epistemic-grounding

Classifies claims against evidence using a grounding ladder, confidence caps, and contradiction checks.

43|8|Updated Mar 25, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/buriedsignals/spotlight --skill epistemic-grounding-buriedsignals
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: epistemic-grounding
Source: https://github.com/buriedsignals/spotlight/tree/main/skills/epistemic-grounding
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/buriedsignals/spotlight --skill epistemic-grounding-buriedsignals

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Agents and analysts routinely turn source material into claims without verifying whether the evidence actually supports each element of the claim, leading to overconfident findings, misgrounded citations, and unresolved contradictions entering reports and knowledge vaults. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Grounding Ladder Classification: Ranks every candidate finding from unsourced signal to independently verified finding, so only levels 4-5 can carry high confidence. - Element-Wise Grounding Checks: Breaks claims into actor, action, date, place, amount, and relationship, then maps each element to exact quotes, records, or metadata with source-role and support-type labels. - Confidence Caps and Contradiction Routing: Enforces maximum confidence rules (e.g., snippet-only sources capped at low) and classifies contradictions into value, time, existence, connection, and location categories without auto-resolving them. - Use Case: During an OSINT investigation, a finding states a company filed for bankruptcy on a specific date. The skill requires the exact filing record as a primary source, caps confidence at medium until independent corroboration exists, and emits a structured grounding object in findings.json. ## Quick Start Evaluate whether the cited sources in this draft finding actually ground each material claim element, assign a confidence cap, and flag any contradictions.

Frequently Asked Questions about epistemic-grounding

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I verify whether a source actually supports a claim?

Break the claim into material elements (actor, action, date, place, amount, relationship) and identify the exact quote, record, or field supporting each one. Classify the source role as primary, secondary, or contextual, and the support as direct, indirect, inferred, contradicted, or insufficient.

What confidence level should a claim with only secondary sources get?

Claims supported only by secondary sources are capped at medium confidence. High confidence requires a direct primary source plus independent corroboration with no unresolved contradiction.

How are contradictions between sources handled in fact-checking?

Contradictions are classified into five categories: value mismatch, time impossibility, existence dispute, connection paradox, and location impossibility. Both evidence trails are preserved, and the claim is marked disputed rather than resolved by counting sources or ranking provider trust.

Can a search snippet or generated URL ground a finding?

No. Search snippets, generated URLs, and model recall are treated as leads, not grounds, until the source is fetched and archived. Snippet-only evidence caps confidence at low.

When should a claim be marked as a lead instead of a finding?

A claim is a lead when it has no source anchor or when the source only mentions the topic without supporting the claim elements. Only directly grounded or independently verified claims qualify as findings.