C2PA Native Runtime Checks & Version Compatibility

ariadne runtime check

Exit code 0 and status: qualified require Linux x86-64 / Python 3.12, c2pa-python 0.38.3, native 0.91.11 and the SHA-256 in the packaged c2pa-bootstrap.json. Exit code 2 returns a machine-readable reason: missing dependency, unsupported platform, wrong Python wrapper/native version, changed/uninspectable binary or a hash mismatch. The diagnostic contains versions/hashes, not loader paths or uploaded media.

The upstream loader searches cwd and library paths and supports C2PA_LIBRARY_NAME. Preflight checks the actual ctypes handle's absolute path and the version returned by c2pa.sdk_version(). On qualified Linux it also checks the mapped function's device/inode through /proc/self/maps, so replacing the pathname after dlopen cannot qualify the wrong mapped file. It does not assume that the library in the package directory is the one loaded. A copied qualified binary can pass; a different build with the same version needs separate qualification. Hashes are cached per process/handle/file-stat identity; changed files and new processes are rechecked. It is not an extra binary hash per video frame.

Startup and failure behavior

Core SDK() construction is lazy, even when another application installed an unqualified C2PA. Supplying a signing identity checks an installed runtime. Every media export/verification, C2PA context and supplied HTTP service requires preflight before media is inspected or output is published.
Signing and every C2PA context enforce preflight. A mismatch cannot proceed to signing/publication. No runtime request downloads or repairs packages.
The supplied HTTP verifier checks its default child before binding a socket. The probe child is reaped; normal requests retain their resident worker.
Low-level inspect_c2pa returns not_checked, reason c2pa_runtime_unqualified, and an operator diagnostic. It does not report not_found or an invalid/forged signature due to an unsupported runtime. Independently available watermark evidence remains separate.
Core record/profile planning and independent signed-report verification do not require loading the native media runtime. Custom verifier implementations are responsible for their own preflight contract.

Recovery

Use the qualified Linux Docker recipe or, in the supported Python 3.12 virtualenv:

python -m ariadne_mark.bootstrap_c2pa
ariadne runtime check

The bootstrap is an explicit installation step; it verifies its pinned sources and force-reinstalls the wrapper/native pair. Restart Python and verifier processes afterward: replacing a disk file does not replace a mapped library. Inspect operator-controlled library overrides and cwd shadow copies if the loaded version still differs. Do not bypass validation to hide a mismatch.

The check happens after importing/loading the library. It is compatibility and provisioning-drift detection, not a sandbox, remote attestation or protection against hostile native initializers or a host administrator altering code/pins. Known OS/native vulnerability and combined-binary distribution qualifications remain separate. This check does not certify product/legal compliance.