nodejs/GOVERNANCE.md

Node.js Project Governance

The Node.js project is governed by its Collaborators, including a Technical Steering Committee (TSC) which is responsible for high-level guidance of the project.

Collaborators

The nodejs/node GitHub repository is maintained by Collaborators who are added by the TSC on an ongoing basis.

Individuals identified by the TSC as making significant and valuable contributions across any Node.js repository may be made Collaborators and given commit access to the project. Activities taken into consideration include (but are not limited to) the quality of:

• code commits and pull requests
• documentation commits and pull requests
• comments on issues and pull requests
• contributions to the Node.js website
• assistance provided to end users and novice contributors
• participation in Working Groups
• other participation in the wider Node.js community

If individuals making valuable contributions do not believe they have been considered for commit access, they may log an issue or contact a TSC member directly.

Modifications of the contents of the nodejs/node repository are made on a collaborative basis. Anybody with a GitHub account may propose a modification via pull request and it will be considered by the project Collaborators. All pull requests must be reviewed and accepted by a Collaborator with sufficient expertise who is able to take full responsibility for the change. In the case of pull requests proposed by an existing Collaborator, an additional Collaborator is required for sign-off.

If one or more Collaborators oppose a proposed change, then the change can not be accepted unless:

• Discussions and/or additional changes result in no Collaborators objecting to the change. Previously-objecting Collaborators do not necessarily have to sign-off on the change, but they should not be opposed to it.
• The change is escalated to the TSC and the TSC votes to approve the change. This should only happen if disagreements between Collaborators cannot be resolved through discussion.

Collaborators may opt to elevate significant or controversial modifications to the TSC by assigning the tsc-review label to a pull request or issue. The TSC should serve as the final arbiter where required.

• Current list of Collaborators
• A guide for Collaborators

Collaborator Activities

Typical activities of a Collaborator include:

• helping users and novice contributors
• contributing code and documentation changes that improve the project
• reviewing and commenting on issues and pull requests
• participation in working groups
• merging pull requests

The TSC periodically reviews the Collaborator list to identify inactive Collaborators. Past Collaborators are typically given Emeritus status. Emeriti may request that the TSC restore them to active status.

Technical Steering Committee

The Technical Steering Committee (TSC) has final authority over this project including:

• Technical direction

• Project governance and process (including this policy)

• Contribution policy

• GitHub repository hosting

• Conduct guidelines

• Maintaining the list of additional Collaborators

• Current list of TSC members

The operations of the TSC are governed by the TSC Charter as approved by the Node.js Foundation Board of Directors.

TSC Meetings

The TSC meets regularly in a voice conference call. The meeting is run by a designated meeting chair approved by the TSC. Each meeting is streamed on YouTube.

Items are added to the TSC agenda which are considered contentious or are modifications of governance, contribution policy, TSC membership, or release process.

The intention of the agenda is not to approve or review all patches. That should happen continuously on GitHub and be handled by the larger group of Collaborators.

Any community member or contributor can ask that something be reviewed by the TSC by logging a GitHub issue. Any Collaborator, TSC member, or the meeting chair can bring the issue to the TSC's attention by applying the tsc-review label. If consensus-seeking among TSC members fails for a particular issue, it may be added to the TSC meeting agenda by adding the tsc-agenda label.

Prior to each TSC meeting, the meeting chair will share the agenda with members of the TSC. TSC members can also add items to the agenda at the beginning of each meeting. The meeting chair and the TSC cannot veto or remove items.

The TSC may invite additional persons to participate in a non-voting capacity.

The meeting chair is responsible for ensuring that minutes are taken and that a pull request with the minutes is submitted after the meeting.

Due to the challenges of scheduling a global meeting with participants in several timezones, the TSC will seek to resolve as many agenda items as possible outside of meetings using the TSC issue tracker. The process in the issue tracker is:

• A TSC member opens an issue explaining the proposal/issue and @-mentions @nodejs/tsc.
• After 72 hours, if there are two or more LGTMs from other TSC members and no explicit opposition from other TSC members, then the proposal is approved.
• If there are any TSC members objecting, then a conversation ensues until either the proposal is dropped or the objecting members are persuaded. If there is an extended impasse, a motion for a vote may be made.

Consensus Seeking Process

The TSC follows a Consensus Seeking decision making model as described by the TSC Charter.