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GOVERNANCE.md

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+# Governance
+
+## Overview
+
+career-ops is maintained by [@santifer](https://github.com/santifer) under a **BDFL (Benevolent Dictator for Life)** model with a clear path for community members to earn trust and take on responsibilities.
+
+The goal is to build a self-sustaining community where the project thrives even when the maintainer is offline.
+
+## Decision Making
+
+- **Architecture decisions** (CLAUDE.md, scoring system, data contract) — maintainer only
+- **New features** — require an approved issue before PR submission
+- **Bug fixes** — can be submitted directly with a clear description
+- **Documentation and translations** — welcome from anyone, low barrier
+
+## Contributor Ladder
+
+Anyone can grow their role in the project. Roles are earned through sustained, quality contributions — not requested or assigned.
+
+### Participant
+
+**Everyone starts here.**
+
+- Follow the [Code of Conduct](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md)
+- Open issues, comment on PRs, help others in Discord
+- Submit bug reports with reproduction steps
+
+### Contributor
+
+**Earned after 2+ merged PRs.**
+
+- Listed in release notes when their contributions ship
+- Input is weighted more heavily in issue discussions
+- Can be tagged for review on PRs in their area of expertise
+
+### Triager
+
+**Earned after sustained contribution + demonstrated understanding of the project's architecture.**
+
+- Can label and categorize issues
+- Can close duplicates and redirect support questions
+- Can request changes on PRs (non-binding)
+- Nominated by the maintainer based on observed behavior
+
+### Reviewer
+
+**Earned after 5+ quality PRs merged + track record of helpful code reviews.**
+
+- Can approve PRs (maintainer still merges)
+- Listed in CONTRIBUTORS.md
+- Invited to architectural discussions before major changes
+
+### Maintainer
+
+**Earned after 6+ months of sustained contribution + demonstrated alignment with project values.**
+
+- Can merge PRs
+- Can release new versions
+- Participates in governance decisions
+- Voted in by existing maintainers
+
+## How to Level Up
+
+You don't apply for roles. They emerge naturally:
+
+1. **Start contributing** — fix a bug, translate a mode, improve docs
+2. **Be consistent** — one quality PR per month beats ten rushed ones
+3. **Help others** — answer questions in Discord, review PRs, triage issues
+4. **Understand the project** — read CLAUDE.md, DATA_CONTRACT.md, the architecture docs
+5. **The maintainer will notice** — and reach out when the time is right
+
+## Values
+
+- **Quality over quantity** — we'd rather have 10 great features than 100 mediocre ones
+- **User files are sacred** — the data contract is non-negotiable
+- **Human in the loop** — the system recommends, the human decides
+- **Respect everyone's time** — maintainers, contributors, and users alike