There is no universal open-source rule requiring you to disclose AI use. The repository you are contributing to sets the practical requirement. Read its current CONTRIBUTING guide, AI policy, pull-request template and commit conventions before submitting. Some projects merely recommend naming the tool; others require a disclosure in every commit containing generated code. Whatever the policy, you—not the AI system—remain responsible for review, testing, licensing, and any DCO or CLA statement.
What the rule actually is
Open-source projects do not share one portfolio-wide AI-disclosure standard. A contribution can be acceptable in one repository and need an explicit trailer or statement in another. The controlling documents are the target project’s current rules, not a general assumption about open source or the policy of a foundation that hosts unrelated projects.
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This article is dated October 20, 2026. AI policies and repository instructions change quickly, so verify the linked policy and the target repository immediately before opening your pull request.
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In practice, disclosure rules fall into three groups:
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- Required disclosure: the project directs contributors to identify generated portions, often in the commit message.
- Recommended disclosure: the project asks contributors to identify tools but leaves the exact mechanism to each project.
- Voluntary disclosure: a proposed convention is available, but it has no effect unless the individual project adopts it.
Even when disclosure is optional, the legal and technical duties are not optional. You must understand the change, review it, run the project’s checks, and be able to explain what you submitted.
How to find the requirement before you submit
- Open the repository’s contribution documents. Check
CONTRIBUTING.md, any file named for AI or acceptable use, the pull-request template, and documented commit-message conventions. Search for terms such asAI,generated,assisted,bot,provenance, anddisclosure. - Identify the project’s definition. Some policies cover only source code generated substantially by a model. Others also cover generated tests, documentation, configuration, artwork, or a small completion inserted into an otherwise human-written file.
- Check the required location. A rule may require a Git trailer in every affected commit, a paragraph in the pull-request description, a signed statement, or more than one of these.
- Record the requested provenance. If the policy asks for it, use the tool’s name, provider and version exactly as specified. Do not substitute a vague label such as “AI helped.”
- Follow the project’s normal contribution gate. Disclosure does not replace tests, code review, a Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO) sign-off, a Contributor License Agreement (CLA), or license-header requirements.
How major policies differ
The following organizations illustrate why a repository-specific check matters. Their guidance is not a single rule that automatically governs every project in their communities.
| Organization or project | Disclosure position | Practical format and location | Human and licensing duties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux Foundation | AI-generated code or other content can be contributed, subject to project rules and rights checks. | Use the individual project’s process; no one foundation-wide trailer is specified. | Check tool terms, project intellectual-property rules and third-party copyright or license compatibility. Linux Foundation guidance |
| Apache Software Foundation | Identifying the tooling is recommended, while Apache projects remain self-governing. | A project may accept Generated-by: <Name of Tool> <Version> or an approved equivalent in the commit message. |
You must be legally entitled to grant the Apache license and disclose third-party material. Disclosure is not the only obligation attached to an ICLA. Apache guidance |
| Apache Responsible AI (unofficial draft) | The proposed Apache-ai tag is voluntary and is not mandatory across Apache projects. |
A Git trailer such as Apache-ai:, with Generated-by: where appropriate, if a project adopts it. |
Human oversight and project-level adoption determine its practical effect. Draft recommendations |
| Open Source Robotics Foundation | Disclosure is expected for every source-code commit containing generated portions. | Name the fully qualified tool or provider and version in the commit message; repeat the disclosure in the pull-request description. | The statement provides traceability, but the contributor still owns review and compliance. OSRF policy (PDF) |
| OSAC project | Transparency is expected, with separate treatment for substantive generation and lighter assistance. | Use Generated-By: for substantive generated content and Assisted-By: for lighter assistance, following the project’s policy. |
The human remains the accountable DCO signer, and the contribution must meet the ordinary quality bar. OSAC AI policy |
Where to put an AI disclosure
Commit-message trailers
A trailer is a structured line at the end of a Git commit message, after the explanatory paragraph. For example:
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Generated-by: Example Tool 4.2
Use the exact capitalization and spelling required by the repository. OSAC’s documented distinction is Generated-By: versus Assisted-By:; that is not interchangeable with another project’s convention. If a project requires a fully qualified provider name, include it rather than a shortened product nickname.
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Commit-level disclosure is durable: it travels with the history even when a pull-request page is closed or replaced. The Open Source Robotics Foundation describes the commit message as the most robust location because it remains stored with the code. A pull-request description can repeat the same information for reviewers, but it should not be the only location when the project requires a trailer.
Pull-request descriptions and templates
A project may ask you to answer a checkbox or a provenance question in its pull-request template. State what was generated, what was merely assisted, and which files or commits are affected. If the template asks for a tool version, give the version used for this contribution, not the version currently installed on your computer.
Do not add a trailer that the project has not defined merely to look compliant. An unrecognized line can be ignored by automation or conflict with a maintainer’s preferred format. Ask in the repository’s issue tracker or maintainers’ channel when the written policy is ambiguous.
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The distinction matters because several policies apply different labels. Substantive generation generally means the model produced a meaningful portion of source, tests, documentation or another submitted artifact and you retained it after review. Light assistance can include autocomplete, a wording suggestion, a small refactor idea or an explanation that you independently implemented.
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There is no universal threshold for these categories. A one-line completion can still be substantive if it introduces security-sensitive logic; a long generated draft may become your own work only after extensive rewriting, depending on the repository’s definition. Follow the target project’s wording rather than inventing a percentage cutoff.
- When the policy uses only one category, disclose all uses that fall within that definition.
- When it distinguishes categories, choose the label that matches the actual contribution and explain borderline cases in the pull request.
- Never claim that code was “assisted” merely to avoid a required generated-code disclosure.
Can AI-generated code be submitted under an open-source license?
Often, yes, but permission to submit is conditional. Linux Foundation guidance says code or other content generated in whole or in part with AI tools can be contributed to Linux Foundation projects, while emphasizing project rules, tool terms and third-party rights. That is not a warranty that every model output is clear of copyright claims or compatible with every repository license.
Before submission, check:
- Provider terms: confirm that the tool’s terms allow the use, modification and redistribution required by the repository’s license and contribution agreement.
- Third-party material: scan generated code for recognizable passages, copied snippets, license notices or dependencies that impose incompatible conditions. Preserve required notices and tell maintainers when a match is found.
- Project intellectual-property rules: follow requirements for copyright headers, SPDX identifiers, patent grants and generated assets.
- Your contribution representation: make only the representation you are entitled to make under the project’s DCO or CLA.
Disclosure helps maintainers trace provenance; it does not cure an incompatible license, an undisclosed copied passage or a false authorship statement.
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An AI system cannot be the legal signatory for your contribution. If the repository requires a DCO sign-off, add it as the human contributor using the project’s normal Git procedure. A CLA likewise binds the person or organization that signs it. The disclosure trailer records how a tool was used; it does not transfer authorship, accountability or legal responsibility to the tool.
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You should be able to explain the change line by line, identify assumptions made by the model, and show that tests and security checks passed. If you cannot review or defend a generated patch, do not submit it merely because a policy permits AI-assisted work.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A practical pre-submission workflow
- Read the current policy on the target branch. A fork, an old release branch and the default branch can carry different instructions.
- Classify your use. List generated source, generated tests, generated documentation and incidental autocomplete separately.
- Capture provenance. Note the exact tool or provider and version if the policy requests those details.
- Add the required disclosure. Put the trailer in each affected commit, complete the pull-request field, or do both when instructed.
- Review and test. Inspect every retained line, run the repository’s prescribed tests, linters and security checks, and remove output you cannot validate.
- Check rights. Review provider terms, SPDX or license compatibility and possible third-party matches before pushing.
- Sign personally. Apply the required DCO or CLA as the human contributor and ensure the disclosure does not imply that an AI system signed it.
- Explain exceptions. If a tool produced a large file, a generated fixture or an unusual transformation, describe its scope in the pull request so reviewers can reproduce the provenance.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
“The foundation allows AI, so I do not need to disclose it.”
Foundation-level permission does not override a repository’s own process. Open the target project’s policy and follow its required location and label.
“I mentioned the tool in the pull request, so the commits are covered.”
If the project requires commit-level disclosure, amend or recreate the affected commits with the approved trailer, then repeat the information in the pull request if requested.
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“Autocomplete is always exempt.”
Some projects treat autocomplete as assistance; others define generated content more broadly. Use the repository’s definition and disclose borderline use rather than assuming an exemption.
“The model wrote it, so the model owns the sign-off.”
Only a qualified human contributor can make the DCO or CLA representation. Review, test and sign the contribution yourself.
“A disclosure line proves the code is legally safe.”
It does not. Provenance, license compatibility, provider terms and third-party-code checks remain separate obligations.
What to do when the policy is silent
Silence is not proof that disclosure is forbidden or unnecessary. Follow the repository’s ordinary contribution rules, keep a private record of the tool and version used, and ask maintainers for a written preference before submitting sensitive or substantial generated code. If maintainers request disclosure, use their chosen format consistently in future commits. If they say disclosure is voluntary, adding a concise provenance note can still help reviewers without replacing any required legal statements.
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