Forum Code of Conduct Checklist: Content and Publishing Locations
Establishing healthy discussions across an online community requires transparent expectations. Clear behavioral baselines help participants understand acceptable discourse and provide moderators with firm standards to address disputes. Following the principles outlined in the GitHub Docs guide on adding a code of conduct to your project, community leaders can establish standards, communicate welcoming guidelines, and maintain organized project repositories.
Pre-Adoption Checklist: Preparation and Evaluation
Before publishing rules across a public community or technical project, administrators must evaluate organizational capability and community needs. A code of conduct should never be adopted without deliberate consideration of ongoing enforcement duties.
- Examine Existing Frameworks: Research different codes of conduct designed for open source projects. Evaluate options carefully to choose a document that reflects your community's standards.
- Confirm Enforcement Capacity: Consider carefully whether you are willing and able to enforce the guidelines. Adopting rules without the capacity to uphold them undermines trust across the participant base. For operational staffing advice, review our guide to recruiting and supporting volunteer moderators.
- Verify Source Attribution: If you use a code of conduct written by another person or organization, confirm you follow any attribution guidelines provided by the original source.
Core Content Checklist: What the Document Must Cover
A well-structured code of conduct accomplishes three primary operational goals. It formalizes behavioral boundaries, provides clear public signaling, and documents resolution protocols:
- Behavioral Expectations: Define standards for how members engage across community spaces. This clarifies constructive interaction and sets clear boundaries for collaboration.
- Inclusion and Culture: Signal an inclusive environment that respects all contributions. This sets a welcoming tone for new contributors and casual participants alike. If you need inspiration for drafting specific board rules, consult our community rules template.
- Dispute and Abuse Procedures: Outline clear procedures for addressing problems between members of your project's community. The text must explain how moderation issues are handled when friction occurs.
Repository Location Checklist: Where to Publish the File
When organizing files within public repositories or codebases supporting your community platforms, file placement determines automated system visibility. GitHub checks specific locations in a set order, using the first file it finds:
- Primary Directory (.github): Storing the file as
.github/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.mdallows clean repository management while maintaining platform detection. - Root Directory: Placing the file in the top-level repository space as
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.mdserves as the standard visible location. - Documentation Directory (docs): Placing the file inside
docs/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.mdkeeps guidelines grouped alongside general technical documentation.
Implementation Checklist: Adding the Code of Conduct
According to the official GitHub documentation on community projects, administrators can add guidelines manually or through repository templates. Follow these steps during implementation:
- Check Repository Permissions: Verify you possess write access to the repository, which is required to use pre-built templates or commit directly.
- Template Application: Navigate to the main repository page, access the Add file menu, click Create new file, and name the file
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md. Select Choose a code of conduct template, preview the options on the left, complete the required fields on the right to populate the file, review the contents, and submit. - Manual Creation: If your selected guidelines are not available among default templates, manually create a new file using the designated naming paths (such as the
.github, root, ordocsdirectory), paste your custom text, and commit the file. - Meaningful Commit Messaging: Enter a short, meaningful commit message describing the addition. If multiple people assisted, attribute the commit to more than one author or commit on behalf of an organization.
- Branch Strategy: Decide whether to commit directly to the current branch or create a new branch paired with a pull request (recommended if your current branch is the default branch).
- Community Profile Check: In a public repository's community profile, the code of conduct is marked as added if the file is not empty and does not state that the project lacks one.
- Account Defaults: If you oversee multiple related repositories, you can establish a default code of conduct across your organization or personal account.
Sources
Adding a code of conduct to your project - GitHub Docs
Published October 30, 2026. No affiliate links on this page. Facts come from the sources linked above; check them for updates.