open-sourcing

Files (11)

• SKILL.md
• c-cpp.md · references/
• go.md · references/
• javascript.md · references/
• licensing.md · references/
• python.md · references/
• ruby.md · references/
• rust.md · references/
• trailofbits.md · references/
• check_readiness.sh · scripts/
• detect_org.sh · scripts/

SKILL.md (first lines)

# Open-Sourcing a Repository

Prepare a repository for public release so that an outsider with no prior
context can build, use, and contribute to it — and so that nothing sensitive
ships with it. Work through the steps in order; the secrets audit comes first
because its outcome (keeping vs. recreating the repository) affects
everything after it.

## When to Use

- Making a private repository public
- Auditing an existing public repository for release quality ("make it
  official")
- Choosing a license for a project
- Setting up packaging, versioning, or release automation ahead of a public
  launch

## When NOT to Use

- Routine development on an already-released project (no release event)
- Auditing third-party code for vulnerabilities (use a security-review skill)
- Publishing a package from a repository that will stay private — only the
  release-management steps apply; skip the rest

## Workflow

### Step 1: Detect the organization profile

```sh
bash {baseDir}/scripts/detect_org.sh
```

The script inspects git remotes and recent committer emails, and prints a
profile name. If it prints `trailofbits`, read
[references/trailofbits.md](references/trailofbits.md) now and apply its
license policy, publishing accounts, and process notes throughout the
remaining steps. If it prints `generic`, proceed with the generic guidance
alone. If the user says the detection is wrong, trust the user.

### Step 2: Audit for secrets — before anything else

A repository that has **ever** contained secrets (API keys, credentials,
client data) should not be flipped public. History rewriting is error-prone
and does not reach forks, caches, or CI artifacts. The reliable fix is a
fresh repository: copy the current tree over, commit, and archive the old
repository privately.

1. Ask whether the project ever handled secrets or client-confidential
   material. For a security consultancy's tooling, also ask whether test
   fixtures or example data came from client engagements.
2. Scan the full history with a dedicated tool if available —
   `gitleaks git .` or `trufflehog git file://.` — rather than eyeballing.
3. Check beyond the git tree: GitHub Actions logs and artifacts, old
   releases, issue and PR history, and the repository wiki all become public
   with the repository.
4. After going public, enable GitHub secret scanning and push protection in
   the repository settings.

Reject these rationalizations — this is the one step that cannot be fixed
after publication:

- *"The key was revoked, so the history is fine."* Revoked credentials still
  leak infrastructure names, internal URLs, and patterns attackers use for
  targeting.
- *"We'll rewrite history with git-filter-repo."* Rewrites miss forks,
  clones, caches, and CI artifacts; the fresh-repository approach does not.
- *"It's only test data."* Fixtures derived from client engagements or
  production systems are confidential regardless of how they are labeled.

### Step 3: Run the readiness check

```sh
bash {baseDir}/scripts/check_readiness.sh
```

The script prints a checklist of presence indicators (README, LICENSE,
CONTRIBUTING, SECURITY.md, CI, tests, semver tags, ...) and warns about
tracked files that commonly contain secrets. Treat unchecked items as
discussion prompts, not hard failures — a research prototype does not need
everything a flagship library needs. Walk through the gaps with the user and
fix the ones that matter for this project.

### Step 4: Documentation

The README is the project's front door. Confirm it explains:

- **What the project is** and what problem it solves (first paragraph)
- **How to install it** — package manager, container image, or build from
  source; a fresh-clone build must work using only what is in the repository
- **How to use it** — at least one concrete, copy-pasteable example
- **How to contribute** — inline or via `CONTRIBUTING.md`
- **The license** — a short section naming it

Also add:

- **`SECURITY.md`** with vulnerability-reporting instructions (a contact
  address or GitHub private vulnerability reporting). For security tooling
  this is table stakes.
- **API documentation**, built and hosted (GitHub Pages via CI is the usual
  route), linked from the README and the repository website field. See the
  language references below for per-ecosystem doc tooling.
- A **code of conduct** if the project expects outside contributors.

### Step 5: Licensing

No license means not open source, regardless of visibility. Read
[references/licensing.md](references/licensing.md) for selection criteria and
mechanics. The short version:

1. Apply the organization's policy if one was detected in Step 1.
2. Otherwise: Apache 2.0 as the permissive default, AGPLv3 when private
   modification by competitors is a real concern, Creative Commons for
   non-code artifacts.
3. Add the `LICENSE` file, set SPDX identifiers in package metadata, state
   the license in the README, and verify all three agree.

### Step 6: Tests and CI

- Confirm the test suite exists and passes; a public repository with a

From trailofbits/skills, CC-BY-SA-4.0.

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