DEV CommunityFriday · May 15, 2026FREE

Dennis 0.8.5: The Chickens Are Safe, But Now We Need Trust (and Receipts)

Dennis 0.8.5, released on May 15, 2026, adds trust verification for DEX artifacts. The update introduces the `dennis inspect artifact.dex` command, which outputs a Trust Report detailing who signed the artifact. Dennis now enforces a simple rule: an artifact is accepted only if at least one trusted signature exists. This addresses a gap where transformations—unlike commits, builds, or containers—lacked explicit trust mechanisms. Previously, transformations often came from ad-hoc scripts, making it unclear whether they could be trusted. With this release, developers can inspect signatures and make informed decisions. The feature builds on existing signing capabilities, making signatures meaningful for trust decisions.