What changed, and why it matters
This commit is purely administrative: it adds a written policy telling contributors how they may use AI tools (like ChatGPT) when filing bug reports, feature requests, and pull requests. It does not change any Bitcoin software code, network rules, or security mechanisms. There is no security vulnerability here.
No security action needed. Treat as a normal project-policy documentation change.
Security signals we found
No strong security signals were identified.
Evidence from the diff
The patch introduces doc/AI_POLICY.md and links to it from GitHub issue templates and the pull-request template. It sets community norms: AI-assisted coding is allowed, but AI-generated comments to maintainers are not, and autonomous agents may not open or drive pull requests. No source code, build system, cryptography, consensus, or networking code is modified.
Changed components
Repository documentationGitHub issue templatesGitHub pull request templateInspect captured patch +57 / −4
diff --git a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug.yml b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug.yml
index 7c894ab7..53d9353b 100644
--- a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug.yml
+++ b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug.yml
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ body:
* General bitcoin questions and/or support requests should use Bitcoin StackExchange at https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com.
* For reporting security issues, please read instructions at https://bitcoincore.org/en/contact/.
* If the node is "stuck" during sync or giving "block checksum mismatch" errors, please ensure your hardware is stable by running `memtest` and observe CPU temperature with a load-test tool such as `linpack` before creating an issue.
+ * If you use AI tools when opening this issue, please read the [AI policy](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/master/doc/AI_POLICY.md).
----
- type: checkboxes
diff --git a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature_request.yml b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature_request.yml
index 4622fd98..24e33ea1 100644
--- a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature_request.yml
+++ b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature_request.yml
@@ -2,6 +2,11 @@ name: Feature Request
description: Suggest an idea for this project.
labels: [Feature]
body:
+ - type: markdown
+ attributes:
+ value: |
+ If you use AI tools when opening this issue, please read the [AI policy](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/master/doc/AI_POLICY.md).
+
- type: textarea
id: feature
attributes:
diff --git a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/gui_issue.yml b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/gui_issue.yml
index 4fe578e9..4a09e4a3 100644
--- a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/gui_issue.yml
+++ b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/gui_issue.yml
@@ -2,6 +2,11 @@ name: Issue or feature request related to the GUI
description: Any report, issue or feature request related to the GUI
labels: [GUI]
body:
+- type: markdown
+ attributes:
+ value: |
+ If you use AI tools when opening this issue, please read the [AI policy](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/master/doc/AI_POLICY.md).
+
- type: checkboxes
id: acknowledgement
attributes:
diff --git a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
index ae92fc78..269a9e59 100644
--- a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
+++ b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
<!--
*** Please remove the following help text before submitting: ***
-Pull requests without a rationale and clear improvement may be closed
-immediately.
+Pull requests may be closed immediately if they:
+- do not have a rationale and clear improvement
+- do not adhere to doc/AI_POLICY.md
GUI-related pull requests should be opened against
-https://github.com/bitcoin-core/gui
-first. See CONTRIBUTING.md
+https://github.com/bitcoin-core/gui first.
+See CONTRIBUTING.md
-->
<!--
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 0505b6b1..bcf0815d 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@ Getting Started
New contributors are very welcome and needed.
+If you use AI tools while contributing, please read and follow the [AI
+policy](/doc/AI_POLICY.md). Contributors are responsible for understanding and
+explaining their own work in their own words.
+
In-depth reviewing and testing are the bottleneck of the project, and are the
most effective way anyone can start to contribute. It will teach you much more
about the code and process than opening pull requests, and may help you uncover
diff --git a/doc/AI_POLICY.md b/doc/AI_POLICY.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6238c790
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/AI_POLICY.md
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+# AI Policy
+
+Using AI (i.e. LLMs) as tools for coding is welcome, provided that such use adheres to the following policy, adds value, and does not waste the community's time.
+
+A high bar is held for all contributions to this project.
+
+**AI should not be used to generate comments when communicating with maintainers and other contributors**.
+Comments are expected to be written by humans.
+Comments that are believed to be written by AI may be moderated.
+
+If you are opening an issue, you should be able to describe the problem in your own words.
+
+You should only open a pull request if you:
+
+- know the language the code is written in
+- could have written the code yourself
+- understand the existing surrounding code and the effect of the suggested changes
+
+You must also be able to explain the pull request changes in your own words.
+This includes the pull request body and responses to questions.
+**Do not copy responses from the AI when replying to questions from reviewers.**
+
+This project requires a human author in the loop who understands the work produced by AI.
+**Pull requests should not be opened or driven by autonomous agents**.
+A human author must choose the work, understand the change, and be responsible for the contribution.
+Pull requests that appear in violation of this can be closed without notice.
+
+If you wish to include context from an interaction with AI in your comments, it must be disclosed as such.
+It must be accompanied by human commentary explaining the relevance and implications of the context.
+
+Questions or proposed changes to this policy can be discussed in [bitcoin-core/meta].
+
+This policy was adapted from [ripgrep's AI policy], which was adapted from [uv's AI policy].
+
+[bitcoin-core/meta]: https://github.com/bitcoin-core/meta
+[ripgrep's ai policy]: https://github.com/BurntSushi/ripgrep/blob/f0cec341ab95c25c691ad3d5754d4bd9eedde21f/AI_POLICY.md
+[uv's ai policy]: https://github.com/astral-sh/.github/blob/c5187e200db51bfe11d56e13053d29bd3793fdd8/AI_POLICY.md
Why this scored 15/100
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