Guidance for Owners

What would I need before applying?

An authorized relationship to the robot, its GRRC robot identifier, an applicable Certification Profile and the evidence that Profile requires. Begin in the separate Owner application for registration and the supported request and preparation steps. Account access and payment do not replace the evidence or certifier ceremony.

How does an Owner prove control of a robot identity?

The applicable Profile defines the evidence. The demonstrated initial path uses a request-bound challenge, signed robot proof and an audit transcript tied to admitted public keys. A valid signature demonstrates control of the admitted key material in that exchange; it does not by itself determine legal title or prove physical hardware identity.

Can my robot certify itself?

No. A robot or authorized service can help collect evidence and submit work within its delegated authority. It cannot become the certifier, issue its own certificate or obtain the certifier’s private signing key. Robot registration, local integrity state and GRRC certification are separate facts.

Can someone help me prepare an application?

The administration model supports scoped delegation. Assistance does not transfer certifier authority or permit access to unrelated organizations. Use the supported authorization mechanism when available; do not share a broad human login or private keys with a helper.

What if I already have an account or a registered robot?

Resume the existing account, robot and request. Registration, pairing and key enrollment do not need to be repeated merely because you return later. Keep the original request reference and read its recorded state before beginning a correction. A different robot needs its own admitted identity and evidence.

What if the robot is offline?

Evidence preparation or delivery may need a supported transfer step. Being offline does not remove identity or evidence requirements. Checking a complete saved verification bundle is a separate activity and can be done without contacting GRRC; its signed evidence and trust statements still have dates and limitations.

What happens if my evidence is incomplete or an evaluation fails?

The request does not advance as though it passed. Read the reported control or remediation information, correct the relevant condition and use the supported evaluation path. A passing result is still an evaluation outcome, not a signed certificate.

What if a submission times out or I lose the response?

Read the existing request or operation result first. A lost response does not prove that the action failed. If work committed, the supported continuation should return or use the original result. Preserve the existing identifiers and receipts instead of blindly resending or creating a replacement robot.

How do renewal, expiry and withdrawal differ?

Renewal produces a fresh certifier-signed certificate through the applicable process. Expiry is determined from the signed lifetime at the relevant verification time. Withdrawal is a separate authorized lifecycle action. The original certificate and history are retained rather than edited to look as though nothing changed.

These distinctions do not mean every lifecycle service is publicly available. The end-to-end renewal and public lifecycle paths remain development and qualification work.

What happens if the robot reports an integrity fault?

The robot’s own integrity state is distinct from the GRRC certificate input. Reinstatement after an actual self-decertification requires the applicable certifier-authorized, fault-bound process. Initial certification does not invent a prior fault. Neither the Owner nor a later clean decision can silently erase that history or force the blocked decision through.

Is asking for withdrawal the same as a completed public withdrawal?

No. An authenticated request, a local lowering of state, delivery of an update and observation of a signed public lifecycle result are different events. Read the actual recorded outcome. Closing an account or cancelling a service is not a substitute for the applicable certificate-withdrawal process.

What if a robot changes hands?

Account relationships, authority and key custody may need the applicable transfer or recovery process. They cannot silently rewrite the existing robot identity or certificate history. Whether new evidence or a successor certificate is needed depends on the governing Profile and the recorded change.

What if I lose access, lose a key or lose the robot?

These are different recovery problems. Account recovery restores authenticated access. Robot identity or key recovery concerns admitted authority and custody. Certification reinstatement addresses an actual integrity fault. None of them is a general reset of certificate truth, and an ownership dispute alone does not establish a revocation reason.