# Contributing to counsel

  Thank you for your interest in counsel. This repository is part of the [SZL Holdings](https://github.com/szl-holdings) platform — governed AI decision infrastructure for regulated enterprises.

  ## Contribution model

  counsel is **source-available, proprietary software**. The codebase is published for evaluation, audit, and reference. We do not accept unsolicited pull requests at this time. See the repository [`LICENSE`](./LICENSE) for the full grant.

  If you are a partner, customer, or collaborator with a written agreement, your contribution path is coordinated with your account contact. Reach us at [partners@szlholdings.com](mailto:partners@szlholdings.com).

  ## How you can engage

  We welcome the following without prior agreement:

  - **Bug reports.** Open a [GitHub issue](../../issues/new) with reproduction steps, environment, and expected vs actual behavior.
  - **Security disclosures.** Do **not** open a public issue. Follow [`SECURITY.md`](./SECURITY.md) — preferred channel is [security@szlholdings.com](mailto:security@szlholdings.com) or a private GitHub security advisory.
  - **Questions and feedback.** Email [stephen@szlholdings.com](mailto:stephen@szlholdings.com) for product questions, integration requests, or partnership inquiries.
  - **Documentation corrections.** Small typo / link / factual fixes to public docs are welcome via PR. Please open an issue first describing the change.

  ## What we expect from contributors

  - Adherence to the [Code of Conduct](./CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md).
  - For any contribution merged into this repository, you grant SZL Holdings, LLC a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use, modify, and redistribute the contribution under the repository's license. By submitting a PR you confirm you have the right to make this grant.
  - Honest disclosure: do not submit code derived from third-party sources without proper attribution and a compatible license.

  ## Reporting a problem

  | Channel | Use it for |
  |---|---|
  | [GitHub issues](../../issues) | Bugs, documentation gaps, reproducible defects |
  | [security@szlholdings.com](mailto:security@szlholdings.com) | Security vulnerabilities (private) |
  | [stephen@szlholdings.com](mailto:stephen@szlholdings.com) | Product, partnership, licensing |

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  (c) 2024–2026 SZL Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved.
  
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## Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO)

All commits must carry a Developer Certificate of Origin sign-off per [DCO v1.1](https://developercertificate.org/). Add with:

```bash
git commit -s -m "your commit message"
# Produces: Signed-off-by: Name <email>
```

### Branch naming convention

```
feat/<scope>/<short-description>    # New functionality
fix/<scope>/<short-description>     # Bug fix
docs/<short-description>            # Documentation only
chore/<short-description>           # Maintenance, dependencies
```