SNEPPX-Algo Contributor Tiers¶

Security-first AI infrastructure requires trust, not just code. Every contributor earns their access through demonstrated competence.

This document defines the five-tier contribution ladder. Each tier has specific prerequisites, gates, and privileges.

Overview¶

TIER    ROLE              PRs    REVIEWS   MERGE    ACCESS
T1      Explorer          0      0         No       Issues, discussions
T2      Contributor       1+     0         No       Submit PRs, vote on issues
T3      Senior            5+     10+       No       Approve PRs, mentor T1/T2
T4      Maintainer        100+   50+       Yes      Merge PRs, manage releases
T5      Core              Leadership        Yes      Full commit, governance

Tier 1 — Explorer¶

Goal: Demonstrate basic understanding and good faith.

Prerequisites¶

Read CONTRIBUTING.md, CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md, GOVERNANCE.md
Read docs/ARCHITECTURE.md (full system understanding)
Build the project from source (cmake -B build -G Ninja && cmake --build build)
Run the test suite (ctest -C Release --output-on-failure)

Gates¶

Gate	Description
G1.1	Submit one valid issue (bug report with reproduction OR feature request with use case)
G1.2	Have the issue acknowledged by a Maintainer+

Privileges¶

Report bugs, request features
Comment on issues and discussions
No PR submission rights

Badge¶

Tier 1 — Explorer

Time to complete: 1–3 days

Tier 2 — Contributor¶

Goal: Submit production-quality code that passes all gates.

Prerequisites¶

Hold Tier 1 for ≥ 14 days
2 accepted issue reports (your own or collaborative)
Read docs/STYLE_GUIDE.md
Read docs/DEVELOPMENT.md

Gates¶

Gate	Description
G2.1	Submit a PR with ≥ 80% test coverage for new code
G2.2	All CI checks pass (build, lint, test)
G2.3	Zero clang-tidy/clang-format warnings
G2.4	Documentation updated for any new public API
G2.5	Commits signed with GPG or Ed25519 key
G2.6	Reviewed and approved by 1 Senior+ contributor
G2.7	PR merged by a Maintainer+

Privileges¶

Submit pull requests
Assigned to issues
Name listed in AUTHORS
Badge: Tier 2 — Contributor

Time to complete: 2–6 weeks per PR

Tier 3 — Senior Contributor¶

Goal: Take ownership of a module and mentor others.

Prerequisites¶

Hold Tier 2 for ≥ 90 days
5+ merged PRs (at least 2 in the module you seek ownership of)
Demonstrated code review participation

Gates¶

Gate	Description
G3.1	Write a Design Document (`docs/proposals/<feature>.md`) for a new feature or refactor
G3.2	Design document approved by a Maintainer+
G3.3	Review 10+ PRs from Tier 2 contributors (≥ 5 with substantive comments)
G3.4	Pass a Security Review — write a threat model for your module using STRIDE
G3.5	Demonstrate merge conflict resolution, rebase, and `git bisect`

Privileges¶

Approve PRs from Tier 1 and Tier 2 contributors
Request changes on PRs
Assigned module ownership in repository
Access to project roadmap discussions
Badge: Tier 3 — Senior

Time to complete: 6–12 months

Tier 4 — Maintainer¶

Goal: Ensure quality and consistency across the project.

Prerequisites¶

Hold Tier 3 for ≥ 6 months
100+ commits in the project
Lead one major feature from design → implementation → release

Gates¶

Gate	Description
G4.1	Contribute to project roadmap in `docs/ROADMAP.md`
G4.2	Nominated by a Core Maintainer and approved by BDFL
G4.3	Pass an Architecture Review — explain full system architecture to BDFL
G4.4	Write a release blog post for a minor version

Privileges¶

Merge PRs (squash or rebase)
Manage releases and versioning
npm/PyPI publisher rights
Set technical direction for modules
Badge: Tier 4 — Maintainer

Time to complete: 12–18 months as Senior

Tier 5 — Core Maintainer¶

Goal: Steer the project's future alongside the BDFL.

Prerequisites¶

Hold Tier 4 for ≥ 1 year
3+ consecutive years of project involvement
Demonstrated leadership in 3+ major releases

Gates¶

Gate	Description
G5.1	Contribute to governance documents (`GOVERNANCE.md`, `CONTRIBUTING.md`)
G5.2	Unanimous approval from existing Core Maintainers + BDFL

Privileges¶

Full commit access to all repositories
Architectural decision-making power
BDFL succession eligibility
Vote on governance changes
Badge: Tier 5 — Core

Time to reach: 3+ years

Promotion Process¶

Contributor meets all gate criteria for the target tier
Opens a promotion request issue using the promotion template
Current tier reviewers verify each gate
Maintainer+ approves promotion
Tier badge is updated in MAINTAINERS.md
New privileges take effect immediately

Demotion Process¶

A contributor may be demoted one tier for:

Repeated violations of CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
Malicious code submissions (intentional vulnerabilities, backdoors)
Extended inactivity (≥ 12 months without contribution)

Demotion requires approval from a Maintainer+ and notification to the contributor.

Recognition¶

Milestone	Recognition
First merged PR	Added to `AUTHORS`
Tier 2 reached	Contributor badge + issue/PR assignment rights
10 merged PRs	Listed in `MAINTAINERS.md` as Active Contributor
Tier 3 reached	Senior badge + module ownership
Tier 4 reached	Maintainer badge + merge rights
Tier 5 reached	Core badge + governance rights
Security audit contribution	Listed in `SECURITY.md` hall of fame