Contributor Path

Four roles, each a superset of the last. Advancement is by demonstrated work and nomination — never by tenure alone.

flowchart LR
  A[First contribution] --> B[Contributor]
  B --> C[Reviewer]
  C --> D[Maintainer]
  D --> E[Steering Committee]

1. First contribution (target: < 30 minutes to first PR)

  1. Read CONTRIBUTING.md and install Node 20+.
  2. git clone → npm ci → npm run build -w packages/core.
  3. Pick a good-first-issue (each is scoped, has acceptance criteria, and a mentor where labeled mentorship-available).
  4. Make the change, run the relevant package’s tests (npm test -w packages/<pkg>), open a PR. CI runs lint/typecheck/tests automatically.

You are a Contributor after your first merged PR.

2. Reviewer

Bar: ~10 quality PRs and/or substantive reviews in an area; consistent, constructive feedback; understands an area’s tests and conventions.

Rights: may Approve PRs in their area (approval is advisory until a Maintainer merges). Listed in CODEOWNERS for that area.

Nomination: any Maintainer; lazy consensus among Maintainers.

3. Maintainer

Bar: sustained reviewing + ownership of an area; demonstrates judgment on backward-compatibility and security; follows the release process.

Rights/Responsibilities: merge rights; triage; participate in security response; uphold the RFC process. See GOVERNANCE.md for the full responsibility list.

Nomination: by two existing Maintainers; confirmed by Steering Committee.

4. Steering Committee

Bar: Maintainer with cross-cutting impact and a track record of sound decisions.

Role: final-comment-period calls on RFCs, tie-breaking votes, governance and release-policy decisions, Code-of-Conduct appeals. Structure, size, and election are defined in GOVERNANCE.md.

Recognition

  • All merged contributors are credited (all-contributors).
  • Notable contributions are highlighted in release notes and Announcements.
  • Moving up a rung is announced publicly.

Stepping back

Any role may step back at any time (emeritus status). Inactivity for two release cycles moves a Maintainer to emeritus by default; re-activation is immediate on request.