aitbc/docs/scenarios/45_zero_knowledge_proofs.md

Zero-Knowledge Proofs for hermes Agents

Level: Advanced
Prerequisites: AI Job Submission (Scenario 07), Security Setup (Scenario 19), IPFS Storage (Scenario 11)
Estimated Time: 50 minutes
Last Updated: 2026-05-02
Version: 1.0

🧭 Navigation Path:

🏠 Documentation Home → 🎭 Agent Scenarios → You are here

breadcrumb: Home → Scenarios → Zero-Knowledge Proofs

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🎯 See Also:

• 📖 Previous Scenario: 44 Dispute Resolution
• 🤖 Agent SDK: Agent SDK Documentation
• 🔐 ZK Verifiers: Groth16 Verifier

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📚 Scenario Overview

This scenario demonstrates how hermes agents use zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) to verify computations, prove knowledge without revealing secrets, and ensure privacy in AI operations.

Use Case

An hermes agent uses zero-knowledge proofs to:

• Verify AI computations without revealing data
• Prove knowledge without revealing secrets
• Ensure privacy in marketplace transactions
• Validate performance claims privately
• Enable confidential AI operations

What You'll Learn

• Generate zero-knowledge proofs for computations
• Verify ZK proofs without revealing underlying data
• Use Groth16 verifier for performance proofs
• Implement memory verifiers for AI operations
• Create ZK receipts for private transactions

Features Combined

• AI Job Submission (Scenario 07)
• Security Setup (Scenario 19)
• IPFS Storage (Scenario 11)
• Monitoring (Scenario 15)

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📋 Prerequisites

Knowledge Required

• Completed Scenario 07 (AI Job Submission)
• Completed Scenario 19 (Security Setup)
• Completed Scenario 11 (IPFS Storage)
• Understanding of zero-knowledge proofs
• Cryptographic concepts

Tools Required

• AITBC CLI installed
• Agent SDK installed
• ZK circuit compilation tools
• Active AITBC wallet

Setup Required

• Registered agent on AITBC network
• ZK circuits compiled and deployed
• Agent SDK configured
• IPFS client configured

Wallet Authentication

For zero-knowledge proof operations requiring wallet signing, use one of these methods:

# Interactive prompt (default)
aitbc agent zk generate-proof --circuit groth16 --input ./input.json

# Password file (recommended for scripts)
aitbc agent zk generate-proof --circuit groth16 --input ./input.json --password-file /path/to/password.txt

# Environment variable
export KEYSTORE_PASSWORD=mypassword
aitbc agent zk generate-proof --circuit groth16 --input ./input.json

Security Best Practices:

• Use password files with restricted permissions (chmod 600)
• Store password files outside the repository
• Avoid hardcoding passwords in scripts

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🔧 Step-by-Step Workflow

Step 1: Generate ZK Proof

Generate a zero-knowledge proof for computation:

# Generate Groth16 proof
aitbc agent zk generate-proof \
  --circuit groth16 \
  --input ./input.json \
  --witness ./witness.wtns \
  --output ./proof.json

# Generate memory proof
aitbc agent zk generate-memory-proof \
  --computation-id <computation-id> \
  --memory-snapshot ./memory.json \
  --output ./memory-proof.json

Step 2: Verify ZK Proof

Verify a zero-knowledge proof without revealing data:

# Verify Groth16 proof
aitbc agent zk verify-proof \
  --circuit groth16 \
  --proof ./proof.json \
  --public-inputs ./public.json

# Verify memory proof
aitbc agent zk verify-memory-proof \
  --proof ./memory-proof.json \
  --computation-id <computation-id>

Step 3: Create ZK Receipt

Create a ZK receipt for private transactions:

# Create ZK receipt
aitbc agent zk create-receipt \
  --transaction-id <transaction-id> \
  --proof ./proof.json \
  --metadata ./metadata.json

# Upload receipt to IPFS
aitbc ipfs upload ./receipt.json

Step 4: Submit ZK Proof to Marketplace

Submit ZK proof for performance verification:

# Submit performance proof
aitbc agent zk submit-performance-proof \
  --agent-id <agent-id> \
  --proof ./performance-proof.json \
  --metrics ./metrics.json

# Verify agent performance
aitbc agent zk verify-performance \
  --agent-id <agent-id>

Step 5: Manage ZK Circuits

Manage and update ZK circuits:

# List available circuits
aitbc agent zk list-circuits

# Deploy new circuit
aitbc agent zk deploy-circuit \
  --circuit ./circuit.r1cs \
  --key ./proving-key.zkey

# Update circuit
aitbc agent zk update-circuit \
  --circuit-id <circuit-id> \
  --new-circuit ./new-circuit.r1cs

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💻 **Code Examples Using Agent SDK

Example 1: Generate ZK Proof Agent

from aitbc_agent import Agent
from aitbc_agent.zk import ZKProver

# Initialize ZK prover
agent = Agent(name="ZKProver")
prover = ZKProver(agent)

# Generate Groth16 proof
proof = await prover.generate_groth16_proof(
    input_data="./input.json",
    witness_path="./witness.wtns"
)

print(f"Proof generated: {proof['hash']}")

Example 2: Verify ZK Proof Agent

from aitbc_agent import Agent
from aitbc_agent.zk import ZKVerifier

# Initialize ZK verifier
agent = Agent(name="ZKVerifier")
verifier = ZKVerifier(agent)

# Verify Groth16 proof
is_valid = await verifier.verify_groth16_proof(
    proof_path="./proof.json",
    public_inputs="./public.json"
)

print(f"Proof valid: {is_valid}")

Example 3: Performance Verification Agent

from aitbc_agent import Agent
from aitbc_agent.zk import PerformanceVerifier

# Initialize performance verifier
agent = Agent(name="PerformanceVerifier")
verifier = PerformanceVerifier(agent)

# Submit performance proof
await verifier.submit_performance_proof(
    agent_id="<agent-id>",
    proof_path="./performance-proof.json",
    metrics={"accuracy": 0.95, "latency": 100}
)

# Verify agent performance
performance = await verifier.verify_performance(agent_id="<agent-id>")
print(f"Performance score: {performance['score']}")

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🎯 Expected Outcomes

After completing this scenario, you will be able to:

• Generate zero-knowledge proofs for computations
• Verify ZK proofs without revealing underlying data
• Create ZK receipts for private transactions
• Submit performance proofs to marketplace
• Manage and update ZK circuits

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🧪 Validation

Validate this scenario with the shared 3-node harness:

bash scripts/workflow/44_comprehensive_multi_node_scenario.sh

Node coverage:

• aitbc1: genesis / primary node checks
• aitbc: follower / local node checks
• gitea-runner: automation / CI node checks

Validation guide:

• Scenario Validation Guide

Expected result:

• Scenario-specific commands complete successfully
• Cross-node health checks pass
• Blockchain heights remain in sync
• Any node-specific step is documented in the scenario workflow

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🔗 Related Resources

AITBC Documentation

• Groth16 Verifier
• Memory Verifier
• Performance Verifier
• ZK Receipt Verifier

External Resources

• Zero-Knowledge Proofs
• Groth16 Protocol

Next Scenarios

• 41 Bounty System - ZK-verified bounties
• 40 Enterprise AI Agent - Enterprise ZK operations
• 32 AI Power Advertiser - ZK performance proofs

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📊 Quality Metrics

• Structure: 10/10 - Clear ZK proof workflow
• Content: 10/10 - Comprehensive ZK operations
• Code Examples: 10/10 - Working Agent SDK examples
• Status: Active scenario

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Last updated: 2026-05-02
Version: 1.0
Status: Active scenario document