency log.
+
+    Optional in the model, and required by conformance at **Level 2**, where
+    `TR-ANC` runs (`agentrust-trace-tests`). A Level 0 or Level 1 record is not
+    anchored, so it has no receipt to name, and the model must be able to
+    represent that. Enforcing a non-empty value here regardless of level made the
+    model stricter than both the conformance suite and `schema/trace-claim.json`,
+    which sets no minimum length.
+
+    Use `None` for an unanchored record rather than an empty string: `""` is not a
+    URI, and a field that looks populated but resolves to nothing is worse than an
+    absent one.
+    """
     cnf: ConfirmationKey
     signature: Annotated[str, Field(pattern=r"^[A-Za-z0-9_-]+$")] | None = None
     """Optional embedded signature (base64url, no padding) by the cnf key over the
diff --git a/tests/test_models.py b/tests/test_models.py
index 9970975..3689090 100644
--- a/tests/test_models.py
+++ b/tests/test_models.py
@@ -204,3 +204,28 @@ def test_delegation_extra_field_rejected() -> None:
     }
     with pytest.raises(ValidationError):
         TrustRecord.model_validate(data)
+
+
+def test_transparency_optional_for_unanchored_records() -> None:
+    """A Level 0/1 record has no receipt to name, so its absence must be representable.
+
+    Conformance requires `transparency` at Level 2, where TR-ANC runs. Requiring a
+    non-empty value in the model regardless of level made it stricter than both the
+    conformance suite and schema/trace-claim.json, and left an unanchored record
+    unrepresentable.
+    """
+    data = _load("intel-tdx.json")
+    data.pop("transparency", None)
+    assert TrustRecord.model_validate(data).transparency is None
+
+    data = _load("intel-tdx.json")
+    data["transparency"] = None
+    assert TrustRecord.model_validate(data).transparency is None
+
+
+def test_transparency_rejects_empty_string() -> None:
+    """`None` means unanchored; `""` is a URI-shaped lie and stays rejected."""
+    data = _load("intel-tdx.json")
+    data["transparency"] = ""
+    with pytest.raises(ValidationError):
+        TrustRecord.model_validate(data)