Governance and Stewardship changedcommunity/governance
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4343### Roles
4444
45The [Contributor Ladder](/community/contributor-ladder) is the canonical definition of each role — its requirements, responsibilities, privileges, advancement process, and inactivity policy. This section gives a conceptual overview of how the roles relate to governance.
45The [Contributor Ladder](/community/contributor-ladder.md) is the canonical definition of each role — its requirements, responsibilities, privileges, advancement process, and inactivity policy. This section gives a conceptual overview of how the roles relate to governance.
4646
47**Maintainers** steward specific areas such as SDKs, documentation, or [Working Groups](/community/working-interest-groups). They make decisions for their area independently and escalate to Core Maintainers when needed. Maintainers have write access to their respective repositories.
47**Maintainers** steward specific areas such as SDKs, documentation, or [Working Groups](/community/working-interest-groups.md). They make decisions for their area independently and escalate to Core Maintainers when needed. Maintainers have write access to their respective repositories.
4848
4949**Core Maintainers** steer the MCP specification and overall project direction. They can veto Maintainer decisions by majority vote, resolve disputes, and appoint or remove Maintainers. Core Maintainers have admin access to all MCP repositories but use the same pull-request workflow as outside contributors.
5050
5151**Lead Maintainers** hold final authority and can veto any decision by Core Maintainers or Maintainers — the role commonly known as Benevolent Dictator for Life (BDFL). Lead Maintainers appoint and remove Core Maintainers, and are administrators on all project infrastructure. They are part of the Core Maintainer group and are expected to publicly articulate their reasoning.
5252
53The [Contributor Ladder](/community/contributor-ladder) also defines the **Member** and **Community Moderator** roles, which sit outside the Steering Group.
53The [Contributor Ladder](/community/contributor-ladder.md) also defines the **Member** and **Community Moderator** roles, which sit outside the Steering Group.
5454
5555### Decision Process
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6666
6767### Working Groups and Interest Groups
6868
69MCP collaboration and contributions are organized around two structures: [Working Groups and Interest Groups](/community/working-interest-groups).
69MCP collaboration and contributions are organized around two structures: [Working Groups and Interest Groups](/community/working-interest-groups.md).
7070
7171* **Interest Groups** identify and articulate problems that MCP should address through open discussions
7272* **Working Groups** develop concrete solutions by producing deliverables like SEPs or implementations
7373
74For details on how to create, participate in, and facilitate these groups, see the [Working and Interest Groups](/community/working-interest-groups) documentation.
74For details on how to create, participate in, and facilitate these groups, see the [Working and Interest Groups](/community/working-interest-groups.md) documentation.
7575
7676### Specification Enhancement Proposals (SEPs)
7777
78Proposed changes to the specification must be submitted as [Specification Enhancement Proposals (SEPs)](/community/sep-guidelines). SEPs are the primary mechanism for proposing major new features, collecting community input, and documenting design decisions.
78Proposed changes to the specification must be submitted as [Specification Enhancement Proposals (SEPs)](/community/sep-guidelines.md). SEPs are the primary mechanism for proposing major new features, collecting community input, and documenting design decisions.
7979
80For the complete SEP process, format requirements, and status workflow, see the [SEP Guidelines](/community/sep-guidelines).
80For the complete SEP process, format requirements, and status workflow, see the [SEP Guidelines](/community/sep-guidelines.md).
8181
8282### Maintenance Responsibilities
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100100Membership in maintainer groups is given to **individuals** on a merit basis after demonstrated expertise and alignment with MCP's direction. Membership is associated with the person, not their employer, and has no term limit.
101101
102The nomination process, sponsorship requirements, review timeline, and inactivity criteria for each role are defined in the [Contributor Ladder's Advancement Process](/community/contributor-ladder#advancement-process).
102The nomination process, sponsorship requirements, review timeline, and inactivity criteria for each role are defined in the [Contributor Ladder's Advancement Process](/community/contributor-ladder.md#advancement-process).
103103
104104## Current Lead Maintainers
105105
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