How to contribute

File an issue

Found an ambiguity in the spec? A missing edge case? Open an issue at github.com/changespec/spec/issues. Use the label spec-question for clarification requests, spec-bug for errors, and spec-improvement for suggestions.

Submit a pull request

Minor fixes (typos, broken links, clarifications) may be submitted as pull requests directly against the main branch without a prior issue. Pull requests for substantive changes require an associated issue or SEP.

Submit a Specification Extension Proposal (SEP)

For significant changes - adding fields, modifying semantics, changing transport bindings, altering the signature scheme - open a SEP following the SEP template. See the governance page for the SEP process.

Build an implementation

Build a ChangeSpec validator, producer, or consumer in any language. Submit it for certification when ready. The more implementations the spec has, the stronger the standard becomes.

Run the conformance suite

Run the conformance test suite at github.com/changespec/spec/tree/main/conformance against your implementation and report results. Even failed runs are valuable - they identify test vectors that need improvement.

Participate in working groups

See working groups for active and proposed groups. Working groups are the best forum for sustained collaboration on a specific problem area.

All discussion channels are public. Primary coordination happens on GitHub.

Channel	Purpose	Location
GitHub Issues	Bug reports, spec questions, improvement proposals	github.com/changespec/spec/issues
GitHub Discussions	General discussion, announcements, usage questions	github.com/changespec/spec/discussions
Standards inquiries	Regulator engagement, standards body coordination, press	GitHub Discussions

Regular meeting cadence has not been established yet. Once the first working group is chartered (expected post May 2026 launch), the working group will establish its own meeting schedule. All meetings will be open to observers and minutes will be posted publicly.

Meeting cadence proposals may be raised in GitHub Discussions.

ChangeSpec has adopted the Contributor Covenant 2.1.

Instances of abusive, harassing, or otherwise unacceptable behavior may be reported via GitHub Issues using the label conduct. All reports will be reviewed and investigated and will result in a response that is deemed necessary and appropriate to the circumstances.

By submitting a pull request or SEP, contributors agree that their contributions are made under the Apache 2.0 license (for specification content) or MIT license (for code contributions to reference implementations).

All contributions are subject to a non-assertion covenant: contributors assert that they have not included any patented ideas in their contributions that they intend to enforce against implementations of the spec.

Contributors who are employees should ensure they have the necessary employer permissions to contribute. When in doubt, consult your legal counsel before submitting.