The Rebuild Ladder is InfoPreserver's capability map from crash aftermath to frontier systems. It is not a prestige scale. Earlier placement is preferred whenever a capable group can obtain a useful result with fewer dependencies.
Advanced theory can be valuable early, but the implementation level is determined by operating requirements. A document about electricity may be A1 if it teaches safe salvage and basic testing; it may be A2 if it requires powered workshops and regulation; it may be A3 if it requires a regional grid.
| Stage | Name | Entry Condition | Placement Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| A0 | Survival Baseline | Day one and immediate survival | Useful now with carried, found, or improvised resources. |
| A1 | Stabilized Community | A community can repeat basic routines | Useful with hand tools, local materials, salvage, skilled labor, and simple power. |
| A2 | Industrial Seed | Powered workshops and controlled processes become possible | Reliable powered workshops, standardized parts, process control, or sustained electrification are mandatory. |
| A3 | Infrastructure Recovery | Systems scale beyond one community | Regional networks, public works, grids, institutions, or coordinated specialist systems are mandatory. |
| A4 | Advanced Industry and Science | Precision supply chains and facilities return | Precision facilities, high-purity materials, advanced computing, or specialty science are mandatory. |
| A5 | Leapfrogs and Frontier | Research exceeds ordinary advanced industry | Frontier or speculative systems require high research capacity and unusual dependencies. |
A0 stabilizes life and preserves options. It covers water, shelter, heat, first aid, sanitation, food acquisition, signaling, emergency records, watches, morale, hazard isolation, and basic salvage.
A1 creates a durable community base. It covers agriculture, preservation, household water, latrines, soap, local-material construction, passive solar, water power, repair, blacksmithing, casting, hand tools, governance, teaching, recordkeeping, and apprenticeship.
A2 establishes a reproducible industrial seed. It covers powered workshops, machine tools, standardized parts, controlled chemical and thermal processes, electric generation and regulation, instrumentation, quality control, and manufacturing systems able to maintain critical equipment.
A3 restores regional systems. It covers waterworks, sewerage, grids, public works, transport networks, regional depots, public health, standards, broadcasting, civil records, and coordinated institutions.
A4 restores advanced industry and science. It covers precision medicine, advanced manufacturing, electronics, scientific instrumentation, advanced computation, aerospace, specialized materials, and research infrastructure.
A5 preserves leapfrogs and frontier systems. It stores knowledge that may matter if a recovering society can skip steps, adapt advanced ideas early, or preserve long-range research memory.
Promotion occurs only when the higher-level dependency is mandatory for the useful form being described. Helpful is not enough. If an earlier-stage companion form exists, it should remain available rather than being silently absorbed into a higher folder.