AI Passport — RFC Process
Request for Comments (RFC) is how we change the open specification — schema, grant model, export format, or consumer contracts.
Code changes that only affect internal implementation do not need an RFC.
When you need an RFC
| Change | RFC required? |
|---|---|
| New optional passport section | Yes |
| Breaking field rename or removal | Yes |
| New MCP tool or export field | Yes (minor) |
| New consumer id in default templates | Yes (minor) |
| Bug fix, encryption detail clarification | No |
| New plugin (git, etc.) | No (unless schema changes) |
Process
1. Open a discussion
GitHub Discussions → Ideas (or an issue with rfc label) with:
- Problem — What problem does this solve?
- Proposal — Concrete schema/API change
- Compatibility — Breaking or additive?
- Alternatives — What else was considered?
2. Draft RFC document
For significant changes, add docs/rfcs/NNNN-short-title.md:
# RFC NNNN: Title
- Status: Draft | Accepted | Rejected | Superseded
- Author: @github-user
- Created: YYYY-MM-DD
## Summary
One paragraph.
## Motivation
Why now?
## Specification
Exact JSON/schema changes.
## Migration
How existing passports upgrade.
## Drawbacks
Trade-offs.
3. Review window
- Minor (additive): 7 days
- Major (breaking): 14 days minimum
Maintainers mark status Accepted or Rejected in the RFC header.
4. Implement
After acceptance:
- Update schemas/passport.schema.json
- Bump envelope
versionif breaking - Update SPEC.md, API.md, COMPATIBILITY.md
- Add tests and migration notes in CHANGELOG
Version policy
- Passport envelope — Semver (
1.0.0today) - Major bump — Breaking schema; readers may reject
- Minor bump — Additive sections/fields; old readers ignore unknown optional fields
- Patch — Documentation, clarifications, non-breaking constraints
Current RFCs
| RFC | Title | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 0001 | Passport document format v1.0.0 | Accepted |
| 0002 | Provider / consumer API | Accepted |
| 0003 | Permission & grant model | Accepted |
| 0004 | Encryption & key storage | Accepted |
| 0005 | Sign-in token format | Accepted |
| 0006 | Cloud sync (E2E encrypted) | Draft |
Submit the first RFC when proposing schema v1.1.0 or new standard sections.