+
+
+ The SCIP Code Intelligence Protocol (SCIP) is an open source project designed to provide a
+ standard format for indexing source code.
+
+
+ To ensure the protocol remains stable, performant, and universally applicable, this project
+ operates under a Sponsor-Led Governance Model. This means that while we
+ encourage and rely on community contributions, the strategic direction and core protocol schema
+ are guided by a Core Steering Committee. This model is designed to foster a rich ecosystem of
+ language-specific indexers while maintaining a highly stable core.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ Contributors are the lifeblood of SCIP. Anyone can be a Contributor by submitting pull requests,
+ opening issues, improving documentation, or participating in discussions.
+
+
+ -
+ Responsibilities: Follow the
+ Code of Conduct and ensure PRs pass all
+ CI checks.
+
+
+
+
+
+ Because SCIP relies on a diverse ecosystem of language-specific indexers (e.g.,
+ scip-typescript, scip-java), we delegate authority over specific domains
+ to Domain Maintainers.
+
+
+ -
+ Authority: Domain Maintainers have merge rights (
CODEOWNERS) over
+ their specific language indexers or tooling directories. They manage the day-to-day roadmap,
+ issue triage, and PR reviews for their domain.
+
+ -
+ Nomination: Contributors who demonstrate sustained, high-quality contributions
+ to a specific domain can be nominated by an existing Maintainer and approved by the Core
+ Steering Committee.
+
+
+
+
+
+ The Core Steering Committee is the governing body of the SCIP project. It is responsible for
+ the overall architectural vision, core schema definitions, and final dispute resolution.
+
+
+ -
+ Authority: The CSC has final approval over all core protocol changes,
+ cross-cutting architectural decisions, and the SCIP Enhancement Proposal (SEP) process. The CSC
+ has the authority to veto technical decisions that do not align with the project's long-term
+ stability.
+
+ -
+ Composition: The CSC is bootstrapped, and as the project matures, seats may be
+ offered to external Domain Maintainers who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and
+ cross-domain expertise.
+
+
+
+
+
+ To ensure predictability and avoid wasted engineering effort, all major architectural changes,
+ protocol schema modifications, or significant new features must go through
+ the SEP process.
+
+
+ -
+ Draft: A Contributor or Maintainer submits an issue outlining the proposed
+ design, motivation, and tradeoffs (using the SEP template).
+
+ -
+ Discuss: The community and Maintainers debate the merits and technical details
+ of the proposal asynchronously.
+
+ -
+ Resolve: The Core Steering Committee reviews the proposal and the community
+ feedback. The CSC will explicitly mark the SEP as Accepted,
+ Deferred, or Rejected.
+
+ -
+ Implement: Only after an SEP is accepted should significant engineering time be
+ spent on the implementation pull request.
+
+
+
+
+
+ For day-to-day operations within specific domains, Domain Maintainers operate on a "lazy
+ consensus" model—if no maintainer objects to a PR within a reasonable timeframe, it is merged.
+
+
+ For project-wide decisions, schema changes, and governance updates, the Core Steering Committee
+ seeks consensus. If consensus cannot be reached, decisions are made by a simple majority vote
+ among CSC members.
+
+
+
+
+ We do not require a Contributor License Agreement (CLA). When contributing to the project, you
+ affirm that you have the right to submit the code under the project's open source license.
+
+
+
+
We follow these rules to keep the Core Steering Committee (CSC) active and focused.
+
+
+
+ We may add new members as the project grows. We typically choose people doing impactful work in
+ the Core Steering Committee.
+
+
+ -
+ Nomination: Any current CSC member can nominate a candidate.
+
+ -
+ Election: We need a two-thirds vote to approve a new member.
+
+ -
+ Sourcegraph Role: Since Sourcegraph financially sponsors SCIP, they can appoint
+ internal members at any time.
+
+
+
+
+
+ If you no longer have time to contribute, you should step down. You will become an Emeritus
+ member. This means you can't vote, but we will still recognize your work in the repository. We
+ might ask for your advice on complex issues in the future.
+
+
+
+
+ The CSC needs to respond quickly to avoid blocking others. If you ignore votes or reviews for six
+ months, we will automatically move you to Emeritus status.
+
+
+
+
+ We may remove a member to protect the project. This requires a unanimous vote from all other
+ active members. We only do this for severe Code of Conduct violations or actions that hurt the
+ protocol's stability.
+
+
+
+