How do I install the Governance Guard skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add modbender/governance-guard in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Governance Guard safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: PASS, Skill Scanner: PASS. Capability flags: executes scripts. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Governance Guard?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Governance Guard free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Governance Guard?

modbender (@modbender) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Governance Guard by modbender — Agent Skill

Name: Governance Guard
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: modbender

File contents

governance-guard

Governance guard enforces structural authority separation on all agent actions through a PROPOSE-DECIDE-PROMOTE pipeline.

When to activate

Before performing any write, execute, network, create, or delete action. The governance pipeline MUST be invoked before the action executes. Read actions may also be governed under standard or strict policies.

How to use

1. Full pipeline (recommended)

Run the complete PROPOSE → DECIDE → PROMOTE pipeline in a single call:

npx tsx scripts/governance.ts pipeline '<intent-json>' --policy policies/standard.yaml

The intent JSON must include:

skill: skill identifier
tool: tool/function being invoked
model: LLM model name
actionType: one of read, write, execute, network, create, delete
target: resource being acted upon
parameters: tool parameters (object)
dataScope: data categories accessed (array, e.g. ["personal", "financial"])
conversationId: current conversation ID
messageId: current message ID
userInstruction: the user message that triggered this action

2. Handle the verdict

The pipeline returns a JSON response:

If "governance": "approved" — proceed with the action
If "governance": "deny" — do NOT proceed; inform the user with the reason
If "governance": "escalate" — present the action to the user for approval:

Action requires your approval:
  Skill: <skill>
  Action: <actionType> on <target>
  Reason: <reason>
Reply APPROVE or DENY

Then resolve:

npx tsx scripts/governance.ts resolve-escalation <intent-id> approve
# or
npx tsx scripts/governance.ts resolve-escalation <intent-id> deny

3. Audit decisions

npx tsx scripts/governance.ts audit --last 10

Policy presets

Preset	Default	Description
`minimal`	approve	Blocks only credentials and destructive commands. Lowest friction.
`standard`	deny	Allows common ops, escalates network and data access. Recommended.
`strict`	deny	Reads only. Everything else requires explicit approval. Maximum safety.

Fail-closed guarantee

If any error occurs during governance evaluation, the default verdict is DENY. Missing policy files result in DENY ALL. This is by design. The system fails safe, never open.

Configuration

Governance data is stored in ~/.openclaw/governance/:

policy.yaml — active policy file
witness.jsonl — append-only, hash-chained audit log

Verify witness chain

npx tsx scripts/governance.ts verify

Any tampering with historical records is detected by recomputing the hash chain from genesis.

---name: governance-guarddescription: Structural authority separation for autonomous agent actions. Three-phase governance pipeline: PROPOSE, DECIDE, PROMOTE. No action is both proposed and approved by the same computational pathway.--- # governance-guard Governance guard enforces structural authority separation on all agent actions through a PROPOSE-DECIDE-PROMOTE pipeline. ## When to activate Before performing any **write**, **execute**, **network**, **create**, or **delete** action. The governance pipeline MUST be invoked before the action executes. Read actions may also be governed under standard or strict policies. ## How to use ### 1. Full pipeline (recommended) Run the complete PROPOSE → DECIDE → PROMOTE pipeline in a single call: ```bash npx tsx scripts/governance.ts pipeline '<intent-json>' --policy policies/standard.yaml ``` The intent JSON must include: - `skill`: skill identifier - `tool`: tool/function being invoked - `model`: LLM model name - `actionType`: one of `read`, `write`, `execute`, `network`, `create`, `delete` - `target`: resource being acted upon - `parameters`: tool parameters (object) - `dataScope`: data categories accessed (array, e.g. `["personal", "financial"]`) - `conversationId`: current conversation ID - `messageId`: current message ID - `userInstruction`: the user message that triggered this action ### 2. Handle the verdict The pipeline returns a JSON response: - If `"governance": "approved"` — proceed with the action - If `"governance": "deny"` — do NOT proceed; inform the user with the `reason` - If `"governance": "escalate"` — present the action to the user for approval: ``` Action requires your approval: Skill: <skill> Action: <actionType> on <target> Reason: <reason> Reply APPROVE or DENY ``` Then resolve: ```bash npx tsx scripts/governance.ts resolve-escalation <intent-id> approve # or npx tsx scripts/governance.ts resolve-escalation <intent-id> deny ``` ### 3. Audit decisions ```bash npx tsx scripts/governance.ts audit --last 10 ``` ## Policy presets | Preset | Default | Description | |--------|---------|-------------| | `minimal` | approve | Blocks only credentials and destructive commands. Lowest friction. | | `standard` | deny | Allows common ops, escalates network and data access. Recommended. | | `strict` | deny | Reads only. Everything else requires explicit approval. Maximum safety. | ## Fail-closed guarantee If any error occurs during governance evaluation, the default verdict is **DENY**. Missing policy files result in DENY ALL. This is by design. The system fails safe, never open. ## Configuration Governance data is stored in `~/.openclaw/governance/`: - `policy.yaml` — active policy file - `witness.jsonl` — append-only, hash-chained audit log ## Verify witness chain ```bash npx tsx scripts/governance.ts verify ``` Any tampering with historical records is detected by recomputing the hash chain from genesis.

Frequently asked questions

Governance Guard