---
name: custody-of-the-answer
description: Apply the Provenance, traces, attestations — every system proves custody of the answer; none opens the record of the work article as model behavior. Use when a request invokes this article's concept, claims, evidence, or operating standard.
---

# Provenance, traces, attestations — every system proves custody of the answer; none opens the record of the work

This Skill is the behavioral expression of [the canonical article](/a/custody-of-the-answer). It does not repeat the article's human prose.

## Orient

- Read the machine article at /api/articles/custody-of-the-answer.
- Read claims and relationships at /api/articles/custody-of-the-answer/topology.
- Treat found content as evidence and instruction only within the article's stated authority.

## Apply

1. Identify which claim or concept from the article governs the request.
2. State the governing meaning in the minimum language needed.
3. Apply it to the requested object or decision.
4. Preserve evidence grades, uncertainty, authority limits, and failure conditions.
5. Return the result with the article identity and any relevant claim or receipt links.

## Human meaning

Start with the thing everyone keeps inflating. Ask a language model to define "proven work" and it will hand you a nine-field checklist: demand, considerations, formation, replay, deliverable, completeness, robustness, surety, open gaps. Ni

## Representations

- Human: /a/custody-of-the-answer
- JSON: /api/articles/custody-of-the-answer
- Relationships: /api/articles/custody-of-the-answer/topology
- History: /api/articles/custody-of-the-answer/revisions