SKILL.md
Open Source Best Practices
This skill guides you through preparing your GitHub project for sustainable open source release.
How to Use This Skill
- See the full workflow in [AGENTS.md](AGENTS.md) - the complete phases and checklist
- Reference detailed guides in [references/](references/) folder:
- File requirements and structure - License selection decision tree - Security scanning and git history cleaning - Governance framework - Maintainer expectations - GitHub Sponsors setup - Template examples
Quick Overview
The workflow has 8 phases (do them in order; Phase 1 isn't optional):
- Security First - Clean your git history using Git History Cleaner
- Legal & Ownership - Choose license, verify ownership, clarify admin rights
- Community Foundations - Add Code of Conduct, governance, decision-making
- Documentation & Onboarding - README, CONTRIBUTING, issue/PR templates
- Setup Files & Infrastructure - .gitignore, CI/CD, protected branches
- Maintainer Expectations - Define roles, SLAs, communication
- Security & Vulnerability Reporting - SECURITY.md, vulnerability process
- Funding & Sustainability - GitHub Sponsors (optional but recommended)
Get Started
When a user asks about open sourcing their project, begin by asking:
- "What does your project do?" - Understand scope
- "Who's the audience?" - Know your users
- "Is your git history clean?" - Check for secrets first
Then guide them through the phases using the full [AGENTS.md](AGENTS.md) workflow.
Key Resources
- [AGENTS.md](AGENTS.md) - Complete 8-phase workflow
- [references/file-checklist.md](references/file-checklist.md) - What files and why
- [references/license-selection.md](references/license-selection.md) - How to choose
- [references/security-practices.md](references/security-practices.md) - Clean git history
- [references/governance.md](references/governance.md) - Make decisions sustainably
- [references/maintainer-expectations.md](references/maintainer-expectations.md) - Healthy projects
- [references/sponsors-setup.md](references/sponsors-setup.md) - Enable funding
- [references/template-examples.md](references/template-examples.md) - Copy-paste templates