> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.livepeer.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Ownerless Governance

> Canonical ownerless governance contract for repository surfaces that must self-describe, self-validate, and provide exact repair paths for OSS contributors and AI agents.

# Ownerless Governance

This document is the canonical ownerless governance contract for this repository. It defines how repo-tracked governance works without relying on a standing human owner, maintainer team, or org membership to interpret or repair routine failures.

## Core Rule

Every governed surface must have:

1. one canonical source
2. one deterministic validator
3. one exact repair path
4. one primary gate layer

If any of those are missing, the surface is not ownerless-ready and must remain advisory.

## Vocabulary

| Term              | Meaning                                                                                                                           |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Canonical source  | The file or path that defines truth for a governed surface.                                                                       |
| Derived output    | A generated or synced artifact that must match its canonical source.                                                              |
| Repair command    | The exact repo-backed command that repairs deterministic drift or restores policy compliance.                                     |
| Gate layer        | The single primary enforcement layer for a surface: pre-commit, changed-file PR CI, scheduled CI, or manual/on-demand.            |
| Rollout state     | The current posture of a surface: advisory, autofix, blocking, or migrating.                                                      |
| Domain            | Taxonomy metadata that classifies a governed artifact by repo concern. It is not a reviewer, person, team, or approval authority. |
| Lock holder       | The current actor holding a local execution lock for codex isolation. This is task state, not repository authority.               |
| Legacy review map | A historical repository file that may be archived for context. It is never a canonical source, gate layer, or approval authority. |

## Gate Ownership Rules

Each governed surface must declare exactly one primary gate layer in `operations/governance/config/ownerless-governance-surfaces.json`.

Allowed gate layers:

* `pre-commit`
* `pr-changed`
* `scheduled`
* `manual`

Secondary checks may exist, but the manifest must name only one primary layer.

## Repair Path Rules

* Every blocking failure must print:
  * why it failed
  * the re-check command
  * the repair command
* Repair commands must be repo-backed commands that an OSS contributor or AI agent can run directly.
* If repair is not deterministic, the surface stays advisory until deterministic repair exists.
* Historical review-map files may remain archived for context, but they cannot act as an active routing or approval contract.

## Rollout State Rules

| State       | Meaning                                                                                                                                                           |
| ----------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `advisory`  | Validate and report only. Do not block merges or commits.                                                                                                         |
| `autofix`   | Deterministic repair exists, but blocking promotion is not complete.                                                                                              |
| `blocking`  | Surface is ownerless-ready and enforced in its primary layer.                                                                                                     |
| `migrating` | Surface remains a bounded transitional exception. The canonical control plane is already single-source, but promotion or archival is still under explicit review. |

Promotion to `blocking` requires:

1. one clean baseline run on the full governed surface
2. changed-file PR simulation proving the scope is bounded
3. exact repair output for every blocking failure mode

## Production Approval Gate

Governance-sensitive PRs are controlled by the canonical approval policy at:

* `operations/governance/config/governance-approval-policy.json`

The required PR body section is:

* `## Governance Approval`

The CI approval labels are:

* `approval:governance-schema`
* `approval:governance-gate`
* `approval:workflow-governance`
* `approval:governance-retirement`

Those labels are GitHub-native approval evidence for governance-sensitive PRs. They do not replace the existing human-only commit trailers required for `.allowlist` edits or tracked deletions.

## Surface Registry

The machine-readable surface registry lives at:

* `operations/governance/config/ownerless-governance-surfaces.json`

That manifest is the canonical index for:

* governed globs
* canonical sources
* derived outputs
* validators
* repair commands
* gate layer
* rollout state
* network dependence
* ownerless readiness

Legacy runtime mirrors are retired. Active governance reads must target `operations/governance/config/**` only.

## OSS Contributor Loop

The ownerless contributor path is:

1. change canonical source or governed surface
2. run or trigger the bounded validator
3. read exact repair output
4. run the repair command
5. re-run the validator
6. merge once the surface is green in its declared gate layer

No repo-tracked governance surface should require private staff-only context for those steps.

## Current Policy Connections

* `docs-guide/policies/source-of-truth-policy.mdx` defines canonical boundaries.
* `docs-guide/policies/infrastructure-principles.mdx` defines the gate-layer model.
* `operations/tests/unit/ownerless-governance.test.js` validates the manifest and ownerless language rules.
* `operations/tests/unit/ai-tools-registry.test.js` validates the AI-tools registry surface declared in the ownerless manifest.
* `operations/tests/unit/governance-approval-policy.test.js` validates the production governance approval contract and PR evidence rules.