v1.0.0: Open Source Best Practices Framework

Open Source Best Practices v1.0.0

The complete framework for preparing GitHub projects for sustainable open source release.

What's New

• ✅ 8-phase workflow with detailed checklists (Security → Sustainability)
• ✅ Git History Cleaner integration - Scan and remove secrets before going public
• ✅ AI agent support - Works with GitHub Copilot, Claude, and other agents
• ✅ 7 reference guides - License selection, governance, templates, SLAs, sponsors setup
• ✅ Security-first approach - Phase 1 is always cleaning git history and secrets
• ✅ Maintainer protection - Role definitions, SLAs, burnout prevention

Key Features

The 8 Phases

1. Security Foundation - Git history cleanup (use Git History Cleaner)
2. Legal & Ownership - License, ownership verification, vision
3. Community Foundations - Code of conduct, governance
4. Documentation & Onboarding - README, CONTRIBUTING, templates
5. Setup & Infrastructure - CI/CD, verified setup instructions
6. Maintainer Expectations - Roles, SLAs, how to say no
7. Security & Vulnerability Reporting - SECURITY.md, incident process
8. Funding & Sustainability - GitHub Sponsors setup (optional)

Getting Started

1. Read SKILL.md for the complete framework
2. Start with Phase 1: Clean your git history using Git History Cleaner
3. Work through each phase in order

Reference Guides Included

• file-checklist.md - Files you need
• license-selection.md - License decision tree
• security-practices.md - Git history cleaning
• governance.md - Decision-making frameworks
• maintainer-expectations.md - Roles and SLAs
• sponsors-setup.md - GitHub Sponsors strategy
• template-examples.md - Copy-paste templates
• AGENTS.md - AI agent workflow

License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0)

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