Verifiable Operations Ledger and Trace (VOLT) Protocol

The Verifiable Operations Ledger and Trace (VOLT) protocol defines a minimal, interoperable format for producing tamper-evident execution traces for agentic AI workflows. VOLT records are linked via SHA-256 hash chains and packaged into portable Evidence Bundles that can be verified independently by any conformant implementation. VOLT functions as a "flight recorder" for AI agent operations: it captures the sequence of events -- messages received, policy decisions evaluated, human approvals granted, tools invoked, and results returned -- with cryptographic integrity guarantees that detect post-hoc modification, deletion, or insertion of records. The protocol is privacy-first by design. Events carry metadata and content-addressed references rather than raw secrets or sensitive payloads. Evidence Bundles support explicit redaction, optional Ed25519 signatures for non-repudiation, and both rolling and final snapshot modes for long-running workflows.