---
title: "The five rungs, one line each"
description: "Plain definitions of rule, replay, local judge, frontier model and person: what each rung is for."
url: "https://docs.octo.ad/decision-ladder/rungs/"
id: "decision-ladder/rungs"
type: "reference"
audience: "operator"
dateModified: "2026-11-06"
productArea: "the decision ladder"
keywords: ["decision ladder", "rungs"]
---

# The five rungs, one line each

> Plain definitions of rule, replay, local judge, frontier model and person: what each rung is for.

Each rung is described by what it is for. Every decision is recorded, whichever rung answered it.

**Rule**: A fixed rule your people agreed. No model is involved.

**Replay**: A decision already made on the same question, given again.

**Local judge**: A smaller model that chooses among options already set out.

**Frontier model**: A large model that reasons through a question nothing lower on the ladder can answer.

**Person**: A person, for what only a person should decide: anything consequential or irreversible.