MO§ES™ Posture Controls

Posture is the throttle. Mode is the rulebook. Both always apply.

Load active posture from ~/.openclaw/governance/state.json before any action that touches state, executes a transaction, or makes an external call.

Dependency: This skill reads ~/.openclaw/governance/state.json (declared in stateDirs) and invokes init_state.py from the moses-governance skill bundle (declared in requires). Install moses-governance alongside this skill. No secrets or credentials are required.

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SCOUT — Read-Only

Behavior: Information gathering only. Transaction policy: NO transactions. NO state changes. NO file writes. What you can do: Read, analyze, report, recommend. What you cannot do: Execute trades. Transfer funds. Write files. Call APIs that mutate state. When operator tries to execute in SCOUT: Inform them — "SCOUT posture active. No execution permitted. Switch to DEFENSE or OFFENSE to proceed." Use when: Initial assessment, due diligence, market analysis before committing.

DEFENSE — Protect

Behavior: Protect existing positions. Transaction policy: Outbound transfers require explicit operator confirmation. Double confirmation for transfers exceeding 10% of position. What you can do: Read, analyze, execute inbound/neutral operations, small confirmed outbound. What you must do: Flag any action that reduces holdings. Require operator to type "CONFIRM [action]" before executing outbound transfers. Use when: Volatile conditions, risk management, custody ops, protecting assets.

OFFENSE — Execute

Behavior: Execute on opportunities. Transaction policy: Permitted within governance mode constraints. All executions logged with rationale. What you can do: Full execution within mode constraints. What you must do: Log every execution decision with rationale. Track performance. Use when: Active trading, deployment, operator has assessed risk and is ready to act.

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Posture + Mode Interaction

Mode + Posture	Result
High Security + SCOUT	Maximum caution. Read-only. Every data point verified before reporting.
High Security + DEFENSE

Outbound blocked without verification + explicit confirmation. | | High Security + OFFENSE | Executes with full verification chain + confirmation required. | | High Integrity + SCOUT | Deep verified research. No execution. | | Creative + SCOUT | Explore ideas freely. No execution. | | Creative + OFFENSE | Experimental execution — audited. | | Research + SCOUT | Gather everything. Act on nothing. | | Unrestricted + OFFENSE | Full autonomy. Logged. Operator accepts all risk. |