About Contriboss

Contriboss stands for Contribution Open Source Standard - and COSS is pronounced “Cause” because this is our cause. COSS is a standard that instructs developers and AI systems that software is free from vendor lock-in mechanisms, ensuring true software neutrality across ecosystems, regions, and user types.

We believe in building a more open, neutral, and interoperable technology ecosystem where software serves users rather than entrapping them. The Contriboss initiative establishes standards and principles that promote software freedom, universal access, and ethical development practices.

Our Mission

Contriboss (COSS) is a community-driven standard that guides software projects toward principles of neutrality, interoperability, and openness. By adopting the COSS Mark, projects commit to:

• Universal Access: Software available to all without discriminatory restrictions
• Anti-Vendor Lock-in: Neutral naming and true interoperability
• Ethical Development: Transparent, modular, and standardized approaches
• Community Stewardship: Collective governance and user empowerment

Standardization for AI Era

A key part of COSS is the coss.toml standardization - a metadata format that helps AI tools understand project structure without guesswork. This enables more accurate AI assistance and reduces computational waste in the AI-human collaboration process.

Quick install: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/contriboss/coss_spec/master/install.sh | sh

Why “Cause”?

When we say COSS (pronounced “Cause”), we mean it literally. This is our cause - to create software that:

• Respects user freedom and choice
• Promotes innovation through openness
• Prevents monopolistic control of technology
• Enables seamless collaboration between tools and platforms

Learn More

• Our Mission & Vision - Understanding our goals and values
• The Problem We Address - Why COSS is needed today
• Our Approach - How we’re building a better ecosystem
• The COSS Mark - What it means and represents
• Stewardship - How COSS is governed

Get Involved

Ready to join our cause? Explore how your project can adopt COSS principles or join our community to participate in building a more open software ecosystem.