Open source
Open source KYC software
OpenKYC will be open source at public launch. The wallet, the verifier and issuer SDKs, the agent CLI and the credential schemas will all be published under Apache 2.0, so you can read the code, fork it and run the identity stack in your own infrastructure without a per-seat licence.
To be precise about where things stand today: the repositories are still private while the protocol is changing. Nothing on this page is published yet. We would rather say that plainly than send you to an empty GitHub organisation.
What gets opened
Five pieces, each usable on its own. You do not have to adopt the marketplace to use the credential plumbing.
| Component | What it does | Stack |
|---|---|---|
| Wallet app | The holder app that stores credentials, signs presentations and manages keys on device. | TypeScript, React Native |
| Verifier SDK | Drop into your signup flow to request a proof and check it. Handles OpenID4VP and SD-JWT verification. | TypeScript |
| Issuer service | Issues W3C Verifiable Credentials from a completed KYC check, with revocation via status lists. | TypeScript, Node |
| Agent CLI and MCP server | npx @openkyc/agent. Issues scoped, revocable identities to AI agents and exposes them over MCP. | TypeScript |
| Credential schemas | The schema definitions for age, identity, address and agent credentials, plus test vectors. | JSON Schema |
Open standards, not just open code
Open source you can fork. Open standards mean you do not have to. A credential issued through OpenKYC is readable by any compliant wallet or verifier, including ones we did not build.
W3C Verifiable Credentials
The credential data model. Portable across any compliant wallet.
OpenID4VC and OpenID4VP
How credentials are issued and presented over the wire.
SD-JWT
Selective disclosure. Prove you are 18 without revealing your birth date.
Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs)
Identifiers you control, not identifiers a vendor rents you.
EUDI Wallet alignment
Built to interoperate with the EU Digital Identity Wallet under eIDAS 2.0.
Status List 2021
Revocation that a verifier can check without phoning home about who asked.
What free actually means here
Plenty of products market themselves as free KYC and mean a trial, a volume cap, or a free tier that stops being free at the point it becomes useful. Two different things are being priced and it is worth separating them.
Free
The software
SDKs, wallet, issuer service, schemas, agent CLI. Apache 2.0, no per-seat licence, no runtime key, self host it.
Not free
The verification
A licensed provider doing a regulated identity check costs money. Reusable KYC does not make that free, it makes it happen once instead of every time.
Why not open today
Publishing identity code that other people will build on is a commitment to an interface. The credential schemas and the presentation flow are still moving, and shipping a repository that we would have to break three times before launch is worse for everyone than waiting. When the interface settles, it goes public.
In the meantime the standards are public and the design notes are in the blog. If you are evaluating OpenKYC and you need to see the code before launch, get in touch at hello@openkyc.org.
Open source FAQ
Is OpenKYC open source?
Not yet. OpenKYC is in private development and the repositories are closed while the protocol is still changing. Everything listed on this page will be published under a permissive licence at public launch. If you want the repositories the moment they go public, join the waitlist and we will send you the links.
What licence will OpenKYC use?
Apache 2.0 is the planned licence for the SDKs, the wallet, the issuer service and the agent tooling. Apache 2.0 includes an explicit patent grant, which matters for standards-adjacent identity code that you are expected to embed in your own product.
What is the difference between open source KYC and open standards KYC?
Open standards mean the credential format is public, so a credential issued by one party can be verified by another without a shared vendor. Open source means the implementation itself is published and you can read it, fork it and run it. OpenKYC is built on open standards today and the implementation will be open source at launch. Most KYC vendors are neither: the format is proprietary and the code is closed, so leaving means starting over.
Will there be a free KYC tier?
The software will be free: no per-seat licence, no runtime key, self-host as much as you want. The verification itself is not free, because a real KYC check involves a licensed provider doing regulated work and that costs money. What reusable KYC changes is that the check happens once and is then reused, so the per-verification cost drops sharply after the first one instead of being paid in full every time.
Can I self-host the whole stack?
That is the intent. The issuer service, verifier SDK and credential schemas are designed to run in your own infrastructure. You still need a relationship with a licensed KYC provider to issue credentials that carry regulatory weight, but the identity plumbing between you, the holder and the verifier is yours to run.
How is this different from other open source identity projects?
Most open source identity projects give you the credential plumbing and stop there. OpenKYC adds the part that is normally missing: a marketplace where a credential issued once has economic value on every reuse, with the person who owns the identity taking a share. The plumbing is standards-based and open. The network effect is the product.
Be there when the repos go public
Join the waitlist and we will send you the repositories and the docs on the day they open.
Join the waitlist