The one genuinely new 2026 tool: a cryptographic 'receipt' that proves a tool actually ran

A 2026 research proposal called 'tool receipts' adds a lightweight signed record proving a specific tool ran with specific inputs and returned a specific output — cheap, unlike the heavy cryptography alternatives. The catch: it only works for tools the checker itself operates.

What it means There's finally a cheap way to prove a tool ran and what it returned — but only when you run the tool. A receipt a user hands you for a tool they ran themselves proves nothing.