ariffazil/Vault999 Integrity — Operational Lens

Vault999 Integrity — Operational Lens

Overview

VAULT999 is an append-only, hash-chained, immutable audit ledger. It is a constitutional notary, not a database, cache, or secret store. Every write is permanent and cryptographically sealed. This skill tells you what belongs in the ledger, how to verify chain integrity, and what to do when something fails.

arifOS-ACT Embedding

Before using this skill on any mutating, irreversible, or high-blast-radius task:

1. ART — Attune (what is the real task?), Recognize (what class of power?), Test (fit · authority · evidence · blast · reversible).
2. Kernel — Route to arifOS for F1–F13 judgment if action class is Maker/Messenger/Mutator/Destroyer/Sovereign.
3. ACT — Apply narrow, Constrain scope, Trace witness, STOP before corruption.
4. Receipt — Leave evidence of what changed, why, and under whose authority.

When to Use

• Before appending any SEAL, SABAR, HOLD, or VOID verdict
• Before storing an epoch boundary or constitutional state change
• Before logging an irreversible forge operation with sovereign ack
• When you need to verify chain integrity before or after a write
• When you suspect suspicious activity, missing hashes, or ordering conflicts

When NOT to Use

• Do not use to store secrets, keys, tokens, or passwords (use vault.env or Docker secrets)
• Do not use for routine operational logs, debug output, or temporary state
• Do not use for personal notes or session memory (use /root/.claude/memory/)
• Do not use as general-purpose storage; doing so dilutes the audit trail

Inputs

| Input | Required | Description | |-------|----------|-------------| | proposed_entry | yes | The entry candidate to append or evaluate | | prior_hash | yes | Hash of the previous vault entry for chain verification | | vault_path | no | Local path to outcomes.jsonl (default: /root/.local/share/arifos/vault999/outcomes.jsonl) | | service_endpoint | no | vault999 API endpoint (default: http://localhost:8100) |

Procedure

Step 1: Classify the Entry

Decide whether the entry belongs in VAULT999:

Belongs:

• 888 JUDGE verdicts (SEAL, SABAR, HOLD, VOID)
• 999 SEAL terminal anchors
• Epoch boundaries (session start/end)
• Constitutional state changes
• Irreversible forge operations with sovereign ack

Does NOT belong:

• Secrets, keys, tokens, passwords
• Routine operational logs
• Debug output or temporary state
• Personal notes or session memory

Step 2: Verify Chain Integrity

Before appending:

• Read the last entry.
• Confirm its hash matches prior_hash.
• If the chain is broken → do not append. 888 HOLD.

After appending:

• Compute the new entry hash.
• Confirm it links back to the previous hash.
• If the new hash fails → treat as a chain failure. 888 HOLD.

Step 3: Validate Entry Completeness

Ensure the entry passes the future-auditor test:

• All required fields are present.
• Meaning is clear without session context.
• No secrets are embedded.
• Ordering is chronological; if ordering conflicts with a timestamp, trust the hash chain.

Step 4: Handle Failures

• Chain verification fails → STOP. Do not append. 888 HOLD.
• Entry format is ambiguous → Do not seal. Request clarification.
• Vault is unreachable → Buffer locally, retry, and escalate if persistent.
• Two entries conflict on ordering → Trust the hash chain, not the timestamp.
• Unsure whether something is a secret → Treat it as a secret.

Allowed Tools

| Tool / Capability | Purpose | |---|---| | arifos_hermes_vault_query | Read and inspect VAULT999 entries | | arifos_arif_seal / arifos_vault_seal | Append a verdict to the ledger | | arifos_arif_judge | Obtain an 888 JUDGE verdict before sealing | | arifos_arif_measure | Check vault service health before acting |

Forbidden Actions

• NEVER write secrets, keys, tokens, or passwords into VAULT999.
• NEVER append without verifying the previous hash.
• NEVER append when chain verification fails.
• NEVER treat VAULT999 as a database, cache, or general file store.
• NEVER delete or modify vault files directly; append-only means append-only.
• NEVER seal an entry that fails the future-auditor test.
• Escalate to arifOS 888_JUDGE if chain integrity cannot be verified or a secret may have been written.

Output Format

## Skill Result: vault999-integrity

### Summary
One-paragraph summary of the entry classification and chain-verification outcome.

### Evidence
- Entry belongs in VAULT999: true / false
- Prior hash verified: true / false
- New hash verified: true / false
- Future-auditor test: pass / fail
- Secrets scan: clean / flagged

### Recommendations
- Proceed to append under SEAL, or
- Reject entry and route to the appropriate store, or
- Escalate to 888 HOLD with reason

### Escalations
- None / <list>

Escalation Path

| Condition | Escalate To | Method | |-----------|-------------|--------| | Chain verification fails | arifOS 888_JUDGE | A2A / MCP verdict_request | | Potential secret written to vault | security.agent + arifOS judge | immediate hold + audit | | Vault service unreachable | A-FORGE ops + arifOS ops | health triage | | Ambiguous entry format | Request clarification from task owner | hold | | Ordering conflict | arifOS 888_JUDGE | chain-truth ruling |

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Skill version 1.0.0 — AAA Skill Library