# Adopt an older artifact with its history and discussion > An inactive ownership request starts a purpose-bound ownership check for an older consumer artifact. Verified provenance records the snapshot observed by its source owner. It does not copy files, change sharing, activate a writer or make the artifact available through task readers. The existing artifact remains editable through its current owner. canonical: https://agentsky.dev/help/inactive-artifact-adoption source: https://agentsky.dev/help/inactive-artifact-adoption.md updated: 2026-10-31 --- An inactive ownership request starts a purpose-bound ownership check for an older consumer artifact. Verified provenance records the snapshot observed by its source owner. It does not copy files, change sharing, activate a writer or make the artifact available through task readers. The existing artifact remains editable through its current owner. Use your own unrestricted personal write key. The exact first-party consumer bearer is also supported; collaborator, workspace, app, task, restricted and read-only credentials cannot perform this handshake. Reading a request or proof requires write scope too. 1. Run `sky artifact adoption request --request-id ` with a 16–120 character request id. Keep the returned target id. 2. Run `sky artifact adoption prepare --target --request-id ` to bind the current source snapshot. 3. Run `sky artifact adoption verify `. The result stays inactive. `read ` shows the intent; `proof --target --request-id ` reads the current proof. Reuse the same request id after an uncertain response. If the content or sharing policy changes, the old proof becomes stale. Run `cancel --request-id ` first, then `cancel-source --target --request-id `. Create a fresh request with a new id. Retired requests cannot be revived or used to clear a newer request. Cancellation keeps the source unbound; its fence counter may advance on retries. A concurrent stale cancellation may return 409; explicitly re-read before retrying. The same seven operations have named MCP tools: `request_artifact_adoption`, `read_artifact_adoption`, `prepare_artifact_adoption`, `proof_artifact_adoption`, `verify_artifact_adoption`, `cancel_artifact_adoption`, `cancel_source_artifact_adoption`. Their public API is documented in the Artifacts reference under `/artifacts/adoptions` and `/consumer/artifact-adoptions`. ## Activate the explicitly selected file The inactive handshake above is a prerequisite. Activation is a separate owner action and is default-off (`LEGACY_ARTIFACT_ADOPTION`); a disabled start is not permission to work around the gate. Existing exact activation requests remain recoverable. These commands describe the source implementation, not a claim that a particular server or published CLI already serves them. 1. Choose a new stable activation request id and run `sky artifact activation prepare --request-id `. This revalidates and fences the exact source snapshot; late old saves cannot commit through that fence. 2. Run `sky artifact activation import --request-id ` repeatedly while the response is `phase: preparing` with `more: true`. Each call imports at most one retained raw revision. Finish when the phase is `imported`. All retained versions, exact original bytes, restore identities and the common public pin are preserved; staged content is not readable yet. 3. Run `sky artifact activation source-forward --target --request-id `, then `sky artifact activation activate --request-id `. Forwarding requires the complete exact import receipt. Activation verifies that permanent source fence before enabling canonical reads and discussion. 4. Use `sky artifact inspect ` for canonical metadata/history and `sky artifact original --version --out ` for exact raw bytes. Existing Library/source identities remain compatible; no task is fabricated. Use `activation read `, `activation revisions `, `activation source-proof --target --request-id ` and `source-history` to recover status and bounded history. Before import, cancellation closes canonical activation first with `activation cancel`, then releases the original fence with `activation source-cancel`. **Once imported, finish the same request through forward/activate.** Do not switch to a new request or restore the source writer after an uncertain response. Named MCP tools are `read_artifact_activation`, `prepare_artifact_activation`, `import_artifact_activation`, `revisions_artifact_activation`, `activate_artifact_activation`, `cancel_artifact_activation`, plus `original_source_artifact_activation` (binary metadata; use CLI/REST for complete raw bytes), `prepare_source_artifact_activation`, `proof_source_artifact_activation`, `history_source_artifact_activation`, `forward_source_artifact_activation`, `cancel_source_artifact_activation`. They call `/artifacts/adoptions/{targetId}/activation` and `/consumer/artifact-activations/{sourceId}` with the caller's own bearer. ## Edit and recover adopted content `sky artifact content prepare --input ` prepares immutable `request_id` (UUID), `base_version`, `raw_sha256`, `raw_size_bytes`, `media_type`, `site` and nullable `restored_from`. `content commit --request-id --file ` sends those exact original bytes. Current edit permission, policy, source claim and base CAS are rechecked at commit. A conflict requires an explicit re-read; there is no silent rebase. `content read --request-id --operation status` recovers the same result after lost commit/settlement responses. The exact source admission steps also have named `content source-reserve`, `source-claim`, `source-settle`, `source-close` commands with `--target` and `--request-id`. Canonical `content close` cannot cancel an already committed version. Claimed capacity stays charged until canonical commit is impossible and actual generations are reclaimed; timeout, missing local bytes or failed deletion never releases it. MCP exposes `prepare_artifact_content`, `read_artifact_content_request`, `commit_artifact_content`, `close_artifact_content_request`, and `reserve_source_artifact_content`, `claim_source_artifact_content`, `settle_source_artifact_content`, `close_source_artifact_content`. The unique capacity owner remains the original owner's existing source admission aggregate, including other publishers. The real editor is recorded separately from that owner. ## Policy and discussion Use `sky artifact policy read ` and `policy change --input ` or MCP `read_artifact_policy` / `change_artifact_policy`. A change contains a stable UUID, current `base_policy_version`, current `base_version` and one `change` (`share`, `place`, `alias`, `retire`). Only the actual owner may manage policy; ordinary private readers cannot inspect it. Exact workspace incarnation, independent alias revisions/member grants and common public pins remain enforced. Change a public pin only with its previous `from_public_version`; `null` follows current. Current policy token receipts can recover matching raw tokens; initially imported source tokens remain held by the source issuer. Private content readers may read the existing discussion. Only current edit authority may add feedback, reply, resolve or reopen; public links grant no discussion access. Use existing `sky artifact comments` and named discussion tools. Replies require a parent in the viewed current version. Historical roots remain attached to their version and can still resolve/reopen using the **current** artifact `base_version` plus resolution CAS; new replies do not move old threads. Task artifacts retain historical zero/negative safe integer versions; newly adopted source versions stay positive. Discussion never starts an agent or publishes content. Publisher and sealed public-read proof endpoints are protocol attestations, not user-grant minting operations. Issuer sealing stays private; there is no CLI or MCP operation that manufactures an unsafe public seal. Find active adopted files with `sky artifact list-adopted` or MCP `list_adopted_artifacts`. Optional filters are `--limit` (1–50), `--cursor`, `--q`, `--visibility all|only_me|public`, `--scope all|mine|workspace:<64-hex key>`, `--folder artifacts|meetings`, `--kind design_system`. The response includes current live permissions, total and next cursor; shared links do not expand the list. Existing task `artifact list` remains separate. Adopted design systems retain the existing read/token/file-save tools and commands through the canonical content owner. After explicit owner retirement, use `sky artifact reclamation reclaim --request-id ` (MCP `reclaim_artifact`) to reclaim retained bytes and their existing capacity admissions. Resume the same UUID after any uncertain response; `reclamation read` / `read_artifact_reclamation` reports durable progress. Both require the retired owner's write credential. Pending work closes first; actual canonical objects must be deleted and checked before source admission release. Failed or unknown deletion stays charged; the retired file cannot revive. To inspect only a managed alias under its exact credential ceiling, use `sky artifact policy read --alias-id ` or MCP `read_artifact_policy` with `alias_id`. It returns the current name/content/policy bases and only that alias's policy/token receipts; other placement/grants/tokens stay private. Omitting `alias_id` requires full owner inspection. A normal alias change (`unify_public` omitted/false) also returns a selected-alias receipt. Its null placement/public pin fields are a narrowed view, not a reset of global policy. Never replace whole-file policy with that response. Global/unified changes require full management and return the complete receipt. Fresh public/shared URL tokens and new alias IDs are generated by the server. Leave `alias.id` out when creating an alias; supply it only to update an existing alias on this file. The policy input has no `public_token` or `shared_token` fields; supplying either is an unknown-field error (400). Existing slots are retained by default; use normal enable/rotation actions for new server-generated URLs. Token output receipts and existing imported links remain available. Each source workspace slug, including Only me/null, has at most one alias; unknown IDs/unification or a move colliding with another alias returns 409. Same-ID updates remain valid.