Church-of-Kosmo/GOVERNANCE.md

Governance

Operational governance for the Church of Kosmo repository.

Scope

This document governs how canonical texts are proposed, reviewed, approved, and released across:

• docs/en/** (canonical source language)
• docs/cs/** (translation mirror)
• LICENSE.md
• CONTRIBUTING.md
• README.md
• BACKLOG.md

Decision Model

The project uses a consensus-first model.

1. A change is proposed through a pull request.
2. Reviewers discuss wording, consistency, ethics, and structure.
3. If no unresolved objections remain, the change is considered approved.

Consensus Fallback

If consensus cannot be reached in a reasonable window, use this fallback:

1. Mark the PR as needs-reflection.
2. Open a focused follow-up issue summarizing the conflict and options.
3. Pause merge until one of these outcomes occurs:
   • wording is revised to remove objection, or
   • the proposal is split into smaller non-contentious changes.

No forced-majority merge for disputed canonical wording.

Canonical vs Translation Policy

1. English files in docs/en/ are canonical reference texts.
2. Czech files in docs/cs/ should remain semantically aligned.
3. Intentional localization is allowed only when documented in the PR description.
4. Translation PRs must preserve structure, section numbering, and key terms unless explicitly justified.

Amendment Flow

For material changes to charter, codex, or ethics text:

1. Open an issue first with:
   • motivation
   • affected files
   • expected impact
2. Link the issue in the pull request.
3. Include a short amendment note in PR body:
   • what changed
   • why now
   • compatibility or interpretation impact
4. Require CODEOWNERS review before merge.

Release Cadence

Repository releases follow a docs cadence:

1. Patch release (vX.Y.Z) for typo/format/link-only changes.
2. Minor release (vX.Y.0) for approved content updates that do not redefine core principles.
3. Major release (vX.0.0) for structural or doctrinal-level updates to canonical texts.

Recommended rhythm:

• Monthly patch/minor tags as needed.
• Quarterly canonical review checkpoint.
• Annual governance review of charter and process documents.

Merge and Branch Rules

1. All changes arrive through pull requests.
2. Direct pushes to protected branches should be disabled.
3. CI checks must pass:
   • markdown lint
   • local markdown link validation
   • translation parity report

Records and Traceability

1. Significant decisions should be traceable via linked issue + PR.
2. Release notes should summarize canonical text changes by file path.
3. Backlog updates should mark completed governance/process milestones.