= STATE Project Governance
:toc: left

== Overview

STATE is maintained as a Free Software project with open governance.
This document describes how decisions are made and how contributors
can participate in project direction.

== Roles

=== Maintainer

The project maintainer has final authority on:

* Release decisions
* Core architecture changes
* Security responses
* Conflict resolution

Current maintainer: Jonathan D.A. Jewell

=== Core Contributors

Core contributors have demonstrated expertise and commitment through:

* Significant code contributions
* Long-term participation
* Technical leadership in their area

Core contributors can:

* Merge changes in their area of expertise
* Participate in architecture decisions
* Mentor new contributors

=== Contributors

Anyone who has contributed to the project through:

* Code
* Documentation
* Bug reports
* Community support

== Decision Making

=== Consensus-Based

Most decisions are made through consensus:

. Proposal is made (issue or merge request)
. Discussion period (minimum 7 days for significant changes)
. If no objections, proposal proceeds
. If objections, discussion continues until resolved

=== Maintainer Override

The maintainer may override consensus in cases of:

* Security emergencies
* Legal requirements
* Irreconcilable disagreements
* Project sustainability concerns

Overrides must be documented with rationale.

== Contribution Areas (TPCF)

=== Perimeter 1: Core (Maintainer)

* Schema and data format changes
* Security-critical code
* Build system and CI/CD
* License changes

=== Perimeter 2: Expert (Core Contributors)

* New modules and features
* Performance optimization
* Integration with external systems
* API design

=== Perimeter 3: Community (All Contributors)

* Documentation
* Examples
* Bug fixes
* Tests

== Becoming a Core Contributor

Core contributor status is granted based on:

* Consistent, quality contributions over 6+ months
* Deep understanding of project architecture
* Constructive participation in discussions
* Mentorship of other contributors

Nomination process:

. Self-nomination or nomination by existing core contributor
. Review of contribution history
. Discussion among core contributors
. Maintainer approval

== Code of Conduct

All participants must follow the CODE_OF_CONDUCT.adoc.

Violations are handled by the maintainer with escalation to
external mediators if needed.

== Changes to Governance

This governance document may be changed through:

. Proposal with rationale
. 30-day discussion period
. Consensus among core contributors
. Maintainer approval

== Contact

* Issues: GitLab issue tracker
* Security: See SECURITY.md
* General: Project mailing list (if applicable)
