CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -21,11 +21,47 @@ No other exceptions. Too big? Break it up.
 ## Reviewer Policy
 
 **Every PR must have a reviewer assigned before merge.** See [docs/pr-reviewer-policy.md](docs/pr-reviewer-policy.md).
-# Contribution Guidelines
+# Contribution and Code Review Policy
 
-## Branch Protection Policy
+## Branch Protection Rules
 
-All repositories follow these mandatory rules for the `main` branch:
+All repositories must enforce the following rules on the `main` branch:
+- ✅ Require Pull Request for merge
+- ✅ Require 1 approval before merge
+- ✅ Dismiss stale approvals when new commits are pushed
+- ✅ Require status checks to pass (where CI is configured)
+- ✅ Block force-pushing to `main`
+- ✅ Block deleting the `main` branch
+
+## Default Reviewer Assignment
+
+All repositories must configure the following default reviewers:
+- `@perplexity` as default reviewer for all repositories
+- `@Timmy` as required reviewer for `hermes-agent`
+- Repo-specific owners for specialized areas
+
+## Implementation Status
+
+| Repository       | Branch Protection | CI Enforcement | Default Reviewers |
+|------------------|------------------|----------------|-------------------|
+| hermes-agent     | ✅ Enabled        | ✅ Active        | @perplexity, @Timmy |
+| the-nexus        | ✅ Enabled        | ⚠️ CI pending    | @perplexity       |
+| timmy-home       | ✅ Enabled        | ❌ No CI         | @perplexity       |
+| timmy-config     | ✅ Enabled        | ❌ No CI         | @perplexity       |
+
+## Compliance Requirements
+
+All contributors must:
+1. Never push directly to `main`
+2. Create a pull request for all changes
+3. Get at least one approval before merging
+4. Ensure CI passes before merging (where applicable)
+
+## Policy Enforcement
+
+This policy is enforced via Gitea branch protection rules. Violations will be blocked at the platform level.
+
+For questions about this policy, contact @perplexity or @Timmy.
 
 ### Required for All Merges
 - [x] Pull Request must exist for all changes