Analyst-Reviewed Path

The grounding-boundary template describes how a proposed causal path moves from machine-generated speculation to publishable analysis. It begins with a proposed path and a machine-proposed chain that may suggest a candidate consequence, but nothing is treated as established until the core claim is grounded in evidence. Each entry condition and transition must be supported, with evidence linked step by step to show how the path is justified and where its limits lie. The review process then challenges the chain, tests whether the evidence is sufficient, considers alternatives, and either corrects, splits, or downgrades unsupported claims. The final output is an analyst-reviewed path: a bounded, evidence-backed account that explicitly distinguishes supported transitions from inferred extensions, rejected alternatives, and unresolved evidence gaps.