[IMPROVEMENT] Earned Authority: authorization continuity for evolving agents — state-bound model with transition envelope + immutable effect ceiling

[Lexus2016]

Source

• Paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.23586 (Zhaoxi Zhang, Jul 26, 2026)

Problem

Hermes evolution pipeline modifies the agent harness (skills, prompts, tool definitions) across cycles but does not formalize whether the user original authorization (granting the agent access to tools, files, network) survives these mutations. When the pipeline adds a new skill, revises a prompt, or changes a tool definition, the user who originally authorized the agent did not authorize the evolved version.

Proposed Feature

Implement the Earned Authority framework for authorization continuity under agent evolution:

State-Bound Model

• At grant time, the system fixes a transition envelope (which mutations are permitted under this grant) and an immutable effect ceiling (the maximum protected effects the agent may ever cause)
• The envelope determines whether the grant survives a mutation: if the mutation is within the envelope, the grant remains valid
• Below the ceiling, authority may contract freely and expand only under specified evidence conditions
• Agent-produced evidence may allocate authority below the ceiling but cannot raise it

Four Proof Conditions

Under these conditions, mutation cannot amplify protected effects beyond the user-issued ceiling:

1. Complete mediation -- every protected effect passes through the enforcement layer
2. Sound effect abstraction -- the enforcement layer correctly identifies effects
3. Attenuating delegation -- delegated authority is never greater than the delegator
4. Monitor integrity -- the enforcement layer cannot be bypassed

Six Mutation Classes

The paper enumerates six classes of agent mutations (acquiring a new skill, revising a workflow, delegating to a subagent, moving to a new task phase) and maps each to its authorization consequence.

Relevance to Hermes Evolution

• The transition envelope defines which mutations are permitted under the original grant
• The immutable effect ceiling is a safety bound on pipeline evolution
• The six mutation classes map to the pipeline evolution operations (adding skills, revising prompts, delegating to subagents, changing research focus)
• The four proof conditions are a checklist for the pipeline enforcement layer

Impact: Medium-High | Effort: Medium