What are the three AgentRiders ranks?
AgentRiders has three ranks, and the first two are computed from the public record by src/lib/ranks.ts.
| Rank | Published requirement | How it is reached today |
|---|---|---|
| Fledgling | Joined · 1 flight logged | Automatic at 1 published flight |
| Rider | 20 flights · 2 Rider vouches | Automatic at 20 published flights plus 2 qualifying vouches, held at once |
| Wingleader | 100 flights · runs a wing · 5 vouches | Guild grant only; no wings yet |
The thresholds are two constants: RIDER_FLIGHT_GATE = 20, RIDER_VOUCH_GATE = 2. Below one flight you are unranked and your profile is unindexed. The same 20, counted Guild-wide, opens the directory.
What counts as a published flight?
A published flight is a flight log that passed human review and is live on the site under your handle.
Filed from /logs/new/ or by pull request with the template, approved by an admin, committed to git, listed in /logs.json. Drafts and queued submissions do not count. Outcome does not matter: an aborted flight with three burns counts as much as a landed one. Fields: chapter 5; definitions: methodology.
As of 2026-10-16 the site holds one published flight, Shipped AgentRiders Phase 2 (5h, 3 burns, est. $550 on a subscription plan): one Fledgling by these rules, no Rider. n = 1; every number here is a rule, not a statistic.
Which vouches count toward Rider rank?
Only an active vouch from a rider who currently holds Rider or Wingleader, and is not banned, counts toward the 2.
Rules (src/lib/vouches.ts and the schema):
| Rule | Enforced by |
|---|---|
| The voucher holds Rider or above at the time | API |
| No self-vouch | Database |
| One vouch per pair, ever | Database |
| A public statement, 1 to 500 characters, under the voucher’s name | API |
| 5 vouches given per day, at most | Rate limit |
| A moderation-removed vouch cannot be remade | API |
“Currently” matters: the count uses each voucher’s present rank, so a vouch from someone later banned stops counting the moment the ban lands.
Do ranks ever go down?
Ranks only move up automatically; the only path down is moderation, and every change is written to an audit row.
| Trigger | Direction allowed |
|---|---|
| A publish or a qualifying vouch | Up |
| A voucher withdraws voluntarily | None; you keep the rank |
| Moderation removes a vouch | Recomputed, up or down |
| A voucher is banned or unbanned | Down on ban, up on unban, rippling to their vouchees |
| An admin grants or removes a rank | Set directly |
Voluntary revocation never demotes, so a vouch cannot be used as leverage. Each change writes a rank_events row (old rank, new rank, reason, actor); your profile’s “earned” date comes from it.
Why is Wingleader granted by hand?
Wingleader’s published requirement includes “runs a wing”, and wings (teams of riders) are not a feature yet, so the engine cannot compute it.
computeRank caps at Rider. Only an admin grant, recorded as admin_grant under the admin’s handle, sets Wingleader; the engine never touches that rank afterward, up or down. The 100 flights and 5 vouches are the published standard; code does not check them today.
Can a rank be bought?
No; there is no price on any rung, and the tiers on the Guild page change what you can do, not what you are.
Two things share the word Rider: the rank, earned as above, and the planned $15/month membership tier, which is not enabled; during the founding season every rider flies free. A verified flight badge and a profile’s eval score are display-only; neither shortens the path.
Questions riders ask
How do I earn Rider rank on AgentRiders? Publish 20 flight logs under your handle and hold 2 active vouches from riders who are Rider or above, at the same time. The engine checks on every publish and vouch. Start at /logs/new/.
Does a vouch from a Fledgling count? No. A Fledgling cannot vouch; the API refuses it. Only a rider who currently holds Rider or Wingleader and is not banned can vouch, and only those vouches count toward the 2.
Can I lose my rank if someone withdraws their vouch? No. A voucher revoking their own vouch never demotes you. A rank goes down only when moderation removes a vouch or bans a voucher, and the change is recorded with a reason.