> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.geval.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Decision artifacts

> JSON artifacts written under .geval/decisions when you run geval check — audit and automation.

When you run **`geval check`**, Geval writes a **decision artifact** to disk (typically under **`.geval/decisions/`**) containing enough information to **audit** what was evaluated: contract hashes, policy results, signals hash, timestamps, and overall outcome.

Exact field names evolve with the **`artifact_version`** — treat the file as **structured audit data**, not a public HTTP API.

## What to use it for

* **Compliance** — prove which contract version and policy hashes produced a merge decision.
* **Debugging** — compare two runs side-by-side when outcomes surprise you.
* **Downstream automation** — ingest JSON in your own tooling (with version checks).

## What is inside (conceptual)

A multi-contract run generally includes:

* **`artifact_version`** — Schema version for the JSON file.
* **`geval_version`** — Binary version string.
* **`bundle_hash`** — Hash over the set of contracts participating in the run.
* **`contracts_combine_rule`** — How multiple contracts were merged for the overall outcome.
* **`contracts`** — Per-contract blocks: paths, names, versions, hashes, per-policy outcomes, combined decision.
* **`overall_combined_decision`** — Final merged outcome across contracts.
* **`signals_hash`** — Hash of the signals payload; optional **`signals_name`** / **`signals_version`** when present in the file.
* **`timestamp`** — UTC timestamp for the write.

For the exact Rust structs and version constant, see the Geval source under **`artifact/writer.rs`** in the repository.

## Location

Artifacts are written relative to the **current working directory** when `geval check` runs — typically **`.geval/decisions/<timestamp>.json`**.

## See also

[check](/cli/check) · [Versioning](/configuration/versioning)