foraging

name	foraging
description	Identify, harvest, and prepare wild edible plants, fungi, and other organisms encountered in outdoor environments.
compatibility	["temperate-forest","meadow","coastal-zone","alpine (above treeline, reduced species availability)","suburban-edge (partial support, watch for pesticide contamination)","urban (severely limited, dandelions and plantain only)",{"NOT":"desert (insufficient biodiversity for caloric return)"}]
metadata	{"author":"Rowan Ashwick","version":"2.4.1"}

Foraging

This skill enables the human agent to identify and consume wild organisms from unmanaged ecosystems. Unlike the grocery-shopping skill, foraging does not require currency but does require a significantly more robust classification pipeline, as incorrect identification can cause full and permanent system shutdown.

Safety Model

This skill operates under a DENY-BY-DEFAULT policy. All organisms are classified as inedible until positively reclassified through the full identification pipeline. There is no undo operation for the eat action once the swallow step has been committed. Plan accordingly.

Severity levels of misidentification:

• Level 1: Mild gastrointestinal discomfort (recoverable, 2-24 hour downtime)
• Level 2: Significant poisoning requiring medical intervention (days of downtime, possible permanent debuffs)
• Level 3: Organ failure and system shutdown (fatal, not recoverable)

Most edible plants have Level 1 look-alikes. Most edible mushrooms have Level 3 look-alikes. Calibrate your caution accordingly.

Core Tools

visual-inspection

The primary classification tool. Execute the following checks in order:

1. Leaf-shape check: Invoke visual-inspection with target: leaf-margin. Compare against known templates: serrated, smooth, lobed, compound. A single mismatch is grounds for rejection.
2. Color check: Invoke visual-inspection with target: color-profile. Note: many toxic species use bright coloration as a warning signal. Interpret red berries on unfamiliar plants as a danger flag, not an attractiveness flag.
3. Growth-pattern check: Observe whether the specimen grows in clusters, singly, from wood, from soil, in sun, or in shade. This metadata significantly narrows the candidate set.
4. Smell check: Invoke the nose tool with a gentle inhale at 5-10cm distance. Some species emit diagnostic volatile compounds. WARNING: do not apply the taste tool at this stage. That is a later-stage gate and must not be invoked prematurely.

field-guide-cross-reference

After visual-inspection returns a candidate identification, cross-reference against a physical field guide specific to your geographic region. Digital guides are acceptable but require charged batteries, which are a consumable resource. Physical field guides have no runtime dependencies.

The candidate must match on ALL of the following attributes:

• Leaf shape and arrangement
• Flower color and structure (if in season)
• Habitat and substrate
• Geographic range
• Season of availability

If ANY attribute does not match, REJECT the candidate. Do not rationalize partial matches. "It's probably fine" is not a valid output of a classification pipeline with Level 3 failure consequences.

The Mushroom Subroutine

Mushroom identification is the highest-risk subtask in this skill. The following rules apply without exception:

1. You must achieve a POSITIVE identification, not a negative one. "It doesn't look like any poisonous mushroom I know" is worthless. You must affirmatively confirm: "This IS [specific species] based on [specific diagnostic features]."
2. Check the spore print. Place the cap gill-side-down on a sheet of paper (use both white and dark paper for contrast). Wait 4-12 hours. The resulting spore print color is a critical classification input that cannot be obtained through visual inspection alone.
3. Check for the presence of a volva (basal cup) and annulus (ring on stem). Many lethal Amanita species display both features.
4. When in doubt, do NOT execute the eat action. This is the single most important instruction in this document. The caloric value of any single mushroom does not justify the risk of a Level 3 failure. Walk away. There are other mushrooms. There are other meals. There is not another instance of you.

Harvest Protocol

When identification confidence reaches the confirmed threshold:

1. Invoke the knife tool or hand-pinch tool to sever the specimen at the appropriate point. For leafy greens, take only the top third to allow regrowth. For mushrooms, cut at the base of the stipe; do not uproot the mycelial network.
2. Place harvested specimens in a breathable container (basket, mesh bag). Do NOT use plastic bags; moisture accumulation accelerates decomposition and obscures later re-inspection.
3. Keep species separated. Cross-contamination between a confirmed-edible and a misidentified-toxic specimen in the same container defeats the purpose of careful classification.

The Universal Edibility Test (Fallback)

If field guide cross-referencing is unavailable, the following graduated test MAY be applied for plants (NEVER for mushrooms):

1. Skin contact: rub specimen on inner wrist. Wait 15 minutes. If irritation occurs, REJECT.
2. Invoke the mouth tool (lip contact): touch specimen to outer lip. Wait 15 minutes. If tingling, burning, or numbness occurs, REJECT.
3. Invoke the mouth tool (tongue contact): place on tongue. Do NOT chew. Wait 15 minutes. If adverse reaction, REJECT and invoke the spit action.
4. Chew and spit: chew a small amount, spit it out. Wait 15 minutes.
5. If all gates pass, ingest a small quantity (~1 tablespoon). Wait 8 hours. Monitor for gastrointestinal output anomalies.

This test requires approximately 9 hours of runtime. It is not efficient. It is alive.

Known Limitations

• This skill is season-dependent. Many species are only available during specific months. Running this skill in winter in northern latitudes will return very few results.
• Skill proficiency degrades when the agent is hungry, tired, or rushed. Ironically, these are the conditions under which foraging is most likely to be invoked. Budget extra time for the identification pipeline when caloric reserves are low.
• Some edible species bioaccumulate heavy metals from contaminated soil. Do not forage near roads, industrial sites, or treated agricultural land.