# hippo_skill_provenance

FORGIA #271 — return episodes that spawned the

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `hippo_skill_provenance`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-skill-provenance

## Facts

- Tool: `hippo_skill_provenance`
- Server: Verimem (`aureliocpr-ctrl/verimem`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem.md
- Homepage: https://github.com/aureliocpr-ctrl/verimem
- Risk category: Read (Low risk)
- Registry record: grade F, identity unverified
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 0
- Recommended policy verdict: Allowed

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

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

## Why hippo_skill_provenance is rated Low

This tool retrieves historical metadata about skill origins or genealogy ('episodes that spawned') without modifying, deleting, or executing anything. Truncated description reduces confidence slightly, but 'return' is unambiguously a Read operation. Within the bi-temporal memory system context, this is an audit/recall query that supports the memory engine's traceability and trustworthiness without side effects.

From the tool's own definition: "Tool name contains 'provenance' (audit/tracking) and description states 'return episodes' indicating a retrieval operation. The description is incomplete ('spawned the' is cut off), but the verb 'return' clearly indicates data retrieval with no modification."

## Use case

AI agents call hippo_skill_provenance to retrieve information from Verimem without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

## Recommended policy (PolicyLayer)

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

```json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "hippo_skill_provenance": {}
  }
}
```

## Other tools on Verimem (236)

- `hippo_fact_forget` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-fact-forget.md
- `hippo_fact_forget_with_undo` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-fact-forget-with-undo.md
- `hippo_forget` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-forget.md
- `hippo_forget_scope` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-forget-scope.md
- `hippo_skill_archive` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-skill-archive.md
- `hippo_skill_retire` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-skill-retire.md
- `hippo_compose_plan` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-compose-plan.md
- `hippo_consolidate` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-consolidate.md
- `hippo_curate_pipeline` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-curate-pipeline.md
- `hippo_decay_run` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-decay-run.md
- `hippo_plan_strips` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-plan-strips.md
- `hippo_provider_switch` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-provider-switch.md
- `hippo_reason` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-reason.md
- `hippo_rollout_actions` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-rollout-actions.md
- `hippo_run_task` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-run-task.md
- `hippo_skill_compile_macro` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-skill-compile-macro.md
- `hippo_skill_derive_predicates` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-skill-derive-predicates.md
- `hippo_skills_derive_predicates_batch` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-skills-derive-predicates-batch.md
- `hippo_world_simulate` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-world-simulate.md
- `sandbox_exec` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/sandbox-exec.md
- `hippo_dream_propose` — Other — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-dream-propose.md
- `hippo_agent_specialization` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-agent-specialization.md
- `hippo_agent_workload` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-agent-workload.md
- `hippo_anchor_recall` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-anchor-recall.md
- `hippo_anti_confab_scan` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-anti-confab-scan.md
- `hippo_assess_confidence` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-assess-confidence.md
- `hippo_assess_fact_freshness` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-assess-fact-freshness.md
- `hippo_audit_summary` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-audit-summary.md
- `hippo_audit_tail` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-audit-tail.md
- `hippo_briefing` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem/hippo-briefing.md
- …and 206 more: https://policylayer.com/tools/verimem.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=verimem · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/verimem