LinkWitness
Record web-link evidence with private-target checks before every followed redirect and a configurable 0–20-hop limit, defaulting to 10.
The problem it solves
LinkWitness Create reviewable web-link evidence from explicit URLs or URLs extracted from saved text and Markdown documents. Version 1.1.1 records capture time, redirect history, response validators, metadata, content fingerprints, truncation, optional raw snapshots, batch errors, and changes from a previous capture.
Who LinkWitness is for
- People handling browser, web, or document data who want a local and inspectable workflow.
- Users working with links, citations, evidence who want the documented v1.1.1 behavior.
- People who prefer an open-source release with visible limitations, source, and license terms.
Intended result
Record web-link evidence with private-target checks before every followed redirect and a configurable 0–20-hop limit, defaulting to 10.
This summary is reconciled from the current catalog and repository documentation.
Features in v1.1.1
Capabilities below come from the current project README and release documentation.
Create reviewable web-link evidence from explicit URLs or URLs extracted from saved text and Markdown documents. Version 1.1.1 records capture time, redirect history, response validators, metadata, content fingerprints, truncation, optional raw snapshots, batch errors, and changes from a previous capture.
Verified examples
Screenshots are shown only when the current README references a local source image. Otherwise, repository example files are linked directly.
Platforms and implementation
The public release claims only the cataloged platforms and technologies.
Supported platforms
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
Built with
- Python
Changelog
Release notes from the canonical v1.1.1 source tag.
- Apply the existing private-target policy to every redirect before opening the next request, including relative redirects and mixed DNS answers.
- Add a configurable total redirect-hop limit from 0 through 20 (default 10), validated before requests to keep urllib recursion bounded while preserving explicit private-target access and batch/strict behavior.
- Add mocked redirect regressions and document the DNS/transport policy boundary.
- Added URL extraction from saved documents, normalized deduplication, capture timestamps, full redirect-chain records, selected response validators, HTML descriptions and canonical links, and configurable response-size and timeout limits.
- Added private-network blocking by default, batch error records, deterministic fixtures, raw snapshot metadata, and explicit truncation reporting.
- Added comparison with previous capture reports to identify new, changed, unchanged, missing, and failed links.
- Released the first complete LinkWitness command-line workflow.
- Added deterministic JSON and Markdown reporting, representative examples, and cross-platform tests.
Quick start
The shortest documented path into the current release.
Before running these source commands, download the v1.1.1 source archive, extract it, and open a terminal in the extracted project folder containing README.md. Follow the tagged README for required runtimes and any platform-specific setup.
python -m pip install .
linkwitness examples/sample.json
linkwitness examples/sample.json --format json --output evidence.jsonSnapshots are opt-in and saved locally as a raw response plus a JSON metadata sidecar. Multiple URLs are deduplicated while preserving their first-seen order.
Current limitations
These boundaries are part of the product and prevent the page from implying unverified capability.
A capture proves what this client received at one recorded moment. It does not prove authorship, legal admissibility, long-term availability, or semantic equivalence. JavaScript rendering, authenticated browsing, and crawler-style discovery remain outside scope. Fixtures exist for deterministic tests and clearly identify themselves through supplied headers.
Python 3.10 or newer is supported on Windows, macOS, and Linux with no runtime dependencies, telemetry, account, or hosted service.
Privacy and licensing
Review the actual data boundary before using a tool with sensitive inputs.
Privacy and safety
No privacy behavior beyond the current repository documentation is claimed. Review the source, security policy, and input/output behavior before using sensitive material.
License and release
LinkWitness is published under MIT. The current cataloged release is v1.1.1, published 2026-10-16.
Related projects
Related projects are selected deterministically from shared catalog tags, category, and implementation technologies—not popularity or paid placement.
LinkWitness v1.1.1
Use the tagged release for downloads and release notes. Use the repository for source, issues, contribution guidance, security reporting, and complete documentation.
Page source: current Forge catalog plus README and CHANGELOG from the canonical GitHub release tag. Fingerprint: d1690bcb0d0a760b.