NMAIResearch/divergence-registry

Divergence Registry

A versioned protocol and deterministic checker suite for recording methodological decisions and comparing research runs.

AI disclosure. OpenAI GPT-5.6 Sol assisted with implementation and release maintenance. Google Gemini 3.7 Flash assisted with maintenance and trial orchestration. Anthropic Opus 5 performed the independent review of v0.2-rc1. The author retained all research and release decisions. Models are not authors.

Published release. v0.2-rc2 is archived under concept DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22040200. The exact published version is 10.5281/zenodo.22040201, with the corresponding GitHub release.

v0.2-rc2 release candidate: on trial. The toolchain has passed structural and adversarial checks. The research method has not completed an end-to-end v0.2 subject and is not presented as validated.

Read DIVERGENCE_PROTOCOL.md first. The supported claim is that recorded divergence is attributable to named methodological decisions. The protocol does not claim that different researchers will agree or that a completed result is substantively correct.

Enforcement scope

Six stages (question, scope, data, digest, draft, mint), each with named decision points. Every choice capable of changing a result is logged with the alternatives available at the time. The resulting decision registers can be compared across research runs.

The claim is divergence is attributable, not that divergence is absent. Two competent people on the same subject may still reach different conclusions.

Components

Standard library only. No dependencies, no network.

python3 research_gate.py --init PROJECT_DIR    scaffold the four registers for v0.2
python3 research_gate.py PROJECT_DIR           gate the process
python3 research_gate.py LEGACY_DIR --contract v0.1  explicit legacy evaluation
python3 research_gate.py --demo                self-test, seeded faults
python3 tests/test_manifest_fail_closed.py     independent manifest regressions

python3 agp_deterministic.py DRAFT.md --source filing.txt:1 --source deck.txt:5
python3 agp_deterministic.py --demo

research_gate.py checks 27 required decisions in v0.2 (26 in explicitly selected v0.1), release and project manifest agreement, current instrument bytes, source custody, claim-to-source links, controlled vocabulary and required draft sections.

agp_deterministic.py checks the draft against supplied sources for unsupported numeric tokens, entity mismatches, internal numeric contradictions, claims supported only by tier 4 or 5 sources, and names appearing solely inside a correction or negation.

The scripts cover different failure classes. Run both demos before relying on a project result.

Use

1. python3 research_gate.py --init subject_dir
2. Fill decisions.csv top down, working the stages in DIVERGENCE_PROTOCOL.md. Blanks and placeholders are refused, and so is any decision with no alternative recorded.
3. python3 research_gate.py subject_dir --through scope as you go, widening the stage as you reach it.
4. Draft into a .md in the project directory, then run both scripts.

Limits

The checkers establish process integrity and source grounding within their stated rules. They do not assess the substantive value of the research question or conclusion. Full limitations are listed in the protocol.

Licence

The protocol and documentation are licensed under CC BY 4.0. Python source code and tests are licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE.md.