# Bounded SOPS Recipient Rotation

The default operation is metadata-only and does not decrypt values:

```bash
python3 scripts/sops_rotation.py --check
```

It compares each protected file's public age-recipient metadata with the first
matching rule in `.sops.yaml`. CI runs this check to detect recipient drift.

An attended non-printing decryption check may emit a receipt:

```bash
python3 scripts/sops_rotation.py --check --verify-decryption \
  --receipt reports/sops-rotation-check.json
```

Decrypted bytes go directly to the null device. They are not retained in the
receipt or command output.

Actual key updates require `--apply` and an approval YAML containing
`approved: true`, `approved_by`, `approved_at`, and an exact `changes` list from
the current plan. The command fails if that list differs from current metadata.
Review and preserve recovery-key custody before approving recipient removal.
Start from `docs/sops-rotation-approval.example.yaml`; the committed example is
deliberately unapproved and contains no usable recipient.

Rollback is a reviewed restoration of the prior `.sops.yaml` recipient set
followed by the same exact-plan approval, `sops updatekeys`, and non-printing
decryption verification. Git history alone is not recovery-key custody.