Governance

This document describes how the MDK project is governed and how decisions are made.

MDK is an open-source project. While the code is publicly available and community contributions are welcome, final decision-making authority rests with the MDK core team.

Project Roles

Users

Anyone who uses MDK and provides feedback, bug reports, or feature requests.

Contributors

Community members who contribute code, documentation, tests, or other improvements via pull requests or issues.

Contributors do not have merge access.

Maintainers

Maintainers are responsible for reviewing pull requests, maintaining code quality, and ensuring alignment with the project roadmap.

Maintainers may be appointed by the Lead Maintainer.

The following GitHub IDs currently hold maintainer status for MDK:

arif-dewi
eugeneglova
robdll
eskawl
boris91
habrahamyanbf
efr-nox
rob-aslanian
mukama
paragmore
tekwani

Only the GitHub accounts listed above have maintainer privileges within the MDK repositories. Maintainer status is granted based on demonstrated technical expertise, sustained contribution, and alignment with project goals.

MDK core team

The MDK Core Team consists of all active developers, the Project Manager, and the Community Manager.

The Core Team is responsible for the overall health, sustainability, and long-term success of the project. While specific authorities are defined for the Lead Maintainer (technical) and the Community Manager (strategic), the Core Team operates as the primary collaborative decision-making body.

Lead Maintainer

Hemant T is the Lead Maintainer and Technical Lead for MDK.

The Lead Maintainer has final authority over:

Pull request approval and merging
Architecture and design decisions
Release planning and versioning
Accepting or rejecting features
Appointing or removing maintainers

If consensus cannot be reached among maintainers, the Lead Maintainer makes the final decision.

Community Manager

Gio is the Community Manager for MDK.

The Community Manager is responsible for:

Managing community communication channels
Moderating discussions and enforcing the Code of Conduct
Supporting contributors during onboarding
Acting as a bridge between the community and the MDK core team
Defining, maintaining, and communicating the project vision and long-term direction
Leading roadmap prioritization and strategic planning

Decision-Making Process

Community members may propose changes via issues or pull requests.
Maintainers review contributions for quality, security, and alignment with MDK goals.
The Lead Maintainer has final approval authority on all technical decisions.
Strategic, roadmap, or breaking changes are determined by the MDK core team.
The Community Manager has final decision-making authority over all strategic and directional matters, including project vision, roadmap prioritization, major feature introductions, partnerships, and significant pivots.
In cases where strategic direction and technical considerations intersect, the Community Manager determines the final strategic outcome, while the Lead Maintainer determines the final technical implementation approach.

Contribution Review Process

All contributions must follow CONTRIBUTING.md.
Pull requests require review by a maintainer.
Final approval and merge is performed by the Lead Maintainer.
The MDK team reserves the right to decline contributions that do not align with the project direction.