> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.docs.forgeshipyard.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# The Build Path

> The milestones, from foundations to a CAD-aware IDE. What's shipped and what's next.

<Note>
  **In plain terms:** Forge is being built in stages. Each milestone lands a specific
  set of capabilities, and each one builds the clean data and the trust the next one
  needs. This page shows the roadmap and where we are on it.
</Note>

## The milestones

| Milestone | Theme                     | What lands                                                                                                                                             |
| --------- | ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **M0**    | Foundations               | Database schemas, per-yard isolation everywhere, source registry, event/audit logs, decision ledger schema, capability catalog schema, isolation tests |
| **M1**    | Rules & Retrieval         | ABS / USCG ingestion pipeline, citation manager, basic rules retrieval, prior-vessel memory ingestion, structured UI skeleton                          |
| **M2**    | Governed Decisions        | Decision ledger writes, rule applicability decisions, capability-gated agents, rule supersession events, re-evaluation queue                           |
| **M3**    | Geometry Baseline         | CAD metadata import, STEP / IGES geometry service, measurement records, simple clash and clearance checks                                              |
| **M4**    | Verification & Eval       | Ordered verification gates, confidence filter, numeric geometry grounding, evaluation thresholds, isolation tests at scale                             |
| **M5**    | Controlled DesignOS Pilot | Partner operating policy, build-readiness checklist, change-impact workflow, issue export, structured feedback                                         |
| **M6**    | CAD-Aware IDE             | Visual model viewer, annotations, structured approval flows, deterministic review packages, CAD connectors where permitted                             |

## Where we are

<Info>
  **The named M0-M6 build baselines are complete.**

  Forge is now in post-baseline work: widening the regulatory and interpretation corpus,
  deepening labeled evaluation, and preparing the controlled baseline for partner use and
  feedback. For each partner environment, production identity, key custody, deployment,
  and permitted CAD connections are configured to that yard's requirements. The
  [Research Log](/research-log/overview) tracks this work week by week.
</Info>

## How the path is ordered

The rollout follows the same logic as [How Forge Fits](/start-here/how-forge-fits):
start where the leverage is highest and the risk lowest, then expand.

* **M0 to M2** establish the foundation: trustworthy sources, per-yard isolation,
  the data model, rules ingestion, the decision ledger, the capability catalog, and
  a basic UI.
* **M3 to M5** add geometry, enforce that numeric claims are grounded, route rule
  changes, and stand up the build-readiness workflows for a first pilot.
* **M6 and beyond** bring evidence into the CAD-aware review experience, connect to
  existing yard tools where permitted, expand the governed corpus, and build the
  outcome-driven learning flywheel.

Throughout, the trust principle holds: the AI can retrieve, compare, draft, flag,
and propose, but it never becomes the design authority. Structured human approval
stays authoritative.