Implement executable Forge diagnostic lifecycle

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,16 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## 0.3.0a0 — unreleased
+
+- Add bounded binary views and an identity-keyed shared store for transition, pair,
+  tabular, trace, graph, and composite diagnostic snapshots.
+- Add an explicit MNEL-side Forge lifecycle surface: verifier registry and declarations,
+  preconditions, bounded probe requests, diagnostic-only witnesses, reference verifiers,
+  registered mutations, independent comparison, health/quarantine, coverage, learned
+  observation events, and omitted-question candidates.
+- Add a deterministic `mnel forge-reference` study path and lifecycle schema. This is a
+  local diagnostic reference surface, not an implementation of external Forge authority.
+
 ## 0.2.0a0 — unreleased
 
 - Add backend-neutral CPU, full-CUDA, and sequential CPU offload placement policy with

README.md

@@ -37,13 +37,15 @@ experience, negative memory, causal attribution, transfer-gated principles, reus
 strategies, and append-only candidate lineage rather than relying exclusively on
 conventional neural-weight training.
 
-> **Current status:** functional `0.2.0a0` iteration. The repository now includes a
+> **Current status:** functional `0.3.0a0` iteration. The repository now includes a
 > backend-neutral accelerator placement policy, optional Torch/Accelerate adapter,
 > process-local persistent Rust host, reusable identity-bound snapshots, bounded and
 > normalized diagnostic results, failure quarantine, an executable Rust HMM baseline,
 > deterministic runtime measurements, and bounded investigator context/workspace
 > contracts, an executable local-harness/worktree path, and a validated Rust v1 dynamic
-> provider loader. It still does not provide process isolation,
+> provider loader, and an executable bounded Forge-oriented diagnostic lifecycle with
+> compact snapshot views, a verifier registry, reference probes, witnesses, mutations,
+> comparison, health, coverage, and omitted-question candidates. It still does not provide process isolation,
 > unattended model execution, distributed scheduling, protected final custody, formal
 > MNCS/MNCDS conformance, or automatic RAVEL promotion.
 
@@ -104,6 +106,14 @@ copy their authority or silently create substitute implementations.
   integration through the existing provider host;
 - initial immutable transition, tabular, and pair diagnostic snapshot producers with
   compact binary payloads and dependency-bound content identities;
+- bounded transition, pair, tabular, trace, graph, and composite snapshot views backed by
+  one identity-keyed immutable snapshot store;
+- explicit diagnostic verifier declarations and registry matching, bounded preconditions,
+  proposal-bound probe requests, diagnostic-only witnesses, and deterministic reference
+  transition/tabular/pair/trace/graph verifiers;
+- registered-only mutation operators, independent witness comparison, verifier health and
+  quarantine state, coverage records, learned-provider observation normalization, and
+  proposal-only omitted-question candidates;
 - deterministic reference workflow, JSON schemas, mutation-oriented tests, and CI.
 
 ## Install
@@ -170,6 +180,14 @@ The demo preregisters a bounded experiment, records an observation, evaluates ha
 gates, attributes the intervention, and creates a provisional principle proposal. It
 does not call a model or modify RAVEL.
 
+Run the bounded 0.3 diagnostic lifecycle, including snapshot production, two independent
+reference witnesses, a mutation, comparison, health/coverage records, and a next-question
+candidate:
+
+```bash
+mnel forge-reference --workspace build/forge-reference
+```
+
 Verify and summarize the resulting ledger:
 
 ```bash

docs/ARCHITECTURE.md

@@ -72,6 +72,22 @@ sequential CPU offload. The latter keeps weights in system RAM and temporarily e
 modules on CUDA; it does not reload a provider for each query. Placement decisions are
 resource-accounted and diagnostic, never evaluator decisions.
 
+### Bounded Forge-oriented diagnostic lifecycle
+
+The executable local lifecycle is deliberately split into independent records:
+
+```text
+identified snapshot -> compatible verifier -> precondition report -> bounded probe
+       -> diagnostic witness -> optional registered mutation -> independent comparison
+       -> health/coverage -> proposal-only omitted-question candidate
+```
+
+`src/mnel/snapshots.py` provides compact immutable views shared by deterministic
+verifiers and learned providers. `src/mnel/forge_lifecycle.py` provides the explicit
+registry and reference execution surface. Witnesses characterize observations; they
+contain no evaluator verdict field. Health describes execution reliability, not truth,
+and comparisons preserve disagreement rather than voting it away.
+
 ### Probe plane
 
 Forge supplies small, identity-bearing questions and witnesses. The stable interface is

docs/INTEGRATIONS.md

@@ -27,6 +27,16 @@ subject identities, expected witness type, resource budget, mutation prohibition
 provider identity. Large prose scans should be decomposed into bounded witnesses where
 possible.
 
+MNEL now includes a small local reference surface in `mnel.forge_lifecycle`. It is used
+for deterministic tests and the `mnel forge-reference` command: it provides explicit
+verifier declarations, bounded snapshot views, preconditions, witnesses, registered
+mutations, independent comparison, health, and coverage. It is an adapter/test surface,
+not a substitute Forge implementation and does not claim MNCS/MNCDS conformance.
+
+The external `mncs-forge-mcp` checkout is optional. The MNEL adapter contract is
+identity-bound and provider-neutral; no developer-local Forge path is a runtime
+dependency, and no hidden network or model service is invoked by the reference study.
+
 ## MNCS Fabric
 
 Fabric distributes identified experiment bundles, captures node capabilities, and

docs/LEARNED_PROVIDER_RUNTIME.md

@@ -146,8 +146,8 @@ and a production accelerator backend remain future work. The C ABI v1 remains un
 
 ## Snapshot transport
 
-The initial Python snapshot producers construct bounded transition, pair, or tabular
-snapshots once. Each immutable payload is binary-friendly and carries producer, source,
+The initial Python snapshot producers construct bounded transition, pair, tabular, trace,
+graph, or composite snapshots once. Each immutable payload is binary-friendly and carries producer, source,
 dependency, feature-extractor, schema, and payload identities. Compatible deterministic
 probes and learned providers can consume the same payload boundary; changing a material
 dependency changes the content identity and prevents silent reuse. Forge or another
@@ -158,6 +158,11 @@ compact binary bytes with explicit schema and feature-extractor identities. Any
 change to source, dependency, extractor, normalization, toolchain, or environment
 invalidates reuse unless the dependency envelope proves the snapshot unaffected.
 
+The shared `SnapshotStore` exposes validated immutable views to compatible consumers, so
+the same identified payload can be reused by a deterministic micro-verifier and a
+learned provider without reparsing ad hoc JSON. Composite snapshots reference component
+identities rather than duplicating their payloads.
+
 ## Native-language exceptions
 
 A non-Rust provider may enter `native-trusted` only when its manifest includes:

docs/ROADMAP.md

@@ -40,18 +40,18 @@
 
 ## 0.3 — Forge experiment lifecycle
 
-- micro-verifier registry;
-- probe preconditions and witness schemas;
-- counterfactual and mutation probe support;
-- independent-probe comparison;
-- verifier health and coverage records;
-- skeptic-driven omitted-question discovery;
-- **Started:** identity-bound transition, tabular, and pair diagnostic snapshots with
+- **Implemented:** explicit micro-verifier registry and identity-bound declarations;
+- **Implemented:** probe preconditions, proposal-bound requests, and diagnostic-only witness schemas;
+- **Implemented:** bounded counterfactual and registered mutation probe support;
+- **Implemented:** independent-probe comparison preserving agreement, disagreement, and incomplete coverage;
+- **Implemented:** verifier health, quarantine, and coverage records;
+- **Started:** deterministic skeptic-driven omitted-question candidate discovery;
+- **Implemented:** identity-bound transition, tabular, pair, trace, graph, and composite diagnostic snapshots with
   immutable compact binary payloads, producer/source/dependency/extractor identities, and
   deterministic content identities suitable for deterministic probes and learned
   micro-providers;
-- compact binary snapshot views shared across compatible providers;
-- learned observations normalized as diagnostic events without verifier status.
+- **Implemented:** compact binary snapshot views shared across compatible providers;
+- **Implemented:** learned observations normalized as diagnostic events without verifier status.
 
 ## 0.4 — verified distillation and learned-provider studies
 

docs/THREAT_MODEL.md

@@ -63,6 +63,14 @@ dependency, extractor, producer, schema, and payload identities in the content i
 material dependency changes therefore invalidate reuse rather than silently transferring
 stale diagnostic context.
 
+The 0.3 diagnostic lifecycle fails closed on malformed snapshot bytes, incompatible
+verifiers, unavailable preconditions, malformed verifier output, budget exhaustion, and
+repeated verifier errors. A verifier may be quarantined for runtime reliability without
+being treated as truthful. Mutation operators are a fixed registered set; arbitrary
+callbacks and in-place authoritative snapshot mutation are not accepted. Learned
+provider observations and verifier witnesses remain distinct diagnostic records, and
+neither can authorize conformance or promotion.
+
 ### Apparent independence
 
 Multiple local machines run the same operator-controlled stack. This is replication,

schemas/mnel-diagnostic-snapshot.schema.json

@@ -4,11 +4,12 @@
   "title": "MNEL identity-bound diagnostic snapshot metadata",
   "type": "object",
   "additionalProperties": false,
-  "required": ["schema", "snapshot_type", "schema_version", "producer_identity", "source_identity", "dependency_identity", "feature_extractor_identity", "payload_identity", "payload_bytes", "snapshot_identity", "authority", "semantics"],
+  "required": ["schema", "snapshot_type", "schema_version", "schema_identity", "producer_identity", "source_identity", "dependency_identity", "feature_extractor_identity", "payload_identity", "payload_bytes", "snapshot_identity", "authority", "semantics"],
   "properties": {
     "schema": {"const": "mnel-diagnostic-snapshot/0.3"},
-    "snapshot_type": {"enum": ["transition", "pair", "tabular"]},
+    "snapshot_type": {"enum": ["transition", "pair", "tabular", "trace", "graph", "composite"]},
     "schema_version": {"type": "integer", "minimum": 1},
+    "schema_identity": {"type": "string", "minLength": 1},
     "producer_identity": {"type": "string", "minLength": 1},
     "source_identity": {"type": "string", "minLength": 1},
     "dependency_identity": {"type": "string", "minLength": 1},