diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 45f30c2..be7471e 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ### Changed
 
+- A model `Group` now carries an internal `definitionID`, a stable identity stamped on each `<xs:group>` expansion (from the existing per-compile memo key) and shared by every reference to it. It is metadata only (`Group` is not `Equatable`/`Hashable`, so it perturbs no comparison) and has no consumer yet: it is the first step of replacing the per-instance content-model build's per-reference group inlining (the `2^K` doubling-chain hang) with the graph-structured-stack matcher designed in `docs/design/counted-content-automaton.md`. No behaviour change; the XSTS buckets are unchanged.
+
 - The schema-validity differential harness (`XSTSDifferentialTests`, the opt-in libxml2 characterisation for production-readiness stopper 3) now reports each disagreeing schema by its path relative to the corpus root, not its bare basename. The same basename recurs across subdirectories (`Facets/Schemas/gMonth_maxInclusive001.xsd`, which carries `value=""` and is correctly rejected, versus `Facets/gMonth/gMonth_maxInclusive001.xsd`, which carries the contested 2001-REC `--MM--` form), so a basename-only entry hid which file actually disagrees. The header now also records the triage of the "libxml2 stricter" queue: it is dominated by libxml2 over-strictness (a `maxOccurs` like `999999999999999` is a valid unbounded-precision integer libxml2 rejects on its machine-int limit; an unresolvable `include`/`import` it fails to load) and contested datatype-version readings (`gMonth --MM--`, accepted to keep valid XSTS instances; `anyURI` strictness), not clean false negatives. Characterisation only; no shipped behaviour changes.
 
 ### Fixed
diff --git a/Sources/Schema/ComplexType.swift b/Sources/Schema/ComplexType.swift
index c2319be..84b2099 100644
--- a/Sources/Schema/ComplexType.swift
+++ b/Sources/Schema/ComplexType.swift
@@ -250,10 +250,20 @@ public extension PureXML.Schema {
     struct Group: Sendable {
         public var compositor: Compositor
         public var particles: [Particle]
+        /// A stable identity shared by every reference that expands to this same
+        /// `<xs:group>` definition (in the same scope), assigned when the expansion
+        /// is first compiled. It lets a content-model compiler emit a multiply
+        /// referenced group once instead of inlining it per reference (the `2^K`
+        /// build the design doc closes with a graph-structured-stack matcher). It
+        /// is metadata only: `Group` is not `Equatable`/`Hashable`, so carrying it
+        /// changes no comparison, and it is `nil` for an inline (non-referenced)
+        /// group.
+        public var definitionID: Int?
 
-        public init(compositor: Compositor, particles: [Particle]) {
+        public init(compositor: Compositor, particles: [Particle], definitionID: Int? = nil) {
             self.compositor = compositor
             self.particles = particles
+            self.definitionID = definitionID
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/Sources/Schema/GroupParticleMemo.swift b/Sources/Schema/GroupParticleMemo.swift
index a0b0e3d..edd15e6 100644
--- a/Sources/Schema/GroupParticleMemo.swift
+++ b/Sources/Schema/GroupParticleMemo.swift
@@ -18,5 +18,14 @@ extension PureXML.Schema {
     /// instance per compile.
     final class GroupParticleMemo {
         var store: [GroupParticleMemoKey: PureXML.Schema.Particle] = [:]
+        /// Source of the stable `Group.definitionID` stamped on each distinct
+        /// expansion as it is first compiled, so every reference sharing the
+        /// expansion carries the same id and distinct definitions differ.
+        private var nextID = 0
+
+        func allocateDefinitionID() -> Int {
+            defer { nextID += 1 }
+            return nextID
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/Sources/Schema/XSDParserParticles.swift b/Sources/Schema/XSDParserParticles.swift
index 7418f7b..84e3145 100644
--- a/Sources/Schema/XSDParserParticles.swift
+++ b/Sources/Schema/XSDParserParticles.swift
@@ -110,8 +110,22 @@ extension PureXML.Schema.XSDParser {
         guard let inner = modelGroup(in: definition, scoped.visiting(name)) else {
             return nil
         }
-        context.groupMemo.store[key] = inner
-        return Particle(occurrenceRange: occurrence, term: inner.term)
+        // Stamp the expansion with a stable identity so a content-model compiler
+        // can emit this group once rather than inline it per reference; every
+        // reference sharing this memo key reuses the stamped term.
+        let stamped = withDefinitionID(context.groupMemo.allocateDefinitionID(), on: inner)
+        context.groupMemo.store[key] = stamped
+        return Particle(occurrenceRange: occurrence, term: stamped.term)
+    }
+
+    /// `particle` with its model-group term carrying `id`, or unchanged when the
+    /// term is not a group (a group reference always expands to a model group, so
+    /// this only no-ops defensively).
+    private static func withDefinitionID(_ id: Int, on particle: Particle) -> Particle {
+        guard case let .group(group) = particle.term else { return particle }
+        var stamped = group
+        stamped.definitionID = id
+        return Particle(occurrenceRange: particle.occurrenceRange, term: .group(stamped))
     }
 
     /// The particle for an `<xs:element ref="...">`. An abstract head may not appear