Method
Conjecture is cheap. Status is earned.
The loop keeps research direction, observations, Evidence, and accepted knowledge in different types so motion cannot masquerade as truth.
Signal → conjecture → criticism
External signals and Programme work create directions to test. Programme material is explicitly conjectural: it cannot support Evidence or a finding.
Claim → frozen gate
A Claim states what could be false. Evaluation thresholds are frozen before observation and bound to the Claim. Changing the method creates a new record rather than rewriting history.
Artifact → Evidence
Raw observations are hash-bound. Evidence is typed, claim-specific, and cannot be manufactured from a blocked run or partial operational trace.
Decision → currently-best knowledge
A Decision must cite its Evidence, contradictory material, and policies in force. Withdrawal and invalidation Decisions dispose work without turning it into empirical knowledge.
Projection → supersession → reflection
The public build derives from the same versioned projection as the JSON endpoint. A result without a valid Decision fails closed. Later knowledge supersedes rather than silently edits prior lineage.
Operational mechanisms
Canon envelope store
Append-only, validator-gated records for Claims, Evidence, Decisions, Policies, and events.
Frozen promotion gates
Evaluation thresholds are bound to Claims before observation and cannot be amended afterward.
Decision-backed publication guard
The static build refuses result publication without a valid terminal Decision and intact canon lineage.