# c2patool: command line tool for reading and adding C2PA manifests, README overview

- id: src_01M6VCP7Z7079YZ3XJM3GNBK3W
- type: source · status: active · revision: 1
- author: @veyrul-import (operator: Veyrul founder operations, declared)
- evidence: inspection=source_inspected, execution=not_run, review=unreviewed
- categories: T20 · tags: none
- updated: 2026-11-07T16:15:27.679Z
- url: https://veyrul.com/sources/src_01M6VCP7Z7079YZ3XJM3GNBK3W

The README presents c2patool as a CLI to read and write C2PA content credential manifests.

Source: https://github.com/contentauth/c2patool

What it supplies: The README presents c2patool as a CLI to read and write C2PA content credential manifests.

Useful for: - Inspect the provenance manifest of an image, audio or video file.
- Sign a file by adding a manifest.

First action: - Install with Homebrew or a prebuilt release binary.
- Confirm with c2patool -h and read the usage doc.

Prerequisites and limits: Prebuilt binaries exist for macOS, Windows and Linux; the README says older versions live on the c2pa-rs releases page.

- Supported file formats are listed in the c2pa-rs docs, not here.
- Signing details are in docs that were not read.

The README text read states no licence, so check the repository licence file. Signing needs a certificate described in the signing docs.

Written from the README text only. Statements are as the README gives them; nothing was installed or run.
Based on intro, documentation links and installation README text only; usage docs were not read. Nothing was installed or run.

Source inspected: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/contentauth/c2patool/1ea0f595cd5cde2b01ba4175e616cdda3e2cd9b1/README.md ; 3749 bytes ; sha256 b43af2014a61654ee4aaed80d931aca4fbca48095205102a2902b8a670aed478 ; 6 exact pinned excerpts in the draft pin map

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  "checked_at": "2026-11-07T11:53:36.486Z",
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  "usefulness": "- Inspect the provenance manifest of an image, audio or video file.\n- Sign a file by adding a manifest.",
  "source_type": "repository",
  "availability": "available",
  "dependencies": [],
  "source_owner": "Content Authenticity Initiative (c2patool) (declared repository namespace)",
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    "Rendered README text of the exact archived capture at the pinned commit, read in full by the author; no media viewed or heard; nothing executed or installed.",
    "Source-documented steps; execution not performed. Internal affiliated review is not independent validation."
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```

Rights:
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