Message-ID: <20260124012256.1856709-1-dan.j.williams@intel.com>
Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2026 17:22:56 -0800
From: Dan Williams <dan.j.williams@...el.com>
To: corbet@....net
Cc: ksummit@...ts.linux.dev,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	tech-board-discuss@...ts.linux.dev,
	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
	Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>,
	Miguel Ojeda <ojeda@...nel.org>,
	Kees Cook <kees@...nel.org>
Subject: [PATCH] Documentation: Project continuity

Document project continuity procedures. This is a plan for a plan for
navigating events that affect the forward progress of the canonical Linux
repository, torvalds/linux.git. It is a follow-up from Maintainer Summit
[1].

Cc: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
Co-developed-by: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@....net>
Signed-off-by: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@....net>
Reviewed-by: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>
Reviewed-by: Miguel Ojeda <ojeda@...nel.org>
Reviewed-by: Kees Cook <kees@...nel.org>
Link: https://lwn.net/Articles/1050179/ [1]
Signed-off-by: Dan Williams <dan.j.williams@...el.com>
---
 Documentation/process/conclave.rst | 41 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 Documentation/process/index.rst    |  1 +
 2 files changed, 42 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 Documentation/process/conclave.rst

diff --git a/Documentation/process/conclave.rst b/Documentation/process/conclave.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..6a1234f54612
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/process/conclave.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+Linux kernel project continuity
+===============================
+
+The Linux kernel development project is widely distributed, with over
+100 maintainers each working to keep changes moving through their own
+repositories. The final step, though, is a centralized one where changes
+are pulled into the mainline repository. That is normally done by Linus
+Torvalds but, as was demonstrated by the 4.19 release in 2018, there are
+others who can do that work when the need arises.
+
+Should the maintainers of that repository become unwilling or unable to
+do that work going forward (including facilitating a transition), the
+project will need to find one or more replacements without delay. The
+process by which that will be done is listed below. $ORGANIZER is the
+last Maintainer Summit organizer or the current Linux Foundation (LF)
+Technical Advisory Board (TAB) Chair as a backup.
+
+- Within 72 hours, $ORGANIZER will open a discussion with the invitees
+  of the most recently concluded Maintainers Summit. A meeting of those
+  invitees and the TAB, either online or in-person, will be set as soon
+  as possible in a way that maximizes the number of people who can
+  participate.
+
+- If there has been no Maintainers Summit in the last 15 months, the set of
+  invitees for this meeting will be determined by the TAB.
+
+- The invitees to this meeting may bring in other maintainers as needed.
+
+- This meeting, chaired by $ORGANIZER, will consider options for the
+  ongoing management of the top-level kernel repository consistent with
+  the expectation that it maximizes the long term health of the project
+  and its community.
+
+- Within two weeks, a representative of this group will communicate to the
+  broader community, using the ksummit@...ts.linux.dev mailing list, what
+  the next steps will be.
+
+The Linux Foundation, as guided by the TAB, will take the steps
+necessary to support and implement this plan.
diff --git a/Documentation/process/index.rst b/Documentation/process/index.rst
index aa12f2660194..492b808a6977 100644
--- a/Documentation/process/index.rst
+++ b/Documentation/process/index.rst
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ beyond).
    stable-kernel-rules
    management-style
    researcher-guidelines
+   conclave
 
 Dealing with bugs
 -----------------

base-commit: e9a6fb0bcdd7609be6969112f3fbfcce3b1d4a7c
-- 
2.52.0

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