Scenario: Open-Source Project

Use case: A maintainer of an open-source library wants cleaner PR reviews without adding overhead for casual contributors.

Profile

  • Team: 1-3 maintainers, 5-50 contributors
  • Repo: Public on GitHub
  • AI tools: Some contributors use Copilot, but it’s not tracked
  • Regulation: None
  • Goal: Make PRs easier to review, not enforce compliance

Configuration

.ods.yaml 

profile: oss

policy:
  branch:
    allowed_types:
      - feature
      - bugfix
      - hotfix
      - docs
      - chore

  commit:
    require_scope: false

  pr:
    required_sections:
      - "## Summary"
      - "## Changes"
      - "## Testing"

  ai_disclosure:
    required: false

  severity:
    branch_type: warning
    branch_format: warning
    pr_sections: warning
    commit_type: warning

.github/workflows/ods-l1.yml 

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

permissions:
  contents: read
  pull-requests: write

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

.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md 

## Summary
<!-- Brief description of what this PR does -->

## Changes
-
-

## Testing
- [ ] Tests pass locally
- [ ] New tests added (if applicable)

## Checklist
- [ ] I have read the contributing guide
- [ ] My changes don't break existing functionality

Why this approach

Principle Implementation
Low barrier No AI disclosure, no required scopes, no ticket references
Warnings only strict: "false" — CI shows issues but never blocks first-time contributors
Minimal template Only 3 sections. Contributors fill it in 30 seconds
Upgrade path If the project grows, switch profile from oss to enterprise and tighten rules

What the maintainer sees

Before ODS:

Title: fix bug
Branch: patch-1
PR body: (empty)

Maintainer questions:
  - "What bug?"
  - "How was it tested?"
  - "Is this safe to merge?"

After ODS:

Title: fix(parser): handle empty input in JSON parser
Branch: bugfix/empty-json-input
PR body:
  ## Summary
  The JSON parser panics when given an empty string input.

  ## Changes
  - Added nil check before parsing
  - Added test for empty input edge case

  ## Testing
  - [x] Tests pass locally
  - [x] New tests added

Maintainer: Merges immediately.

Badge 

[![ODS L1](https://img.shields.io/badge/ODS-L1%20Structured%20Delivery-blue)](https://github.com/open-delivery-spec/spec)

Next steps after adoption

  1. If the project grows to 5+ regular contributors, switch to profile: enterprise
  2. If contributors start using AI tools, enable ai_disclosure.required: true as a warning first
  3. Add ods-commit-message.yml workflow for commit message validation on push