OCT Validation Cycles Plan v0.1

Initial date: 2026-04-16
Update date: 2026-05-05
Objective: maintain a reproducible cycle architecture for theorem validation.

Historical baseline (completed)

1. Cycle 1 - pilot formal/setup - completed
2. Cycle 2 - independent benchmark #1 - completed
3. Cycle 3 - independent benchmark #2 + multi-context replication - completed (mixed)
4. Cycle 4 - stress/ablation/repro audit + unified decision baseline - completed

Why a new cycle is required

External and internal audits identified structural anti-pattern risks:

1. comparative level-shift (A01)
2. post-hoc rescue drift (D03)
3. existential vacuum-pass + evidence-class accumulation issues (D02)

Therefore Cycle 5 is defined as a method hardening cycle, not a cosmetic rerun.

Cycle 5 (v5.3 lane)

Cycle folder: CYCLE_5_2026-05-01/
Status: specification complete, execution pending

Scope:

1. A01 process-level validation refactor
2. D03 locked taxonomy refactor
3. D02 evidence-class split refactor
4. predeclared reject rules

Mandatory gate before execution:

1. OCT_EX_ANTE_PROXY_GATE_POLICY_v0_1.md
2. templates/OCT_PROXY_PREVALIDATION_SHEET_v0_1.md
3. OCT_CLAIM_TYPE_ANTIPATTERN_CHECKLIST_v0_1.md

Cycle 5 decision policy

Theorem decision options:

1. pass_candidate
2. revise_needed
3. reject_candidate

Promotion to validated is blocked unless:

1. gate pass exists
2. preregistration seals are valid
3. reject triggers are absent
4. evidence-class reporting is complete

Operational note

Cycle count alone is not evidence quality.
Only cycle outputs that satisfy gate and preregistration constraints are admissible for theorem promotion.

Cycle 6 (v5.4 lane candidate)

Cycle folder: CYCLE_6_2026-05-05/
Status: specification complete, execution not started

Scope:

1. A01-only focused cycle
2. Real implementation split (P_cls vs P_ord)
3. Independent benchmark mandatory (no overlap with cycle3_inputs)
4. Dual external audit checkpoint before theorem promotion

Key rationale:

1. Round-4 audit confirmed A01 heuristic proxy mode is non-promotable.
2. Stress test (0/135) confirmed structural non-testability in current synthetic proxy family.
3. Promotion path requires real pipeline evidence.

Mandatory gate before execution:

1. OCT_EX_ANTE_PROXY_GATE_POLICY_v0_1.md
2. templates/OCT_PROXY_PREVALIDATION_SHEET_v0_1.md (A01 instance)
3. CYCLE_6_2026-05-05/CYCLE_6_BENCHMARK_INDEPENDENCE_PROTOCOL_v0_1.md
4. Valid A01 prereg seal with entry/exit signature fields