Student guide: The Disclosure Ladder

Use only one fictional ladder card. The goal is not to decide whether a topic is universally safe. It is to notice when the accumulated details no longer serve the task.

1. Read one ladder in order without skipping ahead.
2. Mark the first point where you would pause before adding the next detail.
3. Write the task the conversation is actually trying to complete.
4. Name one useful detail, one detail that becomes risky in combination, and the reason for your pause.
5. Choose a next move: generalize, use a fictional substitute, ask a verification question, use an approved process, or stop.
6. Write a repaired next request. Keep the legitimate goal; do not copy real addresses, access details, contacts, or records.

If you are unsure whether a detail belongs, do not guess. Keep the practice fictional and record the question for a responsible person.

Completion check: retain your pause point, explanation, safer next move, repaired request, and one boundary you would keep human-owned.

Use the Lab Notebook to save a Markdown or JSON copy of your work and feedback.

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Source: labs/disclosure-ladder/companions/student-step-by-step.md