diff --git a/internal/cli/check.go b/internal/cli/check.go
index d10cd51..6514dbd 100644
--- a/internal/cli/check.go
+++ b/internal/cli/check.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package cli
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/dustin/go-humanize"
@@ -68,6 +69,24 @@ func (mfa *CLIApp) checkManifestOperation(ctx *cli.Context) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to load manifest: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	// Check signature requirement
+	requiredSigner := ctx.String("require-signature")
+	if requiredSigner != "" {
+		if !chk.IsSigned() {
+			return fmt.Errorf("manifest is not signed, but signature from %s is required", requiredSigner)
+		}
+		signer := chk.Signer()
+		if signer == nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("manifest signature has no signer fingerprint")
+		}
+		// Compare signer - the required key ID might be a suffix of the full fingerprint
+		signerStr := string(signer)
+		if !strings.EqualFold(signerStr, requiredSigner) && !strings.HasSuffix(strings.ToUpper(signerStr), strings.ToUpper(requiredSigner)) {
+			return fmt.Errorf("manifest signed by %s, but %s is required", signerStr, requiredSigner)
+		}
+		log.Infof("manifest signature verified (signer: %s)", signerStr)
+	}
+
 	log.Infof("manifest contains %d files, %s", chk.FileCount(), humanize.IBytes(uint64(chk.TotalBytes())))
 
 	// Set up results channel
diff --git a/internal/cli/mfer.go b/internal/cli/mfer.go
index 2be21ba..e99dd7e 100644
--- a/internal/cli/mfer.go
+++ b/internal/cli/mfer.go
@@ -181,6 +181,12 @@ func (mfa *CLIApp) run(args []string) {
 						Name:  "no-extra-files",
 						Usage: "Fail if files exist in base directory that are not in manifest",
 					},
+					&cli.StringFlag{
+						Name:    "require-signature",
+						Aliases: []string{"S"},
+						Usage:   "Require manifest to be signed by the specified GPG key ID",
+						EnvVars: []string{"MFER_REQUIRE_SIGNATURE"},
+					},
 				),
 			},
 			{
diff --git a/mfer/checker.go b/mfer/checker.go
index 147638f..13f0ac2 100644
--- a/mfer/checker.go
+++ b/mfer/checker.go
@@ -70,6 +70,10 @@ type Checker struct {
 	fs       afero.Fs
 	// manifestPaths is a set of paths in the manifest for quick lookup
 	manifestPaths map[RelFilePath]struct{}
+	// signature info from the manifest
+	signature     []byte
+	signer        []byte
+	signingPubKey []byte
 }
 
 // NewChecker creates a new Checker for the given manifest, base path, and filesystem.
@@ -101,6 +105,9 @@ func NewChecker(manifestPath string, basePath string, fs afero.Fs) (*Checker, er
 		files:         files,
 		fs:            fs,
 		manifestPaths: manifestPaths,
+		signature:     m.pbOuter.Signature,
+		signer:        m.pbOuter.Signer,
+		signingPubKey: m.pbOuter.SigningPubKey,
 	}, nil
 }
 
@@ -118,6 +125,16 @@ func (c *Checker) TotalBytes() FileSize {
 	return total
 }
 
+// IsSigned returns true if the manifest has a signature.
+func (c *Checker) IsSigned() bool {
+	return len(c.signature) > 0
+}
+
+// Signer returns the signer fingerprint if the manifest is signed, nil otherwise.
+func (c *Checker) Signer() []byte {
+	return c.signer
+}
+
 // Check verifies all files against the manifest.
 // Results are sent to the results channel as files are checked.
 // Progress updates are sent to the progress channel approximately once per second.
diff --git a/mfer/deserialize.go b/mfer/deserialize.go
index 838efc7..76a8655 100644
--- a/mfer/deserialize.go
+++ b/mfer/deserialize.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"crypto/sha256"
 	"errors"
+	"fmt"
 	"io"
 
 	"github.com/google/uuid"
@@ -45,10 +46,28 @@ func (m *manifest) deserializeInner() error {
 	if _, err := h.Write(m.pbOuter.InnerMessage); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if !bytes.Equal(h.Sum(nil), m.pbOuter.Sha256) {
+	sha256Hash := h.Sum(nil)
+	if !bytes.Equal(sha256Hash, m.pbOuter.Sha256) {
 		return errors.New("compressed data hash mismatch")
 	}
 
+	// Verify signature if present
+	if len(m.pbOuter.Signature) > 0 {
+		if len(m.pbOuter.SigningPubKey) == 0 {
+			return errors.New("signature present but no public key")
+		}
+
+		sigString, err := m.signatureString()
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to generate signature string for verification: %w", err)
+		}
+
+		if err := gpgVerify([]byte(sigString), m.pbOuter.Signature, m.pbOuter.SigningPubKey); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("signature verification failed: %w", err)
+		}
+		log.Infof("signature verified successfully")
+	}
+
 	bb := bytes.NewBuffer(m.pbOuter.InnerMessage)
 
 	zr, err := zstd.NewReader(bb)
diff --git a/mfer/gpg.go b/mfer/gpg.go
index 8c2e02e..94b5bca 100644
--- a/mfer/gpg.go
+++ b/mfer/gpg.go
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@ package mfer
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
+	"os"
 	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 )
 
@@ -88,3 +90,64 @@ func gpgGetKeyFingerprint(keyID GPGKeyID) ([]byte, error) {
 
 	return nil, fmt.Errorf("fingerprint not found for key: %s", keyID)
 }
+
+// gpgVerify verifies a detached signature against data using the provided public key.
+// It creates a temporary keyring to import the public key for verification.
+func gpgVerify(data, signature, pubKey []byte) error {
+	// Create temporary directory for GPG operations
+	tmpDir, err := os.MkdirTemp("", "mfer-gpg-verify-*")
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create temp dir: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer os.RemoveAll(tmpDir)
+
+	// Set restrictive permissions
+	if err := os.Chmod(tmpDir, 0o700); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to set temp dir permissions: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Write public key to temp file
+	pubKeyFile := filepath.Join(tmpDir, "pubkey.asc")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(pubKeyFile, pubKey, 0o600); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to write public key: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Write signature to temp file
+	sigFile := filepath.Join(tmpDir, "signature.asc")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(sigFile, signature, 0o600); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to write signature: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Write data to temp file
+	dataFile := filepath.Join(tmpDir, "data")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(dataFile, data, 0o600); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to write data: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Import the public key into the temporary keyring
+	importCmd := exec.Command("gpg",
+		"--homedir", tmpDir,
+		"--import",
+		pubKeyFile,
+	)
+	var importStderr bytes.Buffer
+	importCmd.Stderr = &importStderr
+	if err := importCmd.Run(); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to import public key: %w: %s", err, importStderr.String())
+	}
+
+	// Verify the signature
+	verifyCmd := exec.Command("gpg",
+		"--homedir", tmpDir,
+		"--verify",
+		sigFile,
+		dataFile,
+	)
+	var verifyStderr bytes.Buffer
+	verifyCmd.Stderr = &verifyStderr
+	if err := verifyCmd.Run(); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("signature verification failed: %w: %s", err, verifyStderr.String())
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/mfer/gpg_test.go b/mfer/gpg_test.go
index 1f448c6..97f72e2 100644
--- a/mfer/gpg_test.go
+++ b/mfer/gpg_test.go
@@ -210,6 +210,117 @@ func TestScannerWithSigning(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.NotEmpty(t, manifest.pbOuter.SigningPubKey)
 }
 
+func TestGPGVerify(t *testing.T) {
+	keyID, cleanup := testGPGEnv(t)
+	defer cleanup()
+
+	data := []byte("test data to sign and verify")
+	sig, err := gpgSign(data, keyID)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	pubKey, err := gpgExportPublicKey(keyID)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Verify the signature
+	err = gpgVerify(data, sig, pubKey)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+}
+
+func TestGPGVerifyInvalidSignature(t *testing.T) {
+	keyID, cleanup := testGPGEnv(t)
+	defer cleanup()
+
+	data := []byte("test data to sign")
+	sig, err := gpgSign(data, keyID)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	pubKey, err := gpgExportPublicKey(keyID)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Try to verify with different data - should fail
+	wrongData := []byte("different data")
+	err = gpgVerify(wrongData, sig, pubKey)
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+}
+
+func TestGPGVerifyBadPublicKey(t *testing.T) {
+	keyID, cleanup := testGPGEnv(t)
+	defer cleanup()
+
+	data := []byte("test data")
+	sig, err := gpgSign(data, keyID)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Try to verify with invalid public key - should fail
+	badPubKey := []byte("not a valid public key")
+	err = gpgVerify(data, sig, badPubKey)
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+}
+
+func TestManifestSignatureVerification(t *testing.T) {
+	keyID, cleanup := testGPGEnv(t)
+	defer cleanup()
+
+	// Create a builder with signing options
+	b := NewBuilder()
+	b.SetSigningOptions(&SigningOptions{
+		KeyID: keyID,
+	})
+
+	// Add a test file
+	content := []byte("test file content for verification")
+	reader := bytes.NewReader(content)
+	_, err := b.AddFile("test.txt", FileSize(len(content)), ModTime{}, reader, nil)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Build the manifest
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	err = b.Build(&buf)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Parse the manifest - signature should be verified during load
+	manifest, err := NewManifestFromReader(&buf)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NotNil(t, manifest)
+
+	// Signature should be present and valid
+	assert.NotEmpty(t, manifest.pbOuter.Signature)
+}
+
+func TestManifestTamperedSignatureFails(t *testing.T) {
+	keyID, cleanup := testGPGEnv(t)
+	defer cleanup()
+
+	// Create a signed manifest
+	b := NewBuilder()
+	b.SetSigningOptions(&SigningOptions{
+		KeyID: keyID,
+	})
+
+	content := []byte("test file content")
+	reader := bytes.NewReader(content)
+	_, err := b.AddFile("test.txt", FileSize(len(content)), ModTime{}, reader, nil)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	err = b.Build(&buf)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Tamper with the signature by replacing some bytes
+	data := buf.Bytes()
+	// Find and modify a byte in the signature portion
+	for i := range data {
+		if i > 100 && data[i] == 'A' {
+			data[i] = 'B'
+			break
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Try to load the tampered manifest - should fail
+	_, err = NewManifestFromReader(bytes.NewReader(data))
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+}
+
 func TestBuilderWithoutSigning(t *testing.T) {
 	// Create a builder without signing options
 	b := NewBuilder()
diff --git a/mfer/manifest.go b/mfer/manifest.go
index 9792c13..203c79c 100644
--- a/mfer/manifest.go
+++ b/mfer/manifest.go
@@ -2,7 +2,11 @@ package mfer
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+
+	"github.com/multiformats/go-multihash"
 )
 
 // manifest holds the internal representation of a manifest file.
@@ -30,3 +34,26 @@ func (m *manifest) Files() []*MFFilePath {
 	}
 	return m.pbInner.Files
 }
+
+// signatureString generates the canonical string used for signing/verification.
+// Format: MAGIC-UUID-MULTIHASH where UUID and multihash are hex-encoded.
+// Requires pbOuter to be set with Uuid and Sha256 fields.
+func (m *manifest) signatureString() (string, error) {
+	if m.pbOuter == nil {
+		return "", errors.New("pbOuter not set")
+	}
+	if len(m.pbOuter.Uuid) == 0 {
+		return "", errors.New("UUID not set")
+	}
+	if len(m.pbOuter.Sha256) == 0 {
+		return "", errors.New("SHA256 hash not set")
+	}
+
+	mh, err := multihash.Encode(m.pbOuter.Sha256, multihash.SHA2_256)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to encode multihash: %w", err)
+	}
+	uuidStr := hex.EncodeToString(m.pbOuter.Uuid)
+	mhStr := hex.EncodeToString(mh)
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%s-%s-%s", MAGIC, uuidStr, mhStr), nil
+}
diff --git a/mfer/serialize.go b/mfer/serialize.go
index 8c73f38..0a2898c 100644
--- a/mfer/serialize.go
+++ b/mfer/serialize.go
@@ -3,14 +3,12 @@ package mfer
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"crypto/sha256"
-	"encoding/hex"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/google/uuid"
 	"github.com/klauspost/compress/zstd"
-	"github.com/multiformats/go-multihash"
 	"google.golang.org/protobuf/proto"
 )
 
@@ -82,7 +80,7 @@ func (m *manifest) generateOuter() error {
 	}
 	sha256Hash := h.Sum(nil)
 
-	o := &MFFileOuter{
+	m.pbOuter = &MFFileOuter{
 		InnerMessage:    compressedData,
 		Size:            int64(len(innerData)),
 		Sha256:          sha256Hash,
@@ -93,36 +91,29 @@ func (m *manifest) generateOuter() error {
 
 	// Sign the manifest if signing options are provided
 	if m.signingOptions != nil && m.signingOptions.KeyID != "" {
-		// Encode hash as multihash
-		mh, err := multihash.Encode(sha256Hash, multihash.SHA2_256)
+		sigString, err := m.signatureString()
 		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("failed to encode multihash: %w", err)
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to generate signature string: %w", err)
 		}
 
-		// Build signature string: MAGIC-UUID-MULTIHASH
-		uuidStr := hex.EncodeToString(manifestUUID[:])
-		mhStr := hex.EncodeToString(mh)
-		sigString := fmt.Sprintf("%s-%s-%s", MAGIC, uuidStr, mhStr)
-
 		sig, err := gpgSign([]byte(sigString), m.signingOptions.KeyID)
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to sign manifest: %w", err)
 		}
-		o.Signature = sig
+		m.pbOuter.Signature = sig
 
 		fingerprint, err := gpgGetKeyFingerprint(m.signingOptions.KeyID)
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to get key fingerprint: %w", err)
 		}
-		o.Signer = fingerprint
+		m.pbOuter.Signer = fingerprint
 
 		pubKey, err := gpgExportPublicKey(m.signingOptions.KeyID)
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to export public key: %w", err)
 		}
-		o.SigningPubKey = pubKey
+		m.pbOuter.SigningPubKey = pubKey
 	}
 
-	m.pbOuter = o
 	return nil
 }