# Project Governance

## Overview

The AI Runtime Security is maintained as an open-source project. This document describes how the project is governed.

## Roles

### Maintainers

Maintainers are responsible for:
- Reviewing and merging pull requests
- Triaging issues
- Maintaining the quality and consistency of the framework
- Making decisions about project direction

Current maintainers:
- Jonathan Gill (@JonathanCGill)

### Contributors

Anyone who submits a pull request, opens an issue, or participates in discussions is a contributor. Contributors are expected to follow the [Code of Conduct](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md).

## Decision Making

### Minor Changes

Minor changes (typos, clarifications, formatting) can be merged by any maintainer.

### Significant Changes

Significant changes (new controls, architectural changes, new sections) require:
1. An issue describing the proposed change
2. Discussion period (minimum 7 days for major changes)
3. Pull request with the implementation
4. Review by at least one maintainer
5. No unresolved objections

### Breaking Changes

Changes that fundamentally alter the framework's approach require:
1. RFC (Request for Comments) issue
2. Extended discussion period (minimum 14 days)
3. Consensus among maintainers
4. Clear documentation of the rationale

## Versioning

The framework uses semantic versioning:
- **Major version** — Significant structural changes or breaking changes
- **Minor version** — New content, controls, or sections
- **Patch version** — Corrections, clarifications, minor improvements

## Conflicts

If there's disagreement among maintainers:
1. Discuss in the relevant issue or pull request
2. Seek input from the community
3. If no consensus, the project lead (currently @JonathanCGill) makes the final decision
4. Document the rationale for the decision

## Becoming a Maintainer

Contributors who consistently provide high-quality contributions may be invited to become maintainers. There's no formal process — it's based on demonstrated commitment and judgement.

## Changes to Governance

Changes to this governance document follow the "Significant Changes" process.
