# Requirements: v1.73 Competing Hypotheses First-Class Surface

## Milestone Goal

Close the research-question modeling gap so AITP can keep multiple plausible
bounded answers visible as first-class hypotheses instead of flattening them
into one main direction or burying them only in deferred execution surfaces.

## Completed Requirements

### Hypothesis Surface

- [x] `REQ-HYP-01`: the research-question contract can record multiple
  competing hypotheses with explicit status and bounded evidence context.
- [x] `REQ-HYP-02`: runtime/replay surfaces expose the active competing
  hypotheses directly instead of forcing operators to reconstruct them from
  deferred candidates or follow-up subtopics alone.

### Coexistence Rule

- [x] `REQ-HYP-03`: the hypothesis surface coexists cleanly with deferred
  candidates, follow-up subtopics, and the existing runtime shell instead of
  replacing them.

### Verification

- [x] `REQ-VERIFY-01`: the milestone closes with one bounded isolated
  multi-hypothesis acceptance path plus targeted regression coverage for the
  new surface.

## Requirement Outcomes

- `REQ-HYP-01`: validated through normalized `competing_hypotheses` persistence
  on `research_question.contract.json|md` plus schema coverage.
- `REQ-HYP-02`: validated through `status --json`, runtime protocol, and replay
  visibility for the active hypothesis competition.
- `REQ-HYP-03`: validated through the bounded acceptance lane that keeps
  deferred candidates and follow-up subtopics visible alongside the new
  question-level surface.
- `REQ-VERIFY-01`: validated through the dedicated isolated acceptance lane and
  targeted replay/schema/runtime regression slices.

## Traceability

| Requirement | Phase | Status |
|-------------|-------|--------|
| REQ-HYP-01 | Phase 147 | Complete |
| REQ-HYP-02 | Phase 147 | Complete |
| REQ-HYP-03 | Phase 147 | Complete |
| REQ-VERIFY-01 | Phase 147 | Complete |
