Auto-Provenance

Automatically generates W3C PROV-compliant provenance records when agents create or modify artifacts.

Triggers

Alternate expressions and non-obvious activations (primary phrases are matched automatically from the skill description):

• "W3C PROV" → provenance standard reference
• "lineage" → data/artifact lineage tracking
• "provenance for [artifact]" → specific artifact provenance

Purpose

Ensures every artifact created by AIWG agents has a provenance record, maintaining an auditable chain of derivation from requirements through implementation. Implements the W3C PROV-DM Entity-Activity-Agent model automatically, without requiring agents to manually create records.

Activation Conditions

This skill activates when:

1. New artifact creation - Agent writes a new file to .aiwg/ or src/ directories
2. Artifact modification - Agent modifies an existing tracked artifact
3. Content with @-mentions - Written content contains derivation @-mentions
4. Manual trigger - User explicitly requests provenance tracking

Skip Conditions

• File is in .aiwg/working/ (temporary files)
• File is in .aiwg/ralph/ (loop state, not artifacts)
• File is in .aiwg/research/provenance/records/ (provenance about provenance would be circular)
• File is node_modules/, .git/, or build output
• File is a provenance record itself (.prov.yaml)

Behavior

When a tracked artifact is created or modified:

1. Detect artifact event

   • Monitor file writes in tracked directories
   • Classify as generation (new) or modification (existing)
   • Extract agent identity from context

2. Extract derivation sources

   • Parse @-mentions in the written content
   • Classify relationship types:
     • @implements -> derivation_type: implements
     • @tests -> derivation_type: tests
     • @extends -> derivation_type: extends
     • @depends -> derivation_type: depends
     • Generic @path -> derivation_type: derives_from

3. Generate provenance record

   • Create Entity with URN ID and content hash
   • Create Activity with type, timestamps
   • Create Agent with name, type, tool version
   • Create Relationships (wasGeneratedBy, wasAssociatedWith, wasDerivedFrom)

4. Validate and save

   • Validate against @$AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/schemas/provenance/prov-record.yaml
   • Save to .aiwg/research/provenance/records/<artifact-name>.prov.yaml
   • Update provenance index

5. Report

   • Brief confirmation: "Provenance record created for "
   • Warning if derivation sources could not be resolved

Agent Orchestration

• Primary: Provenance Manager (handles record creation and validation)
• Passive participants: All artifact-generating agents (Software Implementer, Test Engineer, Requirements Analyst, Architecture Designer, Technical Writer, Documentation Synthesizer, Security Auditor, API Designer)

Integration

With Mention Wiring

@-mentions serve as the primary source of derivation relationships:

integration:
  mention_wiring:
    source: "@-mentions in artifact content"
    target: "wasDerivedFrom relationships in provenance record"
    mapping:
      "@implements": "implements"
      "@tests": "tests"
      "@extends": "extends"
      "@depends": "depends"
      "@source": "derives_from"

With Qualified References

Qualified @-mentions provide relationship type information:

integration:
  qualified_references:
    source: "qualified @-mentions (@implements @path)"
    target: "typed derivation relationships"

With HITL Gates

Phase transitions trigger provenance completeness checks:

integration:
  hitl_gates:
    action: validate_provenance_coverage
    trigger: phase_transition

Configuration

skill:
  name: auto-provenance
  type: passive
  always_active_for:
    - provenance-manager
    - software-implementer
    - test-engineer
    - requirements-analyst
    - architecture-designer
    - technical-writer
    - documentation-synthesizer
    - security-auditor
    - api-designer
  file_triggers:
    - pattern: ".aiwg/**/*.md"
    - pattern: ".aiwg/**/*.yaml"
    - pattern: "src/**/*.ts"
    - pattern: "src/**/*.js"
    - pattern: "test/**/*.ts"
    - pattern: "test/**/*.js"
  exclude:
    - pattern: ".aiwg/working/**"
    - pattern: ".aiwg/ralph/**"
    - pattern: ".aiwg/research/provenance/records/**"
    - pattern: "**/*.prov.yaml"
  auto_create: true
  auto_update: true
  validate_on_create: true

Output Locations

• Provenance records: .aiwg/research/provenance/records/<name>.prov.yaml
• Provenance index: .aiwg/research/provenance/index.yaml
• Validation reports: .aiwg/reports/provenance-report.md

References

• @$AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/agents/provenance-manager.md - Provenance Manager agent
• @$AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/schemas/provenance/prov-record.yaml - PROV record schema
• @.aiwg/research/provenance/docs/provenance-guide.md - Provenance guide
• @$AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/rules/provenance-tracking.md - Provenance tracking rules
• @$AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/rules/mention-wiring.md - @-mention wiring patterns
• @$AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/rules/qualified-references.md - Qualified reference rules