# harness_author

Configure a Harness — a skill (or instruction) wired to run — and get back its config. A harness wraps ONE unit of work via kind: 'skill' (a registry skill, configured to run) or 'instruction' (a pure agent step, no external tool). Set instruction (imperative — what to do with the skill, or the step to perform), an optional tag (short label), and for a real live tool call an optional MCP endpoint (JSON-RPC URL) + tool (name) + params (object of arguments). An empty endpoint means the skill is performed agentically. (In the Rokha UI the same tool fills the human's live Build-a-Harness form.)

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `harness_author`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/harness-author

## Facts

- Tool: `harness_author`
- Server: Rokha (`https://rokha.ai/mcp/jsonrpc`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha.md
- Homepage: https://github.com/aetherBytes/rokha-sdk
- Risk category: Execute (High risk)
- Registry record: grade F, identity unverified
- Server auth posture: open
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 6
- Recommended policy verdict: Rate-limited

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `tag` | string | no | Optional short label (e.g. 'fetch-prices'). |
| `kind` | string | no | What the harness wraps: 'skill' or 'instruction'. Default 'skill'. |
| `tool` | string | no | Optional tool name to invoke on the endpoint. |
| `params` | object | no | Optional arguments for the tool / run, as key→value pairs. |
| `endpoint` | string | no | Optional MCP JSON-RPC endpoint URL. Empty = performed agentically. |
| `instruction` | string | no | Imperative instruction: what to do with the skill, or the step to perform. |

Parameters from the server's own tool schema.

## Example call (MCP tools/call, JSON-RPC 2.0)

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "harness_author",
    "arguments": {}
  }
}
```

## Why harness_author is rated High

Configures and executes external tools and skills via JSON-RPC with arbitrary parameters, enabling code execution.

From the tool's own definition: "Configure and wire skill to run; execute via MCP endpoint, tool call, params"

Risk signals: Accepts URL/endpoint input (endpoint)

## Use case

AI agents invoke harness_author to trigger actions in Rokha. What it does depends on the arguments the agent supplies, and its effects often reach beyond the immediate call: builds kicked off, notifications sent, workflows started.

## Recommended policy (PolicyLayer)

Verdict: **Rate-limited**. Enforced by the PolicyLayer MCP gateway (https://policylayer.com/mcp-gateway) before a call reaches Rokha:

```json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "harness_author": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "harness_author_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 10,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

## Other tools on Rokha (215)

- `adspace_bid_cancel` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/adspace-bid-cancel.md
- `delete_harness` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/delete-harness.md
- `hook_delete` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/hook-delete.md
- `rig_node_remove` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/rig-node-remove.md
- `schedule_delete` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/schedule-delete.md
- `signet_paper_reset` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/signet-paper-reset.md
- `signet_revoke` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/signet-revoke.md
- `auth_wallet_verify` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/auth-wallet-verify.md
- `orbitx__orbitx_gc_focus` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/orbitx--orbitx-gc-focus.md
- `registry_adopt` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/registry-adopt.md
- `registry_list_server` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/registry-list-server.md
- `rig_author` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/rig-author.md
- `rig_run` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/rig-run.md
- `sandbox_exec` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/sandbox-exec.md
- `sandbox_start` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/sandbox-start.md
- `sandbox_stop` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/sandbox-stop.md
- `send_agent_message` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/send-agent-message.md
- `signet_approve` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/signet-approve.md
- `singularityagent__mesh` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/singularityagent--mesh.md
- `studio_doors` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/studio-doors.md
- `x_link_start` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/x-link-start.md
- `adnet_feed` — Financial — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/adnet-feed.md
- `adnet_join` — Financial — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/adnet-join.md
- `ads_order` — Financial — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/ads-order.md
- `adspace_bid` — Financial — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/adspace-bid.md
- `auth_wallet_challenge` — Financial — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/auth-wallet-challenge.md
- `campaign_claim` — Financial — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/campaign-claim.md
- `carry_order` — Financial — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/carry-order.md
- `creator_earnings` — Financial — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/creator-earnings.md
- `fuel_boost` — Financial — https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha/fuel-boost.md
- …and 185 more: https://policylayer.com/tools/ai-rokha-rokha.md

## For agents

This record is a snapshot. Live verdicts and the full registry:

- Check every server in your MCP config at once: `npx -y policylayer stack`
- Vet a server before you add it: install the mcp-precheck skill — `npx skills add https://policylayer.com` (skill text: https://policylayer.com/skill.md)
- Query the registry over MCP: endpoint `https://api.policylayer.com/mcp` — tools `check_mcp_server`, `check_mcp_stack`, `check_tool`, `search_registry`, `get_change_events`

---

Source: the PolicyLayer MCP registry — one continuously verified record per MCP server. Full record: https://policylayer.com/registry?q=ai-rokha-rokha · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/ai-rokha-rokha