Verifies that files have not been corrupted, changed unintentionally, or subject to bitrot. Created to warn administrators if important files get modified.

Unaltered scans a directory tree, computes SHA-256 hashes for files, and stores results in a local SQLite database. You can later re-run verification to compare current file hashes against the stored values.

• Python 3.x (uses only the standard library for the main script)
• For running tests: pytest

Clone or download this repository, then optionally install the development dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

This installs pytest for running the test suite. The main script (unaltered.py) has no external dependencies beyond the Python standard library.

Unaltered has two commands: index (build or update the hash database) and verify (compare current file hashes to the stored database).

Scan a directory and store SHA-256 hashes. Only new or changed files (by size/mtime) are hashed; unchanged files are skipped for speed.

python unaltered.py index --root /path/to/directory

Examples:

# Basic index of a photo library (creates integrity.db and report.json)
python unaltered.py index --root /path/to/photos
# Use a custom database and report path
python unaltered.py index --root /path/to/photos --db /path/to/integrity.db --report my_report.json
# Exclude certain extensions (e.g. temp files, databases)
python unaltered.py index --root /path/to/photos --exclude-ext .tmp,.db,.log
# Ignore macOS resource forks (._* files < 4KB)
python unaltered.py index --root /path/to/photos --ignore-deleted
# Use multiple worker threads for faster hashing on large trees
python unaltered.py index --root /path/to/photos --workers 4
# Write log output to a file
python unaltered.py index --root /path/to/photos --log run.log --verbose

Re-hash files under the given root and compare to the stored database. Exits with code 0 if all files match; exits 1 if there are mismatches, missing files, or errors.

python unaltered.py verify --root /path/to/directory

Examples:

# Basic verification (same root as index)
python unaltered.py verify --root /path/to/photos --db integrity.db
# Verify a backup tree (different root): index was built from source, root is the backup
# Uses hash-based matching so folder structure can differ
python unaltered.py verify --root /path/to/backup --db integrity.db --cross-root
# Parallel verification
python unaltered.py verify --root /path/to/photos --workers 4

If you prefer a graphical interface, run:

python unaltered_ui.py

The UI includes separate Index and Verify tabs with fields for:

• root directory
• database path
• report path
• exclude extensions
• worker count
• ignore-deleted flag
• optional log file
• verbose logging
• cross-root mode (verify only)

Runs execute in the background so the window stays responsive.

Verify runs also render a folder tree that highlights differences (changed hash, added, deleted, moved-from, moved-to) and rolls those counts up to parent folders so you can quickly identify affected areas.

A progress bar shows processed files and an estimate of how many files are left.

1. Initial index: Run index on the directory you want to protect. This creates integrity.db and report.json.
2. Periodic verify: Run verify regularly (e.g. via cron) to check for changes. If the exit code is non-zero, inspect the report for mismatched or missing files.
3. Update index: After legitimate changes, run index again to update the database.

pytest test_unaltered.py -v