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core/docs/decisions/ADR-0159-contemplation-quality-eval.md
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feat(W-025): contemplation quality eval lane (ADR-0159) (#286) 
* feat(W-025): add contemplation quality eval lane

* feat(W-025): add contemplation quality eval lane

* feat(W-025): expose contemplation-quality generic eval runner

* feat(W-025): add contemplation-quality contract

* feat(W-025): add contemplation-quality invocation case

* feat(W-025): add contemplation-quality public invocation case

* feat(W-025): add ADR-0159 contemplation-quality eval lane

* fix(W-025): harden contemplation-quality malformed input handling
2026-05-25 20:38:52 -07:00

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ADR-0159 — Contemplation Quality Eval Lane (W-025)

Status: Accepted

Context

ADR-0152 introduced the learning-arc demo proving that CORE can:

  1. discover an engine-authored chain
  2. enrich it through contemplation
  3. emit a reviewable proposal
  4. replay-check the proposal
  5. ratify it through operator review
  6. observe a grounded downstream change

ADR-0155 then added CI contemplation report generation.

Those ADRs proved the contemplation loop exists, but they did not create a formal evaluation lane for judging the quality of contemplation artifacts.

Without a dedicated lane, the system could produce reports indefinitely without measuring:

  • replay integrity
  • provenance correctness
  • mutation-boundary preservation
  • downstream usefulness
  • review-boundary preservation

Decision

Add a new eval lane:

core eval contemplation-quality

The lane evaluates the structured report emitted by:

core demo learning-arc --json

The lane is strictly read-only.

It MUST NOT:

  • accept proposals
  • mutate corpora
  • mutate packs
  • mutate engine_state
  • bypass operator review
  • upgrade epistemic status

Replay-equivalence remains a prerequisite for proposal review eligibility only. It is never treated as permission for automatic acceptance.

Metrics

The lane currently scores:

  • scene_contract
  • deterministic_replay_integrity
  • typed_contemplation_provenance
  • engine_authored_specificity
  • grounding_transition
  • downstream_gain_observed
  • active_corpus_boundary
  • pending_not_auto_accepted
  • stable_proposal_identity_present

Compatibility with prior ADRs

ADR-0056

Contemplation remains enrichment-only and does not mutate active truth state.

ADR-0057

Replay-equivalence is measured separately from operator acceptance. The lane explicitly verifies that proposals remain pending before review.

ADR-0152

The learning-arc demo remains the canonical contemplation-quality source. Transient/tempdir semantics remain unchanged.

ADR-0155

CI contemplation reports remain audit artifacts. This lane scores those artifacts but does not ratify them.

ADR-0157

Revision-warning/reboot discipline remains orthogonal. The eval lane adds no persistence or recovery semantics.

Consequences

CORE now has a measurable contemplation-quality corridor rather than relying on subjective review of contemplation reports.

The lane strengthens the distinction between:

  • autonomous proposal discovery
  • and autonomous proposal acceptance

The latter remains forbidden.