| name | inspecting-managed-skills |
| description | Use when listing or reading agent-managed automation skills, viewing automation run artifacts, or inspecting skills owned by the standard Hermes user install without mutating them. |
Inspecting managed skills and automation output
The daemon automation loop (skill writer, memory curator, session reflector) drafts managed skills and records durable run artifacts. This skill is the read-only window into that state; every lifecycle change (approve, disable, archive, install) goes through the tracedecay automation CLI or the dashboard instead.
Workflow
- List managed skills →
tracedecay_skill_list (state?: filter by lifecycle state, include_body?): metadata, lifecycle state, usage summary, and stale/archive/improvement evidence for every agent-managed skill in the active profile. Start here to see what automation has produced.
- Read one skill →
tracedecay_skill_view (id required, include_support_files?): full metadata, body markdown, usage summary, and support files for a single managed skill. Use before recommending approval, edits, or archival.
- Read a run artifact →
tracedecay_automation_run_artifact_view (run_id, kind: e.g. traces, feedback, generated_evals, validation_gate, optimizer_diagnosis, codex_handoff): the hash-verified JSON payload of one durable automation run artifact. Find run ids via tracedecay automation runs list when needed.
- Inspect standard Hermes skills →
tracedecay_hermes_skill_bridge (include_skill_bodies?, include_pending_payloads?): read skills, pending approval records, usage telemetry, and archive counts from the one supported ~/.hermes install. The tool accepts no profile or home selector.
Guardrails
- All four tools are read-only; none of them approve, edit, or delete anything. For lifecycle changes hand the user the matching CLI commands:
tracedecay automation skills approve|disable|archive|restore <id> and tracedecay automation skills install --target <host> --output <path>. Hermes-owned lifecycle changes stay in Hermes.
- Managed skills are distinct from this bundled skill set: they live in the TraceDecay profile store, not in the plugin. Do not edit bundled plugin skills based on managed-skill evidence.
Handoff
- Running or configuring the automation jobs themselves →
tracedecay automation run / tracedecay automation config (CLI).
- Inspecting session-reflection fact automation outcomes →
tracedecay automation facts list|view|apply|reject (CLI; mutate only on explicit request).
- Memory fact curation →
tracedecay:project-memory.
If tools are deferred or MCP fails
- Deferred (names listed without schemas): load once with ToolSearch —
select:tracedecay_skill_list,tracedecay_skill_view,tracedecay_automation_run_artifact_view,tracedecay_hermes_skill_bridge
— then call normally.
- MCP error/timeout/disconnect: same tool, same args, via shell:
tracedecay tool skill_list (see tracedecay:using-the-cli).
Never query .tracedecay databases directly; never abandon the graph over transport.
Deliverable
Do not end this workflow without: the requested skill list, skill body,
artifact payload, or standard Hermes inventory, plus the exact CLI command for any
lifecycle action the user should take next. Report any tracedecay_metrics:
line to the user.