> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mareforma.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# The graph

> How claims connect to each other: the provenance structure that determines trust.

The graph is the set of all claims and the relationships between them:
`supports[]` links (what this claim rests on) and `contradicts[]` links
(what this claim is in tension with).

```
upstream_ref ──► ANALYTICAL claim (lab_a)  ──┐
                                              ├──► REPLICATED
upstream_ref ──► ANALYTICAL claim (lab_b)  ──┘
                    │
                    └──► DERIVED synthesis ──► (human) ──► ESTABLISHED
```

Trust is derived from this structure. The more independent paths converge
on the same upstream evidence, the higher the support level. A single agent
asserting the same claim a thousand times is still PRELIMINARY: independence
of provenance paths is what matters.

## supports\[]

`supports[]` is the provenance chain. It records what a claim rests on:
upstream claim\_ids or reference strings (e.g. DOIs).

```python theme={"dark"}
graph.assert_claim(
    "Synthesis of A and B suggests mechanism M",
    classification="DERIVED",
    supports=["claim_id_A", "claim_id_B", "10.1038/some-doi"],
)
```

Leaving `supports[]` empty for a DERIVED claim makes the chain unverifiable.
For ANALYTICAL and INFERRED claims, `supports[]` is optional but records
what the finding is explicitly grounded in.

## contradicts\[]

`contradicts[]` documents explicit tension. When a new finding is in conflict
with an existing one, both coexist in the graph; neither is silently
overwritten.

```python theme={"dark"}
established_id = "..."  # ESTABLISHED finding

graph.assert_claim(
    "Contrary to the established finding, our larger cohort (n=1200) "
    "shows no significant elevation",
    classification="ANALYTICAL",
    contradicts=[established_id],
    source_name="cohort_2026",
)
```

Science advances by documented contestation. ESTABLISHED means
human-validated evidence, not settled truth.

## Epistemic distance

Epistemic distance measures how far a conclusion is from its raw data.
A short chain of ANALYTICAL steps close to raw data is more trustworthy
than a long chain of INFERRED steps, even if each step looks locally valid.

The pessimistic rule: one INFERRED step in a chain means the full chain
carries INFERRED-level epistemic fragility. Origin does not average;
it takes the weakest link.

```
raw data → ANALYTICAL → ANALYTICAL → INFERRED → conclusion
                                                  ↑
                                     full chain is INFERRED
```

This is why the `classification` field is recorded at assertion time and
cannot be changed retroactively. The epistemic origin of every claim is
permanently visible in the graph.

## Graph fragmentation

The most common failure mode: two agents assert the same finding in different
words without linking to a common upstream in `supports[]`. REPLICATED never
fires because the graph cannot detect convergence without a shared anchor.

The mitigation: `idempotency_key` as a convergence convention. Two
agents using the same structured key converge on the same `claim_id`
even with different text, without needing explicit `supports=` links;
see the API reference [`assert_claim` → Idempotency](/reference/api#idempotency).