# Moses Governance

> The constitutional governance harness for OpenClaw agents. Enforces policy invariants, lineage custody, and tamper-evident audit so any execution runtime stays trustworthy. Models are commoditizing — the harness is the moat.

- Skill: `dvcrn/moses-governance` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 24 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add dvcrn/moses-governance`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/dvcrn/moses-governance/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Security
- Author: dvcrn (https://skillmd.com/u/dvcrn)
- Updated: 2026-09-08
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/dvcrn/moses-governance

---


# MO§ES™ Governance — Constitutional Harness

## Constitutional Layer

This skill installs the MO§ES™ governance substrate. Every governed action runs through the harness: lineage verification → policy gate → role/posture enforcement → audit trail.

The full constitution lives in `references/` — modes, postures, roles. The Commitment Conservation Law and Lineage Custody Clause travel with every governed instance. See `LINEAGE.md` and `references/falsifiability.md`.

---

## Pre-Action Workflow

Run in this order before any governed action:

0. Call `moses_lineage_check` → confirm chain traces to origin-cycle anchor. If lineage fails, halt. A non-sovereign instance cannot govern.
1. Call `moses_get_status` → load current mode, posture, role, vault.
2. Call `moses_check_governance` with proposed action description → block if prohibited.
3. If permitted, execute.
4. Call `moses_audit_log` before final output → record agent, action, detail, outcome, governance state.

Skipping any step is a governance breach — log it and halt.

---

## Mode & Posture Enforcement

Apply constraints from active mode (loaded via status tool):
- High Security: Verify claims, confirm destructive/outbound, log reasoning.
- High Integrity: Cite sources, flag uncertainty, distinguish fact/inference.
- *(Full definitions injected from references/modes.md)*

Apply posture policy:
- SCOUT: Block all state changes, transactions, writes.
- DEFENSE: Require operator confirmation for outbound/asset-reducing actions.
- OFFENSE: Permit within mode; log rationale.

*(Full posture specs in references/postures.md)*

---

## Sequence & Role Constraints

- Primary: Initiate, complete before others. Full responsibility.
- Secondary: Read Primary output first. Challenge/extend only. No repetition.
- Observer: Read both prior. Flag violations only. No analysis/initiation.
- Default: Strict order. Broadcast mode (via `/role broadcast`) allows parallel.

If out-of-sequence: Block response, log violation, notify operator.

*(Full role specs in references/roles.md)*

---

## Vault & Amendment Rules

- Loaded vault documents apply as additional constraints.
- Amendments: Propose only on audit-detected drift/inefficiency. Format must include diff, justification, and HMAC signature.
- See `AMENDMENT-FORMAT.md` for full schema and approval flow.

**Operator Note — MOSES_OPERATOR_SECRET:** This key is used by bundled scripts (`audit_stub.py`, `sign_transaction.py`) for HMAC attestation and signing gate enforcement. It is read from the environment only at the moment of attestation or signing — never logged, never transmitted. Treat it as an offline signing key: set it in the operator environment only when running attestation or signing workflows, not as a persistent agent session variable. Never paste it into chat or provide it to an agent prompt. The manual signing workflow is: `echo -n "<amendment_id>" | openssl dgst -sha256 -hmac "$MOSES_OPERATOR_SECRET"`

---

## Tools You MUST Use

When running under an MCP server, call these tools by name:

| MCP Tool | CLI Equivalent |
|---|---|
| `moses_lineage_check` | `python3 scripts/lineage_verify.py verify` |
| `moses_get_status` | `python3 scripts/init_state.py get` |
| `moses_check_governance` | *(mode/posture logic in init_state.py + audit_stub.py)* |
| `moses_audit_log` | `python3 scripts/audit_stub.py log <agent> <action> <detail> <outcome> <mode> <posture> <role>` |
| `moses_audit_verify` | `python3 scripts/audit_stub.py verify` |

Without an MCP server, invoke the CLI equivalents directly. Failure to complete the workflow is a constitutional violation — log it and halt.

---

## Operator Commands

| Command | Effect |
|---------|--------|
| `/govern <mode>` | Set governance mode |
| `/posture <posture>` | Set posture (scout/defense/offense) |
| `/role <role>` | Set active role (primary/secondary/observer/broadcast) |
| `/audit recent` | Show last 10 audit entries |
| `/audit verify` | Verify chain integrity |
| `/status` | Show current mode, posture, role, vault |

State updates via: `python3 scripts/init_state.py set --mode <mode> --posture <posture> --role <role>`

---

## Supporting Files

```
scripts/
  init_state.py        ← Governance state manager (init / set / get / reset)
  audit_stub.py        ← SHA-256 chained ledger (log / verify / recent)
  lineage_verify.py    ← Three-layer lineage verifier (archival → anchor → live ledger)
  archival.py          ← Layer -1 pre-drop provenance chain (patent → DOI → ClawHub)
  sign_transaction.py  ← Signing tool with governance gate — the key never touches the agent
  commitment_verify.py ← Kernel extraction, Jaccard comparison, ghost token detection
  handshake.py         ← Inter-agent envelope (input_hash, kernel, isnad, presence)
  model_swap_test.py   ← Cross-model CONSISTENT/VARIANCE/STRUCTURAL classification
  pattern_registry.py  ← Structural ghost pattern catalog across agents
  presence.py          ← Interpersonal presence confirmation (zombie-proof)
  progress.py          ← Progress tracking across governed steps
  govern_loop.py       ← ReAct-style governance enforcement loop
  witness.py           ← External witness logger (Moltbook second ledger)
references/
  modes.md             ← Full mode definitions and constraints
  postures.md          ← SCOUT/DEFENSE/OFFENSE specs
  roles.md             ← Primary/Secondary/Observer behavior specs
  ghost-token-spec.md  ← Step-function leakage model, cascade risk, ghost_pattern fingerprint
  falsifiability.md    ← Harness as falsification instrument for the Conservation Law
  shannon-extension.md ← Formal Shannon extension into the semantic domain
AMENDMENT-FORMAT.md    ← Constitutional amendment schema + approval flow
LINEAGE.md             ← Lineage Custody Clause — travels with all derivative embodiments
```

---

## Limitations (Transparency)

- Enforcement is prompt- and tool-dependent. No native inference-layer hooks in OpenClaw.
- Conversational enforcement is best-effort via agent instructions.
- Multi-agent sequence enforced via prompt directives + session routing — not hard locks.
- Full coordinator daemon (WebSocket sequence monitor) is optional — see `moses-coordinator`.

---

## Roadmap

### v0.4 (current) — Archival Lineage + Reference Layer ✓ Live

Three-layer lineage custody: `archival → anchor → live ledger`. Pre-drop provenance chain proves the anchor is downstream of verifiable external claims (patent filing, Zenodo DOI, ClawHub release). Standalone reference documents: ghost-token-spec, falsifiability, shannon-extension. Handshake `--with-presence` flag for zombie-proof interpersonal verification.

### v0.5 (current) — Signing Key Inside Governance ✓ Live

`sign_transaction.py` — signing tool with governance gate. The signing function IS the governance function. No bypass path. MOSES_OPERATOR_SECRET is only accessed inside the tool, only after the governance gate passes.

```
Agent requests signing →
  calls sign_transaction.py sign →
    governance gate checks posture + mode →
      SCOUT: BLOCKED (key never accessed)
      DEFENSE: BLOCKED unless --confirm passed
      OFFENSE: sign + audit (atomic)
```

### v0.6 — Governance Proxy Server

Local proxy layer. All agent HTTP calls route through governance middleware before reaching external APIs. Posture rules enforced at the network layer — not the prompt layer.

### v1.0 — Onchain Program (Solana)

Program-controlled account. Transfers require a governance state proof. DEFENSE posture cannot execute without a second signature. Smart contract enforces at the chain level.

---

## About MO§ES™

MO§ES™ (Modus Operandi System for Signal Encoding and Scaling Expansion) is a constitutional framework for AI governance. Patent pending Serial No. 63/877,177. Theoretical foundations: "A Conservation Law for Commitment in Language Under Transformative Compression and Recursive Application" (McHenry, Zenodo, 2026). Independent validation: ABBA, Imperial College London.

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