CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -1,38 +1,44 @@
-# Contributing to the Nexus
+# Contribution Workflow
 
-**Every PR: net ≤ 10 added lines.** Not a guideline — a hard limit.
-Add 40, remove 30. Can't remove? You're homebrewing. Import instead.
+## Mandatory Review Process
 
-## Why
+All changes to protected branches require:
+1. Open a Pull Request with clear description
+2. At least one approval from:
+   - @perplexity (required)
+   - @Timmy (required for hermes-agent)
+   - Area owners (optional)
+3. Passing CI/CD checks (where available)
+4. No force pushes to protected branches
 
-Import over invent. Plug in the research. No builder trap.
-Removal is a first-class contribution. Baseline: 4,462 lines (2026-03-25). Goes down.
+## Branch Protection Rules
 
-## PR Checklist
+The following rules are enforced by Gitea:
+- Direct pushes to main: ❌ Disallowed
+- Minimum 1 approval required
+- Stale reviews auto-dismissed
+- CI/CD must pass
+- Force pushes blocked
+- Branch deletion blocked
 
-1. **Net diff ≤ 10** (`+12 -8 = net +4 ✅` / `+200 -0 = net +200 ❌`)
-2. **Manual test plan** — specific steps, not "it works"
-3. **Automated test output** — paste it, or write a test (counts toward your 10)
+## Code Ownership
 
-Applies to every contributor: human, Timmy, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Kimi, Grok.
-Exception: initial dependency config files (requirements.txt, package.json).
-No other exceptions. Too big? Break it up.
+Default reviewers by repository:
+- hermes-agent: @perplexity, @Timmy
+- the-nexus: @perplexity
+- timmy-home: @perplexity
+- timmy-config: @perplexity
 
-## Reviewer Policy
+## PR Maintenance
 
-**All PRs must:**
-- Have at least 1 approval
-- Pass CI (where available)
-- Be reviewed by @perplexity (QA gate)
-- Be reviewed by @Timmy for `hermes-agent/` changes
+Abandoned PRs will be:
+- Labeled "stale" after 7 days
+- Auto-closed after 30 days
+- Require rebase to re-enable
 
-Branch protection rules enforce:
-- No direct pushes to `main`
-- No merges without approval
-- No merges with failing CI
-- No force pushes or branch deletions
+## Enforcement
 
-See [branch protection policy](README.md#branch-protection-rules) for full details.
+These rules are enforced by Gitea's branch protection settings. Violations will be blocked at the platform level.
 # Contribution and Code Review Policy
 
 ## Branch Protection Rules