16.5 The integrated loop

A typical episode begins with a RELIC prediction or control failure that persists beyond estimator uncertainty. CLIC chooses an intervention that separates the leading mechanism from an unsupported alternative. If the intervention is not already executable, OPTIC constructs it from registered primitives or proposes a bounded interface extension. After execution, CLIC updates the theory, and RELIC tests whether the admitted distinction improves later decisions. The loop stops on admission, rejection, observational equivalence, exhausted budget, or a safety boundary.

The system may succeed partially. A discriminating probe can be admitted even if the mechanism remains unresolved. A causal mechanism can be admitted even if it has no current decision value. A policy improvement does not retroactively certify the explanation that suggested it.