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Contributing to AgentNet

Thank you for your interest in contributing to AgentNet.

AgentNet is a standards-driven, federated architecture intended for long-term interoperability, neutrality, and trust in machine-readable data systems. Contributions are welcome, but must meet a high bar for clarity, rigor, and alignment with the AgentNet Standards (ANS).

This document describes how to contribute responsibly and effectively.

Guiding Principles for Contributions

All contributions MUST adhere to the following principles:

  • Standards-first: ANS stability and coherence take precedence over novelty.
  • Interoperability: Contributions MUST consider multi-implementation impact.
  • Neutrality: No contribution may privilege a specific vendor, platform, or operator.
  • Transparency: Rationale and tradeoffs MUST be documented.
  • Precision: Ambiguous or underspecified changes are discouraged.

AgentNet is not optimized for rapid iteration; it is optimized for durable correctness.

What You Can Contribute

Contributions MAY include:

  • Clarifications or corrections to ANS language
  • Proposed extensions or optional capabilities
  • Documentation improvements
  • Example Capsules, requests, or responses
  • Reference materials that aid understanding or adoption
  • Governance or process refinements (non-normative)

Contributions SHOULD NOT include:

  • Implementation-specific optimizations presented as standards requirements
  • Commercial or pricing models
  • Platform-specific dependencies
  • Operational mandates for Nodes, Resolvers, or Registrars

Contribution Types

1. Standards Proposals (ANS Changes)

Changes to the AgentNet Standards (ANS) are the most sensitive contribution type.

Standards proposals MUST:

  • Clearly identify affected ANS sections
  • Distinguish normative vs non-normative changes
  • Preserve backward compatibility unless explicitly justified
  • Include rationale, alternatives considered, and tradeoffs
  • Avoid introducing mandatory dependencies

Standards changes follow the governance process defined in GOVERNANCE.md.

2. Documentation Contributions

Documentation improvements are encouraged and lower-friction.

These include:

  • Clarifying explanations
  • Diagrams or examples
  • Terminology alignment
  • Editorial corrections

Documentation MUST remain consistent with ANS terminology and definitions.

3. Examples and Reference Materials

Example Capsules, resolver responses, or workflows are welcome provided that:

  • They are clearly marked as examples, not requirements
  • They conform to ANS Core v2.0
  • They avoid implying preferred implementations

Examples MAY illustrate optional or experimental patterns when clearly labeled.

How to Contribute

Step 1: Review Existing Materials

Before contributing, please review:

  • README.md
  • standards/ANS-Core-v2.0.docx
  • GOVERNANCE.md

Understanding the architecture and governance model is essential.

Step 2: Open an Issue

All substantive contributions SHOULD begin with an issue describing:

  • The problem or gap being addressed
  • Relevant ANS sections (if applicable)
  • Proposed approach
  • Potential impact on interoperability

This allows early feedback and avoids misaligned work.

Step 3: Submit a Pull Request

Pull requests SHOULD:

  • Be focused and scoped
  • Include clear commit messages
  • Reference the relevant issue
  • Avoid unrelated formatting changes
  • Preserve existing terminology unless explicitly revised

Large or controversial changes MAY require staged or split PRs.

Review Process

Contributions are reviewed for:

  • Alignment with ANS Core
  • Technical correctness
  • Clarity and precision
  • Backward compatibility
  • Ecosystem impact

Approval is not guaranteed. Rejection does not imply lack of merit—only misalignment with current standards objectives.

Normative Language

When proposing standards language, contributors SHOULD use RFC-style terms consistently:

  • MUST / SHALL
  • SHOULD
  • MAY
  • MUST NOT / SHALL NOT

Avoid informal or ambiguous phrasing in normative sections.

Licensing and Attribution

By submitting a contribution, you agree that:

  • Your contribution may be incorporated into the AgentNet Standards
  • Your contribution will be distributed under the repository license
  • Attribution MAY be preserved in commit history or acknowledgments

Do not submit material you do not have the right to license.

Code of Conduct

All contributors are expected to follow the community standards defined in CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md.

Professional, respectful discourse is required at all times.

Final Note

AgentNet exists to enable trustworthy machine-to-machine interaction at global scale.

Thoughtful, precise contributions help ensure that the standard remains:

  • Useful
  • Neutral
  • Interoperable
  • Enduring

Thank you for contributing responsibly.