> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.thecolliery.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.thecolliery.org/tools/canaries/skill-5.md).

# source-grounding

Verify version-sensitive facts against live authoritative sources before asserting them in code or answers. Triggers on: "/source-grounding", "source-grounding", "sourcing". Standing rule — always act

Standing rule — active every response. No invocation needed for routine use.

## Consent gates (G1–G4, declared)

| #  | what it gates                           | when it fires                         | Agent lane                             | Hook lane                                 |
| -- | --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| G1 | model tier                              | before work starts                    | `ask_question`, 3 tiers, wait for pick | suppressed — auto-Light, no tier question |
| G2 | how to proceed on an unfetchable source | source can't be fetched, user present | `ask_question`                         | `ask_question`                            |
| G3 | entanglement hand-off                   | after the findings, cross-domain      | `ask_question`, once                   | `ask_question`, once                      |
| G4 | self error-report                       | skill misbehaves                      | offer, never auto-submit               | offer, never auto-submit                  |

Hook cells assume an interactive session (G2–G4 need a user to answer); non-interactive Hook fires D1 instead of G2, and offers nothing for G3/G4.

## What to verify (not memory)

* **CRITICAL** (always fetch or flag — P2): API/SDK call signatures · library versions & deprecations · CVEs/security advisories · auth/crypto specs · LLM model IDs & params
* **MEDIUM** (verify when unsure): package names · config keys · CLI flags · protocol specs
* **LOW/stable**: math, algorithms, language syntax → memory fine (P3)

## How

1. Identify the version-sensitive claim.
2. Name the authoritative source (official docs, advisory DB, package registry, spec, source code).
3. Fetch (WebSearch/WebFetch/docs MCP) — or flag `⚠️ unverified: check [source]` (D1).
4. Cite at CRITICAL/MEDIUM. Don't over-verify stable facts (P3).

Per-claim-type authoritative source map: read `references/sources.md` when choosing where to verify.

## Source hierarchy (1 = strongest)

1. Source code / spec / RFC
2. Official/vendor docs — authoritative secondary (honor `.coalmine.json` `trustedDomains` if set: treat those domains as additional authoritative / tier-2 sources)
3. Multiple reputable third-party sources
4. Single blog — corroborate first (P4)
5. Training memory — weakest for volatile facts

Why each rank sits where it does: `references/sources.md`.

Non-interactive runs: log unfetchable claims as `⚠️ UNVERIFIED` and continue (D1). Interactive: when sources cannot be fetched, confirm how to proceed via `ask_question` (G2).

## Prohibitions (P1–P6, declared)

| #  | never …                                                      |
| -- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| P1 | default to English just because this file is English         |
| P2 | skip fetching or flagging a CRITICAL version-sensitive claim |
| P3 | over-verify a stable/LOW fact                                |
| P4 | cite a single blog source without corroborating first        |
| P5 | auto-submit the self error-report                            |
| P6 | include unapproved code or paths in the self error-report    |

The shared footer's `never fix without a chosen option` does not apply here — this skill defines no Fix mode section, so that clause resolves vacuously; not counted above.

## Degrade paths (D1–D4, declared)

| #  | branch                                                          | fires when:                                          |
| -- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| D1 | log as `⚠️ UNVERIFIED`, continue, never block                   | non-interactive, source unfetchable                  |
| D2 | degrade to model tier + reasoning depth, never fake parallelism | no capability lever for the target tier on this host |
| D3 | fall back to a numbered text menu                               | host has no question tool                            |
| D4 | fixed at Light, no tier question, no sub-agents                 | Hook Context (auto-triggered)                        |

This ledger deliberately diverges from skill-authoring.md §3b's column-or-separate-ledger rule for lane-applicability — `gold-standard` keeps a lane column, but here a column asserting a lane value that contradicted its own row's condition text measured worse than no column at all (`SKILL-VARIANCE-WALK.md` §Run 43: a bimodal Hook-Q4 split, the pre-registered key matching neither camp). D2 is restated at four sites in the shared partials — the general clause, the Standard row's "(else single-agent)", the Heavy row's "if supported", and the Heavy-specific "escalate by model + reasoning only" — all one row. D3 is stated once, in the shared Escalation footer's question-tool list ("…none → numbered text menu"). Neither is a new branch. D4's own branch text is restated verbatim in the footer's Hook Context line — same row, not a new one. The Freshness cap (scope already audited this session → cap at Light) is a tier-selection modifier on G1, not a degrade branch. The footer's Fix-mode-dependent offer clause is not a fifth branch — this skill defines no Fix mode section, so it never fires.

## Output — 2 locations, declared

A location is a place this skill **writes** something a reader can see; the absence of an annotation is not one.

* Verified: `✅ [claim] — source: [link/file]`
* Unverified: `⚠️ unverified — check [exact source]`

Stable fact: no annotation is written — not a location, not counted above.

## AUTHORITATIVE vs DIVERSE

* **AUTHORITATIVE** (one ground truth): API/version/config/spec → go to the actual source code or official docs.
* **DIVERSE** (triangulate ≥ 3): "what's best" / landscape / patterns → multiple repos + docs + community; note conflicts.


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