Improve contributing guide by adding a section on signing off commits
Commit:
https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/20e46fa65b98c0e2d47cbb8aef6c9f92a547c504
Author: Christian Brabandt <c...@256bit.org>
Date: Tue Mar 25 21:02:20 2025 +0100
Improve contributing guide by adding a section on signing off commits
related: https://github.com/vim/vim/issues/16957
closes: https://github.com/vim/vim/issues/16976
Signed-off-by: Christian Brabandt <c...@256bit.org>
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 17bb9b307..c766d71d5 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -21,6 +21,31 @@ Contributions will be distributed with Vim under the Vim
license. Providing a
change to be included implies that you agree with this and your contribution
does not cause us trouble with trademarks or patents. There is no CLA to sign.
+## Signing-off commits
+
+While not required, it's recommended to use **Signed-off commits** to ensure
+transparency, accountability, and compliance with open-source best practices.
+Signed-off commits follow the [Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO)][15],
+which confirms that contributors have the right to submit their changes under
+the project's license. This process adds a `Signed-off-by` line to commit
+messages, verifying that the contributor agrees to the project's licensing
+terms. To sign off a commit, simply use the -s flag when committing:
+
+```sh
+git commit -s
+```
+
+This ensures that every contribution is properly documented and traceable,
+aligning with industry standards used in projects like the Linux Kernel or
+the git project. By making Signed-off commits a standard practice, we help
+maintain a legally compliant and well-governed codebase while fostering trust
+within our contributor community.
+
+When merging PRs into Vim, the current maintainer @chrisbra usually adds
missing
+`Signed-off-by` trailers for the author user name and email address as well for
+anybody that explicitly *ACK*s a pull request as a statement that those
+approvers are happy with that particular change.
+
# Reporting issues
We use GitHub issues, but that is not a requirement. Writing to the Vim
@@ -113,3 +138,4 @@ mailing list. For other questions please use the [Vi Stack
Exchange][8] website,
[12]: https://github.com/vim/vim/blob/master/src/testdir/test_filetype.vim
[13]: https://github.com/vim/vim/blob/master/runtime/doc/filetype.txt
[14]: https://github.com/vim/vim/blob/master/runtime/doc/syntax.txt
+[15]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developer_Certificate_of_Origin
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