policy/docs/adoption.md

# Adopting And Updating The Policies

This guide is for agents and maintainers incorporating policies from
[Standard Repository Policies](https://gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/policy)
into another repository. This guide lives in the upstream repository; downstream
projects link to it from their adopted `docs/policy/meta.md`. To edit the upstream
templates themselves, use the [contributor guide](development.md).

## Downstream Files And Upstream References

| Material | Downstream treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Applicable `docs/policy/*.md`, including `meta.md` | Copy and customize, retaining each document's upstream provenance. |
| `agents/AGENTS.md` | Adapt into the downstream root `AGENTS.md`. |
| Downstream `docs/development.md` | Create or update for that project using the reading guidance below. |
| This repository's README, root AGENTS.md, developer guide, and adoption guide | Keep upstream and consult through links as needed. |
| Licensing examples | Reference upstream and use them to create actual project notices. |
| Applicable standard license texts | Copy locally as specified below and in the OSS policy. |

## Select A Baseline

Select an upstream commit and read the policies relevant to the requested work.
Use a revision containing the [project grant](../COPYRIGHT) and the reference
assets you intend to use. Record its full commit identifier as the adoption
baseline. Git records are sufficient to maintain adoption provenance.

Preserve existing downstream decisions and unrelated changes. Customize selected
policies to existing project responsibilities and the author's requested scope.

## Copy And Customize

1. Copy `docs/policy/meta.md` and the applicable policy documents to the same
   downstream locations.
   Follow each template's adoption instructions and remove its `Base Policy
   Template` section afterward. Create supporting documents when they have useful
   content for an existing responsibility.
2. Tailor architecture to the actual project. Preserve the author's selected
   license and existing application contracts.
3. Retain each document's `Base Policy Version` and set `Last Updated` to the
   local adoption date. Add `Upstream Source` metadata linking to that specific
   document at the selected commit. Retain this provenance in future edits.
4. Create or update the downstream `docs/development.md` reading guide, including
   the [policy reading guide](#set-up-selective-policy-reading) below, which routes
   adoption and update tasks to `policy/meta.md`.
   Use [agents/AGENTS.md](../agents/AGENTS.md) as the basis for the downstream root
   `AGENTS.md`, merging its orientation links with existing instructions.
5. Add the attribution and document-license scope described below. Review the
   resulting local rules for consistency with the project's actual workflows.

A source link has this shape; substitute the selected full commit and filename:

```text
https://gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/policy/src/commit/UPSTREAM_COMMIT/docs/policy/testing.md
```

## Set Up Selective Policy Reading

Include the following in the downstream `docs/development.md`, merging it with
existing reading guidance and retaining rows for the policies adopted locally.
The links are relative to that downstream document. Keep policy reading triggers
there; the documentation policy remains the owner of the documentation topic map.

```markdown
## Policy Reading Guide

| Policy | Read before… |
| --- | --- |
| [Policy set provenance](policy/meta.md) | Adopting policies, checking upstream revisions, or updating the adopted policy set. |
| [Agents](policy/agents.md) | Recommending, planning, or implementing repository changes. |
| [Architecture](policy/architecture.md) | Planning or changing application code or its structure. |
| [Testing](policy/testing.md) | Selecting validation for code changes, or adding, changing, removing, or evaluating tests. |
| [Documentation](policy/documentation.md) | Writing, revising, or reorganizing documentation. |
| [OSS](policy/oss.md) | Adding or updating dependencies or incorporated third-party material, or changing licensing or attribution. |
| [Release](policy/release.md) | Preparing or publishing a release, changing release procedures, or making versioning and compatibility decisions. |

- Read applicable policies before making decisions they govern; multiple policies
  may apply.
- Select policies using the task triggers above. Follow cross-references to
  relevant sections when needed to resolve a concrete question.
- Reuse policies already available in context; reread when changed or no longer
  available.
- Expand reading when the task's scope expands.
- When revising a policy itself, read that policy and any provisions elsewhere
  affected by the revision.
```

## Attribute Copied Policies

Use the [canonical attribution entry](../examples/licensing/policy-attribution.md)
by inserting it beneath the existing title in the downstream
`docs/oss/attribution.md`.

- Replace `UPSTREAM_COMMIT` with the selected full commit in all three URLs.
- Adjust the `Material:` sentence to identify the files actually copied. Keep
  “adapted for this repository” for customized documents; use “copied without
  modification” for unchanged copies. For a mixture, identify which are adapted.
- Preserve supplied creator, copyright, license, and warranty-disclaimer notices,
  including the link to upstream `COPYRIGHT`. Retain indications of prior
  modifications as the documents evolve.
- Copy [CC-BY-SA-4.0.txt](oss/licenses/CC-BY-SA-4.0.txt) into the downstream
  `docs/oss/licenses/`. The entry's relative license link assumes that location.

This entry is the project's recommended attribution arrangement for copied or
adapted policies. Its short material statement identifies scope and modification
status; do not add research narratives or compliance commentary.

Keep customized policy documents under CC-BY-SA 4.0 in this standard adoption
workflow. Identify that scope in the downstream `COPYRIGHT`, for example:

```text
Policy documents adapted from Standard Repository Policies remain licensed
under CC-BY-SA-4.0. See docs/oss/attribution.md for the affected material,
upstream credit, and license links.
```

The application's own code retains its selected license. Copying a policy does
not select a new license for unrelated code or documentation. These instructions
implement the [project grant](../COPYRIGHT); they do not add a requirement to
publish private work or send modifications upstream. Other arrangements
permitted by the license remain available.

## Use Reference Assets

Create actual `COPYRIGHT` and attribution files using the upstream
[application](../examples/licensing/application/COPYRIGHT),
[library](../examples/licensing/library/COPYRIGHT), and
[attribution](../examples/licensing/attribution.md) examples. Read the
[OSS policy](policy/oss.md) for their format and placeholder substitution rules.
Original example formatting is available under CC0 as specified in
[COPYRIGHT](../COPYRIGHT); using that formatting alone does not require an
attribution entry for this project.

Keep links to these examples in the adopted policy pointed at upstream commits.
Keep the example collection upstream and use it to create actual project notices.
Copy the applicable standard license texts into the actual local license files;
retain their wording and their own terms. Those copies remain necessary under
the House Format even though example documents stay upstream.

## Check For Upstream Revisions

When asked to check the policy set and recommend updates:

1. Read the local policies and identify each document's `Upstream Source` commit,
   `Base Policy Version`, and local customizations. Different documents may have
   different adoption baselines.
2. Inspect upstream `main` and record its full commit identifier. Use that fixed
   revision throughout the comparison.
3. Compare each recorded upstream file with its counterpart at the review
   revision, then assess the upstream changes against the locally customized
   policy. Version labels help orientation; inspect the actual differences.
   Note new, renamed, or removed upstream policies where relevant to the project.
4. Recommend applicable changes with their reasons, identify conflicts with
   deliberate local choices, and name policies that need no update. Include the
   baseline and review revisions so the comparison can be reproduced. Ground
   recommendations in the local project's needs.
5. Base provenance claims on available evidence. Report missing or unavailable
   baselines explicitly and qualify comparisons accordingly. Report upstream
   access failures and the resulting limits on the review.

For a recommendation-only request, preserve the current files and adoption
metadata. Apply the following procedure when implementation is requested.

## Update Deliberately

Compare the previously recorded upstream files with a selected newer revision.
Apply relevant changes while preserving local decisions and selecting updates
that serve the project.

Update `Base Policy Version` when adopting a newer template version and update
`Upstream Source` to the revision actually incorporated. Change `Last Updated`
when revising the local document. Keep the material description, modification
status, and attribution links accurate. If documents use different upstream
revisions, retain each file's exact source metadata and include the necessary
commit-specific source and notice links in the single project attribution entry.

Ordinary review should check the resulting rules, attribution facts, and affected
links. A commit-based adoption record is sufficient; no recurring synchronization
check, release gate, or separate license approval is required. Agents following
this documented arrangement need additional clarification only for a concrete
circumstance it does not cover. User instructions govern whether changes are
committed or published.