target-revenue/CONTRIBUTING.md

# Contributing to target-revenue

## Repository status

This repository defines a **framework concept and specifications**. It does not yet provide a production-ready Target Revenue Source License (TRSL) or a production Trust Service.

**Do not** use draft TRSL language to govern production software or accept customer commercial entitlements under TRF until `workplans/TREV-WP-0008-governance-and-pilot-rollout.md` T05 (the go-live gate) is explicitly accepted. Full specialist legal review is one of T05's preconditions but, per the maintainer's 2026-07-29 alpha/beta risk-acceptance decision (see `SCOPE.md` §1), it is explicitly waived for a defined pilot scope during build/alpha — T05 may accept with that waiver recorded, rather than requiring review to complete first. Until T05 is accepted, no exception applies regardless of how much infrastructure work (WP-0006/0007/0008) exists.

## What contributions are welcome now

| Kind | Guidance |
| --- | --- |
| Spec and doc improvements | Preferred: clarity, consistency with core terms, open-question research, examples |
| Schemas, pure fold, validators, golden fixtures | Preferred once workplans WP-0002 / WP-0003 are active |
| Prior-art research notes | Prefer updating or linking from WP-0001 deliverables |
| Implementation of a full hosted Trust Service | Out of scope until SCOPE sequencing rules are met |

## Terminology

Use the normative terms from `specs/TargetRevenueLicenseConcept.md` (ultimate source). Day-to-day reference — extracted and stabilized, not a source of variant meaning — is: `specs/TargetRevenueFrameworkCore.md` §1 (core terms), `specs/PhaseManifestSpecification.md` (Phase Manifest fields), `specs/TargetLedgerSpecification.md` (ledger entries, fold), and `specs/MonetizationExtensionSpecification.md` (extension contract). Do **not** reintroduce ambiguous synonyms for conversion metrics (e.g. treating total project “revenue captured” as equivalent to Development Credit).

Pre-conversion software is **source-available**, not OSI Open Source.

## External contributions and governed code

**External contributions are not accepted into any governed Milestone Release** until a contributor-rights instrument (CLA, assignment, or equivalent inbound grant covering both TRSL phase and Future License) is adopted.

Documentation-only and schema-only contributions to *this* framework repository may be accepted under the repository LICENSE without that instrument, at maintainer discretion.

A Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO) alone is **not** assumed sufficient for dual-phase relicensing of product code; see open questions and WP-0001-T04.

## Human decision gates

The following must not be marked complete by agents alone without explicit human accept (comment, decision record, or maintainer message):

- TRSL V1C1 license candidate (WP-0001-T06 — **accepted 2026-07-29** as adequate briefing material for counsel; still requires specialist legal review and full Appendix A resolution before official V1.0)
- Library/stack ADR that locks implementation technology (WP-0002-T01 — **accepted 2026-07-29**, see ADR-0001)
- Promotion of working defaults into normative core wording (WP-0003-T06, open)
- WP-0004/WP-0005 jurisdiction-synthesis tasks (T10 in each, open)

## Workplans

Prefer small, hub-linked workplan tasks. Do not register workplans only in the State Hub; write the workplan file under `workplans/` and run consistency sync so local files remain source of truth.

## Questions

Start from `README.md` reading order and `SCOPE.md`. Unresolved product questions live in the PRD §14 and `specs/OpenQuestions-WorkingDefaults.md`.