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docs(templates): clarify incubation and graduation application requirements#2223

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angellk merged 5 commits into
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angellk:template-clarifications
Jul 6, 2026
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docs(templates): clarify incubation and graduation application requirements#2223
angellk merged 5 commits into
cncf:mainfrom
angellk:template-clarifications

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@angellk

@angellk angellk commented Jul 5, 2026

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Summary

Clarifications to the incubation and graduation application templates based on findings from triaging 10 applications this week. These changes address recurring gaps where projects were confused by requirements or missed required steps.

Changes

Both templates:

  • Related Projects field — new field asking applicants to disclose projects they or their maintainers operate in other foundations (Linux Foundation, Apache, Eclipse, etc.). Adds transparency for cross-foundation patterns.
  • Sub-Projects clarification — if "N/A", confirm no repos share ≥3 maintainers with another CNCF project. Prevents projects from listing "N/A" while sharing maintainers with related CNCF projects.
  • Adopter Interview Questionnaire — adds the form link, 5-7 adopter requirement, and adopter definition link directly in the Adoption Assertion section. Currently projects discover this requirement only when the TOC comments on their application.
  • Security response roles clarification — distinguishes "document who is responsible for triaging and responding" from "document where to report." Multiple projects had the reporting process but not the roles, or vice versa.
  • OpenSSF badge link — asks applicants to link their bestpractices.dev project page, not just check a box. Prevents false assertions (one application checked "passing" at 94%).

Graduation template only:

  • Silver/gold badge — adds "(Suggested — not required for graduation)" to the checkbox label. This was ambiguous enough to cause incorrect triage comments on two applications.

Why

During the Jul 2-5 triage cycle:

  • 5 of 9 applications had zero adopter questionnaire responses — none were aware of the requirement
  • 1 application (kgateway) listed sub-projects as "N/A" while sharing 6 maintainers with another CNCF project
  • 1 application (ORAS) checked the OpenSSF badge as passing when it was at 94%
  • 1 application (CloudNativePG) had security reporting documented but not security response roles — the distinction wasn't clear
  • 2 graduation applications (gRPC, NATS) received incorrect triage comments about silver/gold being required — it's suggested

Test plan

  • Verify template renders correctly in GitHub issue creation
  • Verify new fields appear in both incubation and graduation templates
  • Confirm no existing open applications are affected (changes are additive)

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

@angellk
angellk requested review from a team as code owners July 5, 2026 22:56
@github-actions github-actions Bot added needs-triage Indicates an issue or PR that has not been triaged yet (has a 'triage/foo' label applied) needs-kind Indicates an issue or PR that is missing an issue type or kind (a kind/foo label) labels Jul 5, 2026
@github-actions github-actions Bot added the needs-group Indicates an issue or PR that has not been assigned a group (toc or tag/foo label applied) label Jul 5, 2026
@angellk
angellk force-pushed the template-clarifications branch from ff541b1 to 51dc44a Compare July 5, 2026 23:01
@jrsapi jrsapi assigned jrsapi and unassigned jrsapi Jul 5, 2026
jrsapi
jrsapi reviewed Jul 6, 2026
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Comment thread .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/template-graduation-application.md Outdated
angellk added a commit to angellk/cncf-toc that referenced this pull request Jul 6, 2026
@angellk
docs(templates): add K8s Security Response Committee as example for s…
666d392 
…ecurity roles

Per Joseph Sandoval's feedback on PR cncf#2223 — adds a reference to the
Kubernetes Security Response Committee as a model for named membership,
documented responsibilities, and a clear escalation path.

Signed-off-by: Karena Angell <karena.angell@gmail.com>
This was referenced Jul 6, 2026
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Open
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kevin-wangzefeng
kevin-wangzefeng approved these changes Jul 6, 2026
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@kevin-wangzefeng kevin-wangzefeng left a comment

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lgtm, thanks

kevin-wangzefeng
kevin-wangzefeng reviewed Jul 6, 2026
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@kevin-wangzefeng kevin-wangzefeng left a comment

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Added two minor comments, thanks

Comment thread .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/template-graduation-application.md Outdated
Comment thread .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/template-incubation-application.md
angellk and others added 5 commits July 6, 2026 07:14
@angellk
docs(templates): clarify incubation and graduation application requir…
fdc579d 
…ements

Changes to both templates based on triage findings:

- Add Related Projects field for cross-foundation disclosure
- Clarify Sub-Projects field (confirm no shared maintainers if N/A)
- Add Adopter Interview Questionnaire link and 5-7 requirement
  with adopter definition reference
- Clarify security response roles vs security reporting process
- Add bestpractices.dev link requirement for OpenSSF badge
- Mark graduation silver/gold badge as "(Suggested — not required)"
  to prevent confusion with the required passing badge

Signed-off-by: Karena Angell <karena.angell@gmail.com>
@angellk
fix(templates): remove shared-maintainer language from sub-projects f…
e9d0d89 
…ield

Sub-projects and shared maintainers across separate CNCF projects are
different concepts. Shared maintainer disclosure belongs in the Related
Projects field, not Sub-Projects.

Signed-off-by: Karena Angell <karena.angell@gmail.com>
@angellk
docs(templates): add K8s Security Response Committee as example for s…
283c014 
…ecurity roles

Per Joseph Sandoval's feedback on PR cncf#2223 — adds a reference to the
Kubernetes Security Response Committee as a model for named membership,
documented responsibilities, and a clear escalation path.

Signed-off-by: Karena Angell <karena.angell@gmail.com>
@angellk @kevin-wangzefeng
Update .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/template-graduation-application.md
884f6cb 
Co-authored-by: Kevin Wang <kevinwzf0126@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Karena Angell <kangell@redhat.com>
Signed-off-by: Karena Angell <karena.angell@gmail.com>
@angellk @kevin-wangzefeng
Update .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/template-incubation-application.md
cacdbf7 
Co-authored-by: Kevin Wang <kevinwzf0126@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Karena Angell <kangell@redhat.com>
Signed-off-by: Karena Angell <karena.angell@gmail.com>
@angellk
angellk force-pushed the template-clarifications branch from 3660deb to cacdbf7 Compare July 6, 2026 13:15
@angellk
angellk merged commit 762f52e into cncf:main Jul 6, 2026
2 checks passed
@github-project-automation github-project-automation Bot moved this from New to Done in CNCF TOC Board Jul 6, 2026
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@kevin-wangzefeng kevin-wangzefeng kevin-wangzefeng approved these changes
@abebars abebars abebars approved these changes
@jrsapi jrsapi jrsapi approved these changes

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