transports-wg/GOVERNANCE.md

Transports Working Group Governance

The Transports Working Group operates under a lightweight, consensus-driven governance model aligned with the broader MCP community.

Principles

1. Open Participation — Anyone can participate regardless of affiliation
2. Transparency — All decisions are documented and publicly accessible
3. Consensus-Driven — Maintainers seek agreement; objections prompt discussion
4. Antitrust Compliance — All activities follow the MCP Antitrust Policy
5. Ecosystem Alignment — Work aligns with broader MCP goals and specifications

Roles

The Transports Working Group aligns with the MCP Contributor Ladder.

Contributors

Anyone who participates in the project:

• Joining Discord discussions
• Attending meetings
• Opening or commenting on issues
• Submitting pull requests

No formal approval is needed to become a contributor.

Members

Members are established contributors with sustained engagement. They:

• Have multiple contributions (code, documentation, or community)
• Have at least one merged PR
• Have enabled two-factor authentication on GitHub
• Can be assigned to issues and PRs
• Can use review commands like /lgtm

Current Members:

Name	Organization	GitHub
Caitie McCaffrey	Microsoft	@CatieM20
Jonathan Hefner	-	@jonathanhefner
Mark Roth	Google	@markdroth
Mike Kistler	Microsoft	@mikekistler
Shaun Smith	Hugging Face	@evalstate

Maintainers

Maintainers have demonstrated sustained commitment and leadership. They are responsible for:

• Reviewing and merging pull requests
• Coordinating meetings and setting agendas
• Managing repository and community health
• Making technical and governance decisions within the WG scope
• Representing the working group to the broader MCP community

Current Maintainers:

Name	Organization	GitHub
Basil Hosmer	Anthropic	@bhosmer-ant
Kurtis Van Gent	Google	@kurtisvg
Peter Alexander	Anthropic	@pja-ant

Decision Making

1. Proposal — Ideas are raised via GitHub issues, PRs, or meetings
2. Discussion — Open discussion in Discord and GitHub
3. Consensus — Maintainers seek agreement; silence implies consent
4. Objection Resolution — Objections trigger further discussion until resolved
5. Documentation — All decisions are recorded in meeting notes or GitHub

Becoming a Member

To become a Member, a contributor must:

1. Have made multiple contributions to the WG (code, docs, or community).
2. Have at least one merged PR or accepted contribution.
3. Demonstrate ongoing engagement.
4. Have 2FA enabled on GitHub.
5. Be sponsored by two existing Members or Maintainers from different organizations (or one Core/Lead Maintainer).
6. Have no objections from existing Members within 7 days of nomination.

Becoming a Maintainer

Maintainer status is earned through sustained, high-quality contributions and leadership:

1. Be a Member for at least 6 months.
2. Demonstrate sustained, high-quality contributions.
3. Demonstrate leadership in WG initiatives.
4. Show ability to represent MCP's interests above an individual employer's interests.
5. Complete security and governance onboarding (as required by the project).
6. Be sponsored by an existing Maintainer or Core Maintainer.
7. Be approved by the project Core Maintainers.

Meeting Requirements

All meetings must include:

• Published agenda (48+ hours in advance)
• Open attendance for all participants

Amendments

Governance changes require:

1. Proposal via GitHub issue or PR
2. Community discussion period
3. Maintainer consensus
4. Documented rationale for the change

Contact

Questions about governance can be directed to:

• The #transports-wg Discord channel
• GitHub Issues in this repository
• Current maintainers directly