The NAC is a governance document for maintainers who view code repositories strictly as production venues, not social gatherings. It codifies a single operational truth: the only goal is to provide useful, quality code.
Under NAC protocols, all contributors are effectively anonymous - personal identity is considered off-topic data that is irrelevant to the repository's output. This standard eliminates social friction by eliminating the social vector entirely.
Just copy the CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md file into the root directory of your repository. Feel free to modify it as you see fit.
While most codes of conduct attempt to regulate contributor behavior, this one targets the community aspect itself, which makes it very concise and no-nonsense. Its main assertion is that code repositories are not communities at all - just venues where useful tools and products are created. Anything that can be considered personal is off-topic.
NAC is designed to be compliance-friendly. Unlike many popular codes of conduct, which contain subjective definitions and enforcement mechanisms that could potentially be weaponized in legal contexts, NAC takes a minimalist approach: it defines no protected classes, no specific violations, and no enforcement procedures. The only rule is that personal identity is irrelevant to the repository's goal. This makes NAC easier to comply with and less likely to create legal exposure for maintainers or contributors.
Not at all; it is only considered irrelevant. You can expect to be treated as if you were a user#1234 with a blank pfp and bio regardless of its contents.
This is not the place for it - it's a code repository only; there are a lot of actual communities where this is encouraged, feel free to do it there.
You're thinking in terms of personal identity again; feel free to use something like Greasemonkey to erase/change it locally, but don't expect the repository owners to do anything about it.
Everyone has a different level of sensitivity, so it would be impractical to try to create an exhaustive one. If it can be considered personal, it's discouraged.
As with the previous point, there is no "one size fits all" measurement of severity of violations. This is at the repository owners' discretion.
Since a code repository is not a community, there are no dedicated moderators; just tag one of the owners and they will address it when they have the time.
You're always at the mercy of the owners of the repository, regardless of how verbose and precise the code of conduct is. This one just doesn't suggest otherwise.
11. Isn't this just a variant of NCoC?
While there are some similarities between NAC and NCoC in terms of observations and recommendations, NAC is tailored to code repositories, and was created in order to promote the idea that they are not really communities and that they shouldn't be treated as such. It is also technically a code of conduct.
If your repository already has a code of conduct, NAC can replace it entirely, or you can keep both. NAC is minimalist enough to coexist with other policies, but if you want a single, clear standard, replacing your existing CoC is the cleanest approach.