---
name: ram-research
description: Run the full RAM producer pipeline on a research question. Types the question, retrieves sources across four corpus surfaces with fitness-based admissibility, screens integrity (retraction + AI-contamination + publication-bias), orchestrates multi-method triangulation at the claim level, runs a mandatory resourced disconfirmation pass, applies warrant-based stopping, and renders a three-axis-confidence Evaluator-ready artifact.
---

# /ram-research

## Purpose

Execute a full RAM run: from natural-language question to an Evaluator-ready artifact with three-axis confidence per claim, full Surprise Register, full Search Ledger, and warrant-based stopping rationale.

## Argument Grammar

```
/ram-research <question> [--context <decision-context-descriptor>] [--alpha <recall-miss-alpha>] [--k-disciplines <integer>]
```

**Positional:**
- `<question>` -- required. Natural-language research question. Stacked intent is expected.

**Named (optional):**
- `--context <descriptor>` -- JSON or plain-text object describing the decision context for the transportability axis. If omitted, S4 renders the transportability axis as `axis-not-computable` with reason `no-decision-context-supplied`. The router NEVER fabricates a context.
- `--alpha <float>` -- probabilistic recall-miss alpha threshold for S6 Yield gate. Default: 0.05. Must be in (0, 0.5).
- `--k-disciplines <int>` -- override for the capacity ceiling K_disciplines. Default: 6. Maximum: 11. Must be >= 2 (single-method ceiling is forbidden at the command level).

**Rejected argument patterns (router declines):**
- `--single-method <name>` -- REJECTED. Multi-method default is non-negotiable. Use the SINGLE_METHOD_EXCEPTION protocol inside S3, not at the command layer.
- `--stop-after <N sources>` -- REJECTED. Volume-floor regression.
- `--skip-adversarial` -- REJECTED. Disconfirmation is mandatory.
- `--tier-only <tier>` -- REJECTED. Retrieval is fitness-based, not tier-based.
- `--quick` / `--fast-path` -- REJECTED. There is no fast path. The router declines with the anti-sycophancy note.

## Parser

```
parse(command):
  tokenize on whitespace respecting quoted strings
  first token == "/ram-research" -> proceed; else reject
  consume positional <question> (may be multi-word; must be present)
  consume named flags in any order:
    --context <descriptor>
    --alpha <float in (0, 0.5)>
    --k-disciplines <int in [2, 11]>
  reject any other flag with an anti-sycophancy message naming the rejected pattern

validate:
  assert question is non-empty
  assert question contains at least one intent verb (router's quick check; S5 does authoritative verb tokenization)
  assert alpha is in range
  assert k-disciplines is in range
  if any assertion fails: emit REQUEST-CLARIFICATION and halt
```

## Router behavior on receipt

1. Mint `inquiry_id`.
2. Write `run_open` event to a freshly-created RAM Search Ledger at `state/ram/ram-search-ledger/<inquiry_id>/ledger.jsonl`.
3. Instantiate the Surprise Register handle via S5 (Claim-Typing Engine). S5 writes the manifest with Charter hash + claim-decomposition reference.
4. Execute Phase 1 through Phase 6 per `ORCHESTRATION_MEGAPROMPT.md`.
5. On completion, return to the caller:
   - The Evaluator-ready artifact reference (bridge path).
   - The companion `source-page.txt`: a naked list of the kept (accepted) sources' links, one per line, discarded sources excluded, copy-paste-ready into a notebook (per S4 `references/SOURCE_PAGE_RENDER_SPEC.md`).
   - A one-paragraph Operator Summary that reports: claim count, convergence-class distribution, open contradictions, warrant verdict, role-divider flag (if set), CARE-gate architectural-limit disclosures (if any), fragile-rubric caveats (if any).

## Example

```
/ram-research "What causes remote workers to report higher engagement, and will this trend continue past 2027?" --context '{"audience":"HR policy","decision":"2027 hybrid-work policy"}' --alpha 0.05
```

Router unpacks:
- question with two verbs (`causes`, `will...continue`).
- S5 decomposes into two claims: causal + predictive.
- causal claim carries RoB 2 / GRADE-style fitness requirements.
- predictive claim carries FRAGILE-PREDICTIVE flag; fitness requirements adapted from calibration-history.
- S1 routes queries across the four corpus surfaces; monoculture trigger T1 fires (workplace + practitioner domain) so non-English + practitioner corpora are engaged.
- S3 runs multi-method per claim (research auditor + >=1 other matrix-selected discipline each).
- S8 runs adversarial pass per claim with inversion-class coverage.
- S6 evaluates three gates at alpha=0.05.
- S4 renders three axes per claim with feature-slot substitution (population + mechanism-stability for predictive).
- Handoff artifact dropped to `bridge/ram-to-evaluator-handoff/<inquiry_id>/`.
- S4 also emits `source-page.txt`: the deduplicated links of the kept sources only, one per line, naked (no labels or sections).

## Failure modes (per this command's layer only)

| Failure | Router response |
|---|---|
| Empty question | Emit REQUEST-CLARIFICATION; halt |
| Argument grammar violation | Emit anti-sycophancy rejection naming the invalid pattern |
| `--context` unparseable | Halt; request a valid descriptor or accept `axis-not-computable` |
| Concurrent `/ram-stop` on same `inquiry_id` | Route the stop request to S6 (NOT authoritative close) |
| S5 returns REQUEST-CLARIFICATION (pure directive, no verb) | Propagate to caller; no run started |
| S5 typing returns UNTYPABLE claim with LOW confidence | Run proceeds; that claim carries forward with UNTYPABLE flag and HIGH downstream caveat |

## Exit codes

- `0` -- Evaluator-ready artifact produced.
- `1` -- Halted at invariant violation; reopen routed internally.
- `2` -- Halted on operator request; S6 returned CONTINUE; partial run preserved.
- `3` -- External availability failure (Crossref / bridge unreachable); degraded run; artifact may still emit with visible disclosures.

End of command file.
