hypothesis

name	hypothesis
description	Guides hypothesis-driven investigation for Parallax development. Invoke before starting any investigation, feature, or experiment.

/hypothesis -- Hypothesis Workflow

Guides hypothesis-driven investigation for Parallax development.

When to Use

Invoke /hypothesis before starting any new investigation, feature, bug fix, or experiment on the Parallax codebase.

Protocol

1. State your hypothesis. What do you expect, and why? Be specific and falsifiable.
2. AI generates alternatives. Propose 2-3 alternative hypotheses for consideration.
3. Human selects. Pick the hypothesis to test (may be the original or an alternative).
4. Define success/failure criteria. What measurable outcomes support or refute the hypothesis?
5. Design and run the test. Implement the experiment, collect results.
6. Record the conclusion. Supported, refuted, or inconclusive -- with evidence. Document regardless of outcome.

Output Format

## Hypothesis: [descriptive name]

**Statement:** [specific, falsifiable claim]
**Rationale:** [why you expect this]
**Success criteria:** [measurable outcome if supported]
**Failure criteria:** [measurable outcome if refuted]
**Status:** proposed | testing | supported | refuted | inconclusive
**Evidence:** [results, data, references]

Rules

• Never skip the hypothesis step. No implementation without a stated expectation.
• Negative results are valuable. Document them with equal rigor.
• If inconclusive, state what additional evidence would resolve it.
• Reference @CONSTITUTION.md principles 1, 3, 6 when documenting.
• Record hypotheses in session summaries (docs/sessions/) for continuity.