Root Authorizations

Learn about establishing Root Authorizations for Decentralized Trust Chains (DTCs) on cheqd.

What is a Root Authorization?

A Root Authorization — formally a Verifiable Authorization for Trust Chain — defines the governance framework and trust rules for an entire decentralized trust ecosystem.

It serves as the starting point for all Verifiable Accreditations and Verifiable Credentials issued within a trust chain. Every accreditation and attestation must ultimately trace back to a valid Root Authorization to establish its legitimacy.

The Root Authorization anchors the root entity — the Root Trusted Accreditation Organization (rTAO) — to a specific Trust Framework Policy, and enables verifiers to traverse the full chain of trust.

Purpose of a Root Authorization

Function

Description

Define governance

Specifies the trust framework, operational rules, and any regulatory requirements for the ecosystem

Anchor trust

Establishes a verifiable starting point for all trust chains

Enable validation

Allows verifiers to confirm that any credential ultimately aligns with an approved governance framework

Key Characteristics

  • Credential Type: Must be of type VerifiableAuthorizationForTrustChain.

  • Issuer: The DID of the Root Trusted Accreditation Organization (rTAO).

  • Credential Subject: The DID being authorized — this can either be:

    • The same DID as the issuer (self-authorization), or

    • A different DID (delegated root authority to another trusted organization).

  • Terms of Use: Must include a TrustFrameworkPolicy, referencing:

    • The name of the governance framework

    • A link (URL) to the full, published governance framework document

Required Fields

Field

Description

Example

Issuer

DID of the rTAO

did:cheqd:testnet:b003df6f-ec8e-48dd-9a2b-7011c5cf0a5e

Credential Subject

DID of the entity being root-authorized (same as issuer for self-authorization, or a different trusted DID)

did:cheqd:testnet:6af412d7-2f04-4e12-a424-e6719db487ad

termsOfUse

Must include a TrustFrameworkPolicy with a governance framework reference

See Policies

Example of a Root Authorization

{
  "@context": [
    "https://www.w3.org/2018/credentials/v1"
  ],
  "issuer": {
    "id": "did:cheqd:testnet:c6630f1e-9248-4af6-b7ac-5bcaf646f213"
  },
  "type": [
    "VerifiableCredential",
    "VerifiableAuthorizationForTrustChain"
  ],
  "issuanceDate": "2025-04-01T07:19:55.000Z",
  "credentialSubject": {
    "id": "did:cheqd:testnet:0a35d559-00ff-41b6-81ad-f64faa522771",
    "accreditedFor": [
      {
        "schemaId": "https://resolver.cheqd.net/1.0/identifiers/did:cheqd:testnet:c6630f1e-9248-4af6-b7ac-5bcaf646f213?resourceName=AIAgentAuthorization&resourceType=JSONSchemaValidator2020",
        "types": [
          "VerifiableCredential",
          "AIAgentAuthorization"
        ]
      },
      {
        "schemaId": "https://resolver.cheqd.net/1.0/identifiers/did:cheqd:testnet:b003df6f-ec8e-48dd-9a2b-7011c5cf0a5e?resourceName=VerifiableAccreditation&resourceType=JSONSchemaValidator2020",
        "types": [
          "VerifiableCredential",
          "VerifiableAccreditation",
          "VerifiableAccreditationToAccredit"
        ]
      },
      {
        "schemaId": "https://resolver.cheqd.net/1.0/identifiers/did:cheqd:testnet:b003df6f-ec8e-48dd-9a2b-7011c5cf0a5e?resourceName=VerifiableAttestation&resourceType=JSONSchemaValidator2020",
        "types": [
          "VerifiableCredential",
          "VerifiableAttestation",
          "VerifiableAccreditationToAttest"
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "termsOfUse": {
    "type": "TrustFrameworkPolicy",
    "trustFramework": "DAIAA Governance Framework",
    "trustFrameworkId": "https://medium.com/quantum-economics/why-we-started-the-decentralized-ai-agent-alliance-6eb0938d7bc5"
  },
  "proof": {
    "type": "JwtProof2020",
    "jwt": "eyJhbGciOiJFZERTQSIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9..."
  }
}

Important Notes

  • Self-Authorization: When the issuer and subject are the same DID, the rTAO self-declares adherence to the trust framework.

  • Delegated Root Authorization: When the subject is a different DID, the rTAO is immediately empowering another trusted entity to operate under the framework.

  • Policy Binding: All downstream Verifiable Accreditations and Attestations must reference a chain of authorizations and accreditations back to this Root Authorization.

  • DID-Linked Resource: The Root Authorization should be published as a DID-Linked Resource (DLR) attached to the rTAO’s DID for discoverability and validation.

Visual Flow

Root Authorization (rTAO defines framework)
         ↓
Verifiable Accreditation (TAO is authorized to operate)
         ↓
Verifiable Accreditation (Trusted Issuer is authorized)
         ↓
Verifiable Credential (End-user receives attestation)

Summary

Concept

Root Authorization

Defines

The trust framework and governance for the ecosystem

Issued by

rTAO

Subject

Either rTAO itself or another trusted entity

Credential Type

VerifiableAuthorizationForTrustChain

Linked Policy

Trust Framework Policy

Last updated

Was this helpful?