I put my newly opened librem key into my newly opened Purism laptop. Turned on the laptop.
The librem key blinked red once before the boot continued.
This happens on every computer boot.
Is this normal?
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I emphasize it blinks red only once. Is this the known default behavior, before setting up the key? Have you seen this single red blink yourselves?
Mine does this every time it is plugged in whether or not during boot. I think it is normal.
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yes, normal. Even when used in conjunction with PureBoot, it will blink red once upon init, then green several afterwards to show successful authentication
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Thanks for the help! 
Thank you for asking this question!
As I understood it, if you ordered the key with your laptop, when you plugged it in upon arrival a flashing green or red light would indicate whether or not the computer had been tampered with at some point while en route.
Like you, when I first fired up the laptop and plugged in the key, it flashed red once really really quickly. It was so fast and fleeting that I almost missed it… but it was red, sooo…??
I searched the Purism site and forum, and couldn’t find any mention of what to do if one’s key flashes the dreaded red. I was about to contact customer support when I spotted your post.
So relieved! Thanks for the explanation, @MrChromebox!
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Are there any updates on this? My librem key flashes red once or even twice before it flashes green several times. The documentation states pretty clearly that if it flashes red then the files have been modified, but if it flashes green then the files are unmodified. There is no indication as to what it means when it flashes both red and green. How to interpret?
At the very least, the official documentation and marketing should be changed to reflect this behavior.
if it flashes red one time : NOD of recognition
if it flashes red a second time : a wink
if it flashes red a third rime : i smell trouble