Contributor Ladder changedcommunity/contributor-ladder
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1515
1616## Roles at a Glance
1717
18| Role | Summary | Key Privileges | Minimum Timeline |
19| ----------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
20| [**Contributor**](#contributor) | Anyone who contributes to MCP | Submit issues, PRs, participate in discussions | Immediate |
21| [**Member**](#member) | Established, active contributor | GitHub org membership, triage rights, eligible for WG/IG leadership | 2-3 months of meaningful contributions |
22| [**Maintainer**](#maintainer) | Area steward with operational responsibility | Merge rights, release participation | 6+ months as Member |
23| [**Core Maintainer**](#core-maintainer) | Technical leadership and protocol stewardship | Final decision authority, governance participation | By invitation after sustained Maintainer contribution |
24| [**Lead Maintainer**](#lead-maintainer) | Ultimate project authority (founders) | All Core Maintainer privileges, veto authority, appoints Core Maintainers | Reserved for project founders; succession only |
25| [**Community Moderator**](#community-moderator) | CoC enforcement and community health | Moderation rights on community platforms, incident handling | Parallel track: Member status + appointment |
18| Role | Summary | Key Privileges | Minimum Timeline |
19| - | - | - | - |
20| [**Contributor**](#contributor) | Anyone who contributes to MCP | Submit issues, PRs, participate in discussions | Immediate |
21| [**Member**](#member) | Established, active contributor | GitHub org membership, triage rights, eligible for WG/IG leadership | 2-3 months of meaningful contributions |
22| [**Maintainer**](#maintainer) | Area steward with operational responsibility | Merge rights, release participation | 6+ months as Member |
23| [**Core Maintainer**](#core-maintainer) | Technical leadership and protocol stewardship | Final decision authority, governance participation | By invitation after sustained Maintainer contribution |
24| [**Lead Maintainer**](#lead-maintainer) | Ultimate project authority (founders) | All Core Maintainer privileges, veto authority, appoints Core Maintainers | Reserved for project founders; succession only |
25| [**Community Moderator**](#community-moderator) | CoC enforcement and community health | Moderation rights on community platforms, incident handling | Parallel track: Member status + appointment |
2626
2727<Note>
2828 Timelines are minimums, not guarantees. They protect the project from rapid
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2852853. **Decision.** The approving authority reviews and decides.
2862864. **Onboarding.** The new role-holder receives appropriate access and onboarding.
287287
288| Advancement To | Approved By |
289| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
290| Member | 2 existing Members+ from different organizations, **or** 1 Core/Lead Maintainer |
291| Maintainer | 1 Maintainer or Core Maintainer sponsor + Core Maintainer approval |
292| Core Maintainer | Lead Maintainers |
293| Community Moderator | 1 Core Maintainer or Lead Maintainer |
288| Advancement To | Approved By |
289| - | - |
290| Member | 2 existing Members+ from different organizations, **or** 1 Core/Lead Maintainer |
291| Maintainer | 1 Maintainer or Core Maintainer sponsor + Core Maintainer approval |
292| Core Maintainer | Lead Maintainers |
293| Community Moderator | 1 Core Maintainer or Lead Maintainer |
294294
295295Nominees who self-nominate must still secure the required sponsorship. Sponsors confirm support in the nomination issue.
296296
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312312
313313### Escalation Matrix
314314
315| Issue Type | First Escalation | Second Escalation | Timeline |
316| ------------------------------------------ | ------------------- | ----------------- | ---------------- |
317| Technical disagreement in PR | Maintainer in scope | Core Maintainer | 5 business days |
318| Technical disagreement in WG | WG Lead | Core Maintainer | 5 business days |
319| Technical disagreement in IG | IG Facilitator | Core Maintainer | 5 business days |
320| Disagreement with WG Lead / IG Facilitator | Core Maintainer | Lead Maintainer | 7 business days |
321| Disagreement with Maintainer decision | Core Maintainer | Lead Maintainer | 7 business days |
322| Core Maintainer disagreement | Lead Maintainer | N/A | 10 business days |
323| Code of Conduct violation | Community Moderator | Core Maintainer | Immediate |
324| Security issue | Core Maintainer | Lead Maintainer | Immediate |
315| Issue Type | First Escalation | Second Escalation | Timeline |
316| - | - | - | - |
317| Technical disagreement in PR | Maintainer in scope | Core Maintainer | 5 business days |
318| Technical disagreement in WG | WG Lead | Core Maintainer | 5 business days |
319| Technical disagreement in IG | IG Facilitator | Core Maintainer | 5 business days |
320| Disagreement with WG Lead / IG Facilitator | Core Maintainer | Lead Maintainer | 7 business days |
321| Disagreement with Maintainer decision | Core Maintainer | Lead Maintainer | 7 business days |
322| Core Maintainer disagreement | Lead Maintainer | N/A | 10 business days |
323| Code of Conduct violation | Community Moderator | Core Maintainer | Immediate |
324| Security issue | Core Maintainer | Lead Maintainer | Immediate |
325325
326326**Escalation process:**
327327
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