---
fragment_peers:
  channels: canais
  contribute-to-the-protocol: contribuir-com-o-protocolo
  contribution-license-and-publication: licenca-e-publicacao-da-contribuicao
  develop-code-and-configurations: desenvolver-codigo-e-configuracoes
  discuss-and-correct-the-materials: discutir-e-corrigir-os-materiais
  offering-code-or-text-for-incorporation: ao-oferecer-codigo-ou-textos-para-incorporacao
  participate-in-maintenance: participar-da-manutencao
  preserve-present-and-incorporate: preservar-apresentar-e-incorporar
  questions-you-can-contribute-to: questoes-as-quais-voce-pode-acrescentar-algo
  report-an-experience: relatar-uma-experiencia
lang: en
peer: pt/contribute/
shared_fragments: false
title: Contribute to the protocol
---

# Contribute to the protocol

Maintaining Legible also begins with what someone notices and can formulate,
whether in a cumbersome test, an explanation that does not hold up or
a condition the project overlooked.

## Questions you can contribute to

Investigate something encountered in use: an explanation that is hard to
understand, a condition missing from the specification, a cumbersome file
exchange or a configuration need. You can formulate another question too.
There is no need to wait for maintainers to create an assigned task.

You can present a critique, a report, a text correction or code without having
to solve the whole problem. Read relevant materials and accessible proposals
in the project's GitHub repositories. Present your observation, uncertainties
and evidence you can share. A note or
report can start the conversation; Appoints, Traces and Nods are not required
to submit a correction.

## Report an experience

When reporting an experience, explain what you tried to do, which tool or
model you used and where the path helped or required effort. If you
compared it with your usual practice, describe what changed, distinguishing
what you observed from what you still suspect and sharing only necessary,
authorized excerpts.

In collaboration, consider both people. Was preparation easier for the sender
while reading took the recipient more time? Did someone need to explain again
what the record should have contained? These accounts guide improvements to
the writing, instructions and components.

## Discuss and correct the materials

Identify the page, section and edition. Quote the passage and explain your
objection or suggested change. Critiques of the book and paper can be discussed
independently of the code. If a proposal changes a protocol rule, describe
its effect on formats, interpretation and tests.

## Develop code and configurations

Consult the [existing components](implementations.md) before starting.
An integration can evolve without changing the specification. Include an
example that reproduces the added or corrected behavior, with versions,
dependencies and required access.

## Preserve, present and incorporate

A proposal may be accompanied by a genealogy draft or pertinent Legible records.
An Appoint can declare a formulation; a Trace, its dependency on other works;
a Nod, a consequence already received. These records are optional: you can
present a proposal without issuing any of them.

On GitHub, you can open an issue to begin the discussion. To suggest file
changes, submit a pull request, which presents the changes for maintainer
review. Both a draft and pertinent records may accompany that submission.
Issues and pull requests are not, by themselves, Legible records.

Maintainers decide what to incorporate. That selection neither invalidates
other formulations nor establishes a received consequence. To continue a path
not incorporated, retain the files and references you may keep. Interested
readers also need to consult proposals under discussion; downloading the main
branch does not include files from unmerged PRs.

Links to the repositories and their Issues appear at the end of this page.
Reports and proposals are submitted through GitHub.

## Participate in maintenance

You can start with reviews, documentation or corrections and express interest
in maintaining a component. Responsibilities and permissions are agreed as
collaboration develops. Maintainers review what enters the repositories and site.
[Independent proposals](forks.md) also have a publication path.

## Contribution license and publication

When submitting material for incorporation, confirm that you can provide it
under the destination's license. Text uses CC BY 4.0; original code and formats
use Apache-2.0. Preserve third-party notices. If text is only for discussion
and is not being offered for incorporation, say so. Authors retain their
rights under these licenses.

Stating that text is for discussion only makes clear that it is not being
offered for incorporation into the project's files. If you publish it in a
public GitHub issue, others can read it and the publication is subject to
[GitHub's Terms of Service](https://docs.github.com/en/site-policy/github-terms/github-terms-of-service).
If those conditions are not suitable for the material, agree on another
submission channel with the maintainers before sharing it.

Submitting to a public repository makes the content accessible there. Confirm
the rights and authorizations needed to provide it under the applicable license.
Contributions may persist in Git history and third-party copies; removing them
from the current version does not automatically remove those copies.
To request a correction or removal of content published by the project, send
a message to the maintainers through the contact channel listed on the site.
You do not need to create or sign a Legible record to make this request.
Removal from the publication does not automatically revoke
licenses already granted; see the publication notices for the conditions and
limits of this process.

Submitting a correction requires no Appoint, Trace or Nod. Publication of
records, names displayed on the site or contacts has its own review and selection.
See the [publication notices](notices.md).

## Offering code or text for incorporation

All three repositories adopt [DCO 1.1](https://developercertificate.org/) and require
cryptographically signed commits. After reading the certification and reviewing
your submission, use `git commit -sS`: `-s` adds the `Signed-off-by` sign-off,
and `-S` signs the commit. The sign-off's name and email become public; configure
an address suitable for that use before committing.

DCO concerns your right to offer the material under the relevant license; it
does not transfer copyright to the project or replace a Legible record's NCO.
Publishing a record or reference does not change the license of the cited work
or evidence. Disclosure and personal data require their own examination,
including when AI helped prepare the submission.

Questions, critiques and discussions require neither DCO nor Legible records.
You can submit a pull request solely to discuss a proposal, but before
incorporating the changes, maintainers must check the DCO sign-off, commit
signatures and permissions to use the submitted material. See the full policies for
[protocol](https://github.com/LegibleProtocol/protocolDev/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) and
[website](https://github.com/LegibleProtocol/websiteDev/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md), as well as the policy for
[books and papers](https://github.com/LegibleProtocol/publicationsDev/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING_EN.md).

## Channels

GitHub Issues is the channel for questions, use reports and proposals. Choose
the repository according to the subject:

- [Protocol, specification and reference code](https://github.com/LegibleProtocol/protocolDev/issues).
- [Site pages and behavior](https://github.com/LegibleProtocol/websiteDev/issues).
- [Book, papers, translations and references](https://github.com/LegibleProtocol/publicationsDev/issues).

An issue lets you present a question and discuss it. To propose a change to
the files, open a pull request in the same repository.

[GitHub organization](https://github.com/LegibleProtocol) · [Protocol repository — invitation required](https://github.com/LegibleProtocol/protocolDev) · [Website repository — invitation required](https://github.com/LegibleProtocol/websiteDev) · [Books and papers on GitHub — invitation required](https://github.com/LegibleProtocol/publicationsDev) · [Contact](mailto:contact@legibleprotocol.com)

Report vulnerabilities through the [private security channel](mailto:security@legibleprotocol.com).
