Get Started

Start with the smallest production-ready loop: ODS L1 + AI Disclosure. This takes ~5 minutes and runs in CI.

[!TIP] Want to see what an ODS-compliant PR looks like? Copy the PR Template into .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md.

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Path A: Structured Delivery (ODS L1)

For: Individual maintainers, open source projects, any team that wants cleaner delivery metadata.

Goal: Make branches, commits, and PRs machine-readable.

1. Install the CLI

go install github.com/open-delivery-spec/cli/cmd/ods@main

2. Add to your CI

name: ODS L1
on:
  pull_request:
    types: [opened, edited, synchronize, reopened]

jobs:
  validate:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: open-delivery-spec/validate-action@v1
        with:
          check: all
          branch_name: $
          pr_body: $
          strict: "true"

3. Add commit-message validation where the message is available

name: ODS Commit Message
on: [push]

jobs:
  validate-commit:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: open-delivery-spec/validate-action@v1
        with:
          check: commit-message
          commit_message: $
          strict: "true"

4. Check your first change

ods validate branch feature/add-oauth
ods validate commit --stdin <<< "feat(auth): add OAuth login"

You’re L1 compliant when these checks pass on every PR.

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Path B: AI Disclosure

For: Teams using GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or other AI coding tools.

Goal: Record AI involvement in the L1 artifacts before adopting draft review workflows.

1. Complete Path A first

AI disclosure builds on L1 checks.

2. Add AI disclosure to commit messages

feat(auth): add OAuth login

AI-assisted: true
AI-tool: GitHub Copilot
AI-review: pending
AI-confidence: high

3. Add AI disclosure to PR descriptions

## AI Disclosure
- [x] This PR contains AI-generated code
- AI Tool: GitHub Copilot
- AI Scope: Auth module implementation
- Human Review: Verified OAuth flow and redirect validation

You’re AI-disclosure ready when every AI-assisted change says what AI touched and what a human reviewed.

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Path C: Experimental Evidence Modules

For: Release managers, compliance teams exploring the direction (not production-ready).

Goal: Explore the draft release-governance schemas before enforcing them.

See .ods/ Convention for the artifact directory layout and naming conventions.

1. Complete Paths A and B first

2. Validate draft evidence files directly

ods validate release --file .ods/releases/v1.4.0/release-readiness.json
ods validate rollback --file .ods/releases/v1.4.0/rollback-plan.json
ods validate evidence --file .ods/releases/v1.4.0/evidence-bundle.json

These modules are not yet recommended as production Action gates.

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Quick Reference

If you want…	Start with
Clean branch/commit/PR conventions	Path A
AI disclosure and review	Path B
Release audit trails	Path C
The simplest possible check	ods validate branch feature/my-feature

[!TIP] Not sure where to start? Path A takes 5 minutes.