SCIBASE-AI · FeeeeelixWong · May 15, 2026
diff --git a/scientific-bounty-appeals-ledger/README.md b/scientific-bounty-appeals-ledger/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+# Scientific Bounty Appeals Ledger
+
+This is a focused Scientific Bounty System module for SCIBASE issue #18. It handles the post-evaluation dispute layer: appeal eligibility, evidence-lock checks, reviewer conflict detection, response SLAs, payout holds, and IP transfer guards.
+
+The slice is intentionally separate from challenge intake, rubric scoring, payout routing engines, and solver workspace privacy. It answers a narrower operational question: after a sponsor or solver contests a result, what must stay locked, who needs to respond, what money can be released, and what IP transfer must wait?
+
+## What It Does
+
+- Validates appeal windows, accepted reason categories, appellant roles, and known submissions.
+- Verifies locked evidence snapshots cover contested submission artifacts.
+- Flags reviewer conflicts, including sponsor-affiliated reviewers on contested submissions.
+- Tracks reviewer response SLAs and escalation state.
+- Holds awarded payout amounts while eligible appeals are open.
+- Blocks IP transfer while payout is held by an eligible appeal.
+- Builds a sponsor feedback packet, arbitration dashboard, audit trail, and stable digest.
+
+## Files
+
+- `src/appeals-ledger.js` - deterministic appeals ledger engine.
+- `data/sample-appeals.json` - sample challenge with awards, reviewers, evidence snapshots, and appeals.
+- `test/appeals-ledger.test.js` - dependency-free assertions for eligibility, evidence locks, conflicts, payout holds, IP guards, and stable digest behavior.
+- `scripts/demo.js` - local CLI demo.
+- `docs/requirement-map.md` - mapping to issue #18 requirements.
+- `docs/demo.svg` and `docs/demo.mp4` - short visual demo artifacts.
+
+## Run
+
+```bash
+npm run check
+npm test
+npm run demo
+```
+
+Expected demo output includes the challenge title, tracked appeal count, payout hold status, held amount, top action, IP guard count, and stable digest.
+
+## Scope Notes
+
+The implementation is dependency-free and credential-free. It models the trust and dispute workflow that sits after challenge evaluation and before payout/IP release, so it can be embedded into a broader bounty marketplace later.
diff --git a/scientific-bounty-appeals-ledger/data/sample-appeals.json b/scientific-bounty-appeals-ledger/data/sample-appeals.json
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+{
+  "challengeId": "climate-forecasting-2026",
+  "title": "Regional climate forecasting benchmark",
+  "asOf": "2026-05-15T04:00:00Z",
+  "sponsor": {
+    "id": "sponsor-climate-lab",
+    "name": "Open Climate Lab"
+  },
+  "appealPolicy": {
+    "appealWindowHours": 72,
+    "reviewerResponseHours": 24,
+    "acceptedReasons": [
+      "missing-evidence",
+      "rubric-miscalculation",
+      "conflict-of-interest",
+      "payout-split-dispute"
+    ]
+  },
+  "ipPolicy": {
+    "defaultTransfer": "after-payout",
+    "holdDuringAppeal": true
+  },
+  "submissions": [
+    {
+      "id": "sub-aurora",
+      "teamId": "team-aurora",
+      "title": "Aurora probabilistic forecast model",
+      "decision": "awarded",
+      "awardAmount": 60000,
+      "decisionAt": "2026-05-13T10:00:00Z",
+      "solverPayoutRoutes": [
+        {
+          "solverId": "solver-1",
+          "share": 0.65
+        },
+        {
+          "solverId": "solver-2",
+          "share": 0.35
+        }
+      ],
+      "artifactIds": [
+        "artifact-aurora-model",
+        "artifact-aurora-report",
+        "artifact-aurora-dataset"
+      ]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "sub-boreal",
+      "teamId": "team-boreal",
+      "title": "Boreal analog ensemble",
+      "decision": "honorable-mention",
+      "awardAmount": 10000,
+      "decisionAt": "2026-05-12T12:00:00Z",
+      "solverPayoutRoutes": [
+        {
+          "solverId": "solver-3",
+          "share": 1
+        }
+      ],
+      "artifactIds": [
+        "artifact-boreal-model",
+        "artifact-boreal-report"
+      ]
+    }
+  ],
+  "reviewers": [
+    {
+      "id": "reviewer-stat",
+      "name": "Statistical reviewer",
+      "affiliations": [
+        "Independent"
+      ],
+      "reviewedSubmissionIds": [
+        "sub-aurora",
+        "sub-boreal"
+      ]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "reviewer-sponsor",
+      "name": "Sponsor domain reviewer",
+      "affiliations": [
+        "Open Climate Lab"
+      ],
+      "reviewedSubmissionIds": [
+        "sub-aurora"
+      ]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "reviewer-external",
+      "name": "External replication reviewer",
+      "affiliations": [
+        "University Center for Forecasting"
+      ],
+      "reviewedSubmissionIds": []
+    }
+  ],
+  "evidenceSnapshots": [
+    {
+      "id": "snapshot-aurora-decision",
+      "submissionId": "sub-aurora",
+      "lockedAt": "2026-05-13T10:05:00Z",
+      "artifactHashes": {
+        "artifact-aurora-model": "sha256:4c9dc6f02f0c9f8f9a0010e7c8c0221d",
+        "artifact-aurora-report": "sha256:9a78aa4dcb8a9b605e63b10ec31e4f62",
+        "artifact-aurora-dataset": "sha256:f0796207ec9d81a43ff84dc148d873ab"
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "snapshot-boreal-decision",
+      "submissionId": "sub-boreal",
+      "lockedAt": "2026-05-12T12:10:00Z",
+      "artifactHashes": {
+        "artifact-boreal-model": "sha256:e2e87d98509bb0186ef49b6b37a31a30",
+        "artifact-boreal-report": "sha256:d33a2ad6f1fb4f8421ec13fb935af884"
+      }
+    }
+  ],
+  "appeals": [
+    {
+      "id": "appeal-aurora-conflict",
+      "submissionId": "sub-aurora",
+      "filedBy": {
+        "role": "competing-solver",
+        "teamId": "team-boreal"
+      },
+      "reason": "conflict-of-interest",
+      "filedAt": "2026-05-13T18:00:00Z",
+      "reviewerIds": [
+        "reviewer-sponsor",
+        "reviewer-external"
+      ],
+      "status": "open",
+      "summary": "A sponsor-affiliated reviewer participated in scoring the winning submission."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "appeal-boreal-split",
+      "submissionId": "sub-boreal",
+      "filedBy": {
+        "role": "solver",
+        "teamId": "team-boreal"
+      },
+      "reason": "payout-split-dispute",
+      "filedAt": "2026-05-13T08:00:00Z",
+      "resolvedAt": "2026-05-14T02:00:00Z",
+      "reviewerIds": [
+        "reviewer-stat"
+      ],
+      "status": "resolved",
+      "resolution": "upheld-original-route",
+      "summary": "Team requested an alternate split, but submitted payout route was confirmed."
+    }
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/scientific-bounty-appeals-ledger/docs/demo.mp4 b/scientific-bounty-appeals-ledger/docs/demo.mp4
diff --git a/scientific-bounty-appeals-ledger/docs/demo.svg b/scientific-bounty-appeals-ledger/docs/demo.svg
diff --git a/scientific-bounty-appeals-ledger/docs/requirement-map.md b/scientific-bounty-appeals-ledger/docs/requirement-map.md
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+# Requirement Map
+
+This module contributes a focused dispute-handling slice for SCIBASE issue #18: Scientific Bounty System.
+
+| Issue #18 requirement | Evidence in this module |
+| --- | --- |
+| Platform-mediated arbitration system | `buildAppealsLedger` creates a deterministic ledger for post-evaluation appeals, eligibility, reviewer conflicts, SLA state, and next actions. |
+| Automated checklists for deliverables | `evaluateEvidenceLock` checks whether contested submissions have complete locked artifact hashes before arbitration proceeds. |
+| Optional third-party reviewers or peer validators | `evaluateReviewerConflicts` identifies when a sponsor-affiliated reviewer must be replaced by an independent reviewer. |
+| Feedback loop between submitters and sponsors | `buildSponsorFeedbackPacket` summarizes open appeals, overdue responses, conflict reviews, and requested sponsor actions. |
+| Escrowed prize funds | `summarizePayouts` separates held and releasable award amounts while an eligible appeal remains open. |
+| Partial payments or honorable mentions | The sample challenge covers both a winning award and an honorable-mention payout route. |
+| Payout routing | `evaluatePayoutHold` keeps awarded submission routes intact while holding/releasing funds based on appeal state. |
+| IP transfer upon payout | `evaluateIpGuard` blocks IP transfer while payout is held by an eligible appeal. |
+| Auditability | `buildAuditTrail` emits decision, appeal-window, response-due, payout-hold, and payout-summary events with a stable digest. |
+| Reviewer demo | `npm run demo` prints appeal count, payout hold amount, top action, IP guard count, and digest; `docs/demo.mp4` is a short visual demo artifact. |
diff --git a/scientific-bounty-appeals-ledger/package.json b/scientific-bounty-appeals-ledger/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+{
+  "name": "scientific-bounty-appeals-ledger",
+  "version": "1.0.0",
+  "private": true,
+  "description": "Dependency-free appeals and dispute ledger for scientific bounty systems.",
+  "scripts": {
+    "check": "node --check src/appeals-ledger.js && node --check scripts/demo.js && node --check test/appeals-ledger.test.js",
+    "demo": "node scripts/demo.js",
+    "test": "node test/appeals-ledger.test.js"
+  },
+  "keywords": [
+    "scientific-bounties",
+    "appeals",
+    "arbitration",
+    "payouts"
+  ],
+  "license": "MIT"
+}
diff --git a/scientific-bounty-appeals-ledger/scripts/demo.js b/scientific-bounty-appeals-ledger/scripts/demo.js
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+const fs = require("node:fs");
+const path = require("node:path");
+const { buildAppealsLedger } = require("../src/appeals-ledger");
+
+const samplePath = path.join(__dirname, "..", "data", "sample-appeals.json");
+const challenge = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(samplePath, "utf8"));
+const ledger = buildAppealsLedger(challenge);
+
+console.log(`Challenge: ${ledger.title}`);
+console.log(`Appeals tracked: ${ledger.appeals.length}`);
+console.log(`Payout status: ${ledger.payout.status}`);
+console.log(`Held amount: US$${ledger.payout.heldAmount.toLocaleString("en-US")}`);
+console.log(`Open appeals: ${ledger.dashboard.openAppealCount}`);
+console.log(`Top action: ${ledger.dashboard.highPriorityItems[0].nextAction}`);
+console.log(`IP guards: ${ledger.ipTransferGuards.length}`);
+console.log(`Digest: ${ledger.digest}`);