diff --git a/internal/catalogue/delivery_seat.go b/internal/catalogue/delivery_seat.go
index 4c62decf..a4203f45 100644
--- a/internal/catalogue/delivery_seat.go
+++ b/internal/catalogue/delivery_seat.go
@@ -63,6 +63,18 @@ func deliveryVerbs() []Verb {
 			"past its bound. Refused for any other.",
 			Input: schema(map[string]string{"id": "the delivery's id", "why": "the condition it answers"},
 				[]string{"id", "why"})},
+		{Name: "retire-history", Description: "Retire held deliveries that are history, on a person's word, with " +
+			"why: each made from the forge's word for a merge on the trunk heard long after it happened — replayed " +
+			"when the holder first held the seat — with no walk of it open. Never released, delivered or put back: " +
+			"retired, final. One by id, refused when the rule does not take it; or every held one, of one " +
+			"repository when named, answering how many it retired and naming those it left held. dry \"true\" " +
+			"answers what it would do and changes nothing.",
+			Input: schema(map[string]string{"why": "why, kept with every transition",
+				"id":         "one delivery's id; every held one when empty",
+				"repository": "owner/repository: only its held deliveries",
+				"dry":        "\"true\": what it would retire, changing nothing"}, []string{"why"}, "dry"),
+			// Added after the seat's holder shipped (novox/hq issue 313): optional until mesh-delivery serves it.
+			Optional: true},
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/catalogue/delivery_seat_test.go b/internal/catalogue/delivery_seat_test.go
index 046b93d4..55fc7afe 100644
--- a/internal/catalogue/delivery_seat_test.go
+++ b/internal/catalogue/delivery_seat_test.go
@@ -58,3 +58,42 @@ func TestTheDeliverySeatPromisesChecks(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("a holder without %s: %v", before[0], err)
 	}
 }
+
+// The seat retires history on a person's word (novox/hq issue 313): `retire-history`, with why, one delivery by
+// id or every held one, dry to see first. Added after the holder shipped, it is optional, so the holder that
+// does not serve it yet still holds the seat, and one that does is not refused for a verb the seat lacks.
+func TestTheDeliverySeatPromisesRetireHistoryOptionally(t *testing.T) {
+	seat, _ := SeatNamed(DeliverySeat)
+	var retire *Verb
+	for i := range seat.Serves {
+		if seat.Serves[i].Name == "retire-history" {
+			retire = &seat.Serves[i]
+		}
+	}
+	if retire == nil || !retire.Optional {
+		t.Fatalf("the delivery seat promises %v, retire-history optionally", VerbNames(seat.Serves))
+	}
+	props, _ := retire.Input["properties"].(map[string]any)
+	for _, arg := range []string{"why", "id", "repository", "dry"} {
+		if _, has := props[arg]; !has {
+			t.Errorf("retire-history takes no %q", arg)
+		}
+	}
+	if req, _ := retire.Input["required"].([]string); !reflect.DeepEqual(req, []string{"why"}) {
+		t.Errorf("retire-history requires %v, wanted only why", req)
+	}
+	var without []string
+	for _, v := range VerbNames(seat.Serves) {
+		if v != "retire-history" {
+			without = append(without, v)
+		}
+	}
+	m := Manifest{Module: "mesh-delivery", Claims: []Claim{{Name: DeliverySeat, Scope: ScopeMesh, Serves: without}}}
+	if err := CanHold(m, seat); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("a holder without retire-history yet: %v", err)
+	}
+	m.Claims[0].Serves = VerbNames(seat.Serves)
+	if err := CanHold(m, seat); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("a holder serving retire-history: %v", err)
+	}
+}