Governance

Overview

AIDP Schema is an open standard maintained through community collaboration with clear governance processes. This document defines how the schema evolves, who makes decisions, and how contributors participate.

Governance Principles

1. Open & Transparent: All discussions, proposals, and decisions are public

2. Community-Driven: Anyone can propose changes

3. Backward Compatible: Breaking changes require major version bumps

4. Implementation-First: Changes proven in production take priority

5. AI Platform Neutral: No single AI platform controls the standard

Governance Structure

Steering Committee

Role: Final decision-making authority on schema changes

Composition:

• 3 seats: AIDP Platform maintainers (reference implementation)

• 2 seats: AI platform representatives (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.)

• 2 seats: Business/operator representatives

• 2 seats: Independent developer community

Term: 2 years, staggered to ensure continuity

Responsibilities:

• Approve/reject schema change proposals

• Set strategic direction

• Resolve disputes

• Maintain schema quality

Working Groups

MCP Tools Working Group

• Defines standard MCP tool catalog

• Reviews tool proposals

• Ensures cross-platform compatibility

Analytics & Metrics Working Group

• Defines upstream metrics standards

• Reviews analytics schema changes

• Ensures privacy compliance

Trust & Safety Working Group

• Defines verification standards

• Reviews fraud detection schemas

• Ensures security best practices

Migration & Compatibility Working Group

• Creates migration guides

• Maintains compatibility with existing platforms

• Reviews breaking changes

Change Proposal Process

1. Proposal Submission

Anyone can submit a proposal via GitHub Issues:

## Proposal: [Title]

**Type**: [Feature | Enhancement | Breaking Change | Deprecation]
**Working Group**: [MCP Tools | Analytics | Trust & Safety | Migration]

### Problem Statement
What problem does this solve?

### Proposed Solution
Detailed description of the change

### Schema Changes
```json
{
  "newField": {
    "type": "string",
    "description": "..."
  }
}

Impact Assessment

• Backward compatibility: [Yes/No]

• Affected entities: [BusinessProfile, Booking, etc.]

• Migration path: [How existing implementations adapt]

Implementation

• Reference implementation: [Link to PR]

• Validation updates: [Required changes]

• Documentation: [What needs updating]

Alternatives Considered

What other approaches were evaluated?

### 2. Community Discussion (2 weeks minimum)

- Proposal posted to GitHub Discussions
- Community provides feedback
- Working Group reviews technical details
- Proposal author iterates based on feedback

### 3. Working Group Review

- Relevant Working Group evaluates proposal
- Technical feasibility assessment
- Compatibility review
- Recommendation to Steering Committee

### 4. Steering Committee Vote

- **Simple Majority** (5/9): Minor changes, enhancements
- **Supermajority** (7/9): Breaking changes, new major features
- **Unanimous** (9/9): Governance changes

### 5. Implementation & Release

- Approved changes merged to `main` branch
- Version number updated per semantic versioning
- Release notes published
- Migration guides updated
- Validation libraries updated

## Versioning Strategy

AIDP Schema follows **Semantic Versioning 2.0.0**:

### Major Version (X.0.0)
**Breaking changes** that require implementation updates:
- Removing required fields
- Changing field types
- Renaming fields
- Changing validation rules

**Example**: Changing `category` from string to enum

**Release Cadence**: Annually (or as needed)

### Minor Version (1.X.0)
**Backward-compatible additions**:
- Adding optional fields
- Adding new enum values
- Adding new entities
- Expanding validation rules

**Example**: Adding `aiOptimization.contextualRelevance` field

**Release Cadence**: Quarterly

### Patch Version (1.0.X)
**Non-breaking fixes**:
- Documentation clarifications
- Example updates
- Validation bug fixes
- Typo corrections

**Example**: Fixing description of `visibilityScore` field

**Release Cadence**: As needed

## Deprecation Policy

### Deprecation Process

1. **Announcement** (Version N): Field marked as deprecated in schema
2. **Warning Period** (Version N+1): Validation warnings for deprecated fields
3. **Removal** (Version N+2): Field removed in next major version

**Minimum Timeline**: 12 months from deprecation to removal

### Deprecation Example

```json
{
  "oldField": {
    "type": "string",
    "deprecated": true,
    "deprecationMessage": "Use 'newField' instead. Will be removed in v2.0.0",
    "deprecatedSince": "1.5.0",
    "removalVersion": "2.0.0"
  },
  "newField": {
    "type": "string",
    "description": "Replacement for oldField"
  }
}

Reference Implementation

AIDP Platform serves as the reference implementation:

• Demonstrates best practices

• Tests schema changes in production

• Provides validation libraries

• Maintains migration tools

Repository: https://github.com/aidp-platform/aidp-schema

Contribution Guidelines

How to Contribute

1. Report Issues: Found a problem? Open an issue

2. Propose Changes: Submit a proposal (see process above)

3. Improve Documentation: PRs for docs always welcome

4. Build Tools: Create validators, migrators, SDKs

5. Share Feedback: Participate in discussions

Code of Conduct

• Be respectful and inclusive

• Focus on technical merit

• Assume good intentions

• Collaborate constructively

• No harassment or discrimination

Contributor License Agreement

Contributors retain copyright but grant AIDP Schema project:

• Perpetual, worldwide license to use contributions

• Right to sublicense under MIT License

• Right to modify and distribute

Intellectual Property

License

AIDP Schema is released under MIT License:

• Free to use commercially

• Free to modify and distribute

• Attribution required

• No warranty provided

Trademark

"AIDP" and "AI Discovery Platform" are trademarks of AIDP Platform:

• Use for compatible implementations: ✅ Allowed

• Use for incompatible forks: ❌ Not allowed

• Use in product names: Requires approval

Patent Policy

Contributors agree not to assert patents against AIDP Schema implementations.

Compliance & Certification

AIDP Compliant

Implementations can claim "AIDP Compliant" if they:

• Pass official validation suite

• Implement core schema correctly

• Support standard MCP tools (if applicable)

• Follow privacy guidelines

Certification Process

1. Run validation suite: npm run aidp-validate

2. Submit compliance report

3. Review by Working Group

4. Listed in official directory

Conflict Resolution

Dispute Process

1. Discussion: Attempt to resolve in Working Group

2. Mediation: Steering Committee mediates

3. Vote: Steering Committee votes if unresolved

4. Appeal: Can appeal to full community (rare)

Fork Policy

Community can fork if:

• Steering Committee becomes unresponsive (>6 months)

• Governance becomes captured by single entity

• Community consensus for different direction

Fork Requirements:

• Must rename (cannot use "AIDP" trademark)

• Must maintain MIT License

• Should document divergence from AIDP

Meetings & Communication

Steering Committee Meetings

• Frequency: Monthly

• Format: Video call + public notes

• Agenda: Posted 1 week in advance

• Minutes: Published within 3 days

Working Group Meetings

• Frequency: Bi-weekly

• Format: Video call + public notes

• Open: Anyone can attend

Communication Channels

• GitHub Discussions: Proposals, technical discussions, community support

• Mailing List: Announcements, release notes

• Blog: Major updates, case studies

Sustainability

Current Status

• AIDP Platform (reference implementation)

• Community contributions

• Open-source development

Contact

• General Inquiries: [e-mail]

• Steering Committee: [e-mail]

• Security Issues: [e-mail]

• Press: [e-mail]

Amendments

This governance document can be amended by:

• Unanimous vote (9/9) of Steering Committee

• 2-week public comment period

• Ratification by community (>66% approval)

Last Updated: December 2025 Version: 1.0.0