The Constrictor Guideline A Constraint-Based Standard for the Maturation of Fundamental Physical Theories

The Constrictor Guideline is a constraint-based methodological framework for evaluating mature candidate fundamental theories in physics. It does not propose a new physical model of nature; instead, it provides a disciplined filter for determining which theoretical structures are currently indispensable versus provisional scaffolding. The guideline systematically removes excess degrees of freedom unless they are required to satisfy independently established experimental facts, core consistency conditions (such as causality or anomaly freedom), or unavoidable dependency chains. By introducing explicit maturity triggers, burden-of-necessity rules, historical self-audits, and scale awareness, the framework prevents unconstrained speculation from persisting indefinitely while protecting genuinely necessary but indirect structures. The result is a pragmatic, historically informed standard for theory maturation that prioritizes constraint density, predictive coherence, and epistemic humility over mathematical elegance or speculative completeness.