Becoming a COSS-Branded Project: A Step-by-Step Guide

Aligning your project with the Contriboss (COSS) standard and earning the COSS Mark is a straightforward process designed to be transparent and accessible. This guide outlines the steps to help you declare your commitment to neutrality, interoperability, and open principles.

Step 1: Understand and Embrace the COSS Brand Principles

Before anything else, thoroughly familiarize yourself and your core project team with the COSS Brand Principles. These are the foundation of the COSS standard. Ensure you understand:

• Principle 1: Universal Access
• Principle 2: Anti-Vendor Lock-in & Neutral Naming
• Principle 3: Optional Dependencies & Ecosystem Compatibility
• Principle 4: Modular Scope for Standardization
• Principle 5: Contributor Ethics within COSS-branded Projects

Review the full COSS Brand Usage Guidelines

Discuss these principles within your team and confirm a genuine commitment to upholding them in your project’s standard, generally available offering.

Step 2: Ensure Your Code is Open Source

COSS-branded projects must have open source code to ensure transparency and prevent vendor lock-in mechanisms. Any license type is acceptable as long as the code remains open source.

The key requirement is that your software must not contain vendor lock-in mechanisms, regardless of the license type used.

Ensure your project’s open source nature and license are clearly stated in your repository and distribution.

Step 3: Conduct a Self-Assessment Against the COSS Principles

Review your project’s architecture, codebase, documentation, and contribution processes against each of the five COSS Brand Principles. Ask yourselves:

• Does our project’s standard offering meet the requirements of Universal Access?
• Are there any aspects of our core project that could be construed as vendor lock-in? Is our naming for core components neutral?
• How do we handle optional dependencies? Is our core functional without them?
• Is our project’s scope well-defined and modular, suitable for standardization?
• Do our contribution guidelines and community practices align with the COSS Contributor Ethics?

Be honest in your assessment. This is an opportunity to identify any areas where your project might need adjustments to fully align with the COSS standard.

Step 4: Add COSS Metadata for AI Understanding

To help AI tools understand your project structure and enable better collaboration, add a coss.toml file to your project root. This standardized metadata file allows AI tools to quickly understand your project without guesswork.

Learn about COSS.toml and download the template

Questions about implementing this? Join our community or contact us.

Step 5: Publicly Affirm Your Commitment

Once you are confident that your project aligns with the COSS Brand Principles:

• Add a Statement: Include a clear statement in your project’s README file, website, or other prominent documentation declaring your project’s commitment to the COSS Brand Principles and its intention to operate as a COSS-branded project.
• Display the COSS Mark (Upon Approval/Verification): Prepare to display the COSS Mark (name and logo, once guidelines are provided) according to the usage guidelines that will be available.

Step 6: Request Verification from The COSS Stewardship Body (Recommended)

While self-affirmation is the first step, we strongly encourage projects to request verification from The COSS Stewardship Body. This formal verification adds credibility and allows your project to be officially recognized and potentially showcased by the COSS initiative.

The process for verification will typically involve:

• Submitting an application or request to The COSS Stewardship Body (details on the process will be provided by the Body).
• Providing links to your project repository, documentation, and the public statement of COSS commitment.
• Being prepared to answer questions or provide further information to help the Stewardship Body assess your project’s alignment with the COSS Principles.

For questions about the verification process, please contact us or join our community discussions.

Step 7: Maintain Ongoing Compliance

Earning the COSS Mark is an ongoing commitment. As your project evolves:

• Continuously ensure that new features, changes, and community practices remain aligned with the COSS Brand Principles.
• Keep your public affirmation of COSS commitment up-to-date.
• Engage with The COSS Stewardship Body and the broader COSS community.

By following these steps, you can proudly position your project as a leader in promoting a more open, neutral, and interoperable technology ecosystem. We welcome your commitment to the COSS standard!