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Pull Request Process

This document explains the PR review process, governance tiers, signature requirements, and how to get your PR reviewed and merged.

Overview

BLVM uses a 5-tier constitutional governance model with cryptographic signatures to ensure secure, transparent, and accountable code changes. Every PR is automatically classified into a governance tier based on the scope and impact of the changes.

PR Lifecycle

1. Developer Opens PR

When you open a Pull Request:

  1. Automated CI runs - Tests, linting, and build verification
  2. Governance tier classification - PR is automatically classified (with temporary manual override available)
  3. Status checks appear - Shows what needs to happen for merge

2. Maintainers Review and Sign

Maintainers review your code and cryptographically sign approval:

  1. Review PR - Understand the change and its impact
  2. Generate signature - Use blvm-sign from blvm-sdk
  3. Post signature - Comment /governance-sign <signature> on PR
  4. Governance App verifies - Cryptographically verifies signature
  5. Status check updates - Shows signature count progress

3. Review Period Elapses

Each tier has a specific review period that must elapse:

  • Tier 1: 7 days
  • Tier 2: 30 days
  • Tier 3: 90 days
  • Tier 4: 0 days (immediate)
  • Tier 5: 180 days

The review period starts when the PR is opened and all required signatures are collected.

4. Requirements Met → Merge Enabled

Once all requirements are met:

  • Required signatures collected
  • Review period elapsed
  • All CI checks pass

The PR can be merged.

Governance Tiers

Tier 1: Routine Maintenance

Scope: Bug fixes, documentation, performance optimizations

Requirements:

  • Signatures: 3-of-5 maintainers
  • Review Period: 7 days
  • Restriction: Non-consensus changes only

Examples:

  • Fixing a typo in documentation
  • Performance optimization in non-consensus code
  • Bug fix in node networking code
  • Code refactoring

Tier 2: Feature Changes

Scope: New RPC methods, P2P changes, wallet features

Requirements:

  • Signatures: 4-of-5 maintainers
  • Review Period: 30 days
  • Requirement: Must include technical specification

Examples:

  • Adding a new RPC method
  • Implementing a new P2P protocol feature
  • Adding wallet functionality
  • New SDK features

Tier 3: Consensus-Adjacent

Scope: Changes affecting consensus validation code

Requirements:

  • Signatures: 5-of-5 maintainers
  • Review Period: 90 days
  • Requirement: Formal verification (BLVM Specification Lock) required

Examples:

  • Changes to consensus validation logic
  • Modifications to block/transaction validation
  • Updates to consensus-critical algorithms

Note: This tier requires the most scrutiny because changes can affect network consensus.

Tier 4: Emergency Actions

Scope: Critical security patches, network-threatening bugs

Requirements:

  • Signatures: 4-of-5 maintainers
  • Review Period: 0 days (immediate)
  • Requirement: Post-mortem required

Sub-tiers:

  • Critical Emergency: Network-threatening (7 day maximum duration)
  • Urgent Security: Security issues (30 day maximum duration)
  • Elevated Priority: Important fixes (90 day maximum duration)

Examples:

  • Critical security vulnerability
  • Network-threatening bug
  • Consensus-breaking issue requiring immediate fix

Tier 5: Governance Changes

Scope: Changes to governance rules themselves

Requirements:

  • Signatures: Special process (5-of-7 maintainers + 2-of-3 emergency keyholders)
  • Review Period: 180 days

Examples:

  • Changing signature requirements
  • Modifying review periods
  • Updating governance tier definitions

Layer + Tier Combination

The governance system combines two dimensions:

  1. Layers (Repository Architecture) - Which repository the change affects
  2. Tiers (Action Classification) - What type of change is being made

When both apply, the system uses “most restrictive wins” rule:

ExampleLayerTierFinal SignaturesFinal ReviewSource
Bug fix in Protocol Engine314-of-590 daysLayer 3
New feature in Developer SDK524-of-530 daysTier 2
Consensus change in Orange Paper136-of-7180 daysLayer 1
Emergency fix in Reference Node444-of-50 daysTier 4

See Layer-Tier Model for the complete decision matrix.

Signature Requirements by Layer

In addition to tier requirements, layers have their own signature requirements:

  • Layer 1-2 (Constitutional): 6-of-7 maintainers, 180 days (365 for consensus changes)
  • Layer 3 (Implementation): 4-of-5 maintainers, 90 days
  • Layer 4 (Application): 3-of-5 maintainers, 60 days
  • Layer 5 (Extension): 2-of-3 maintainers, 14 days

The most restrictive requirement (layer or tier) applies.

Maintainer Signing Process

How Maintainers Sign

  1. Review PR: Understand the change and its impact
  2. Generate signature: Use blvm-sign from blvm-sdk: 
    blvm-sign --message "Approve PR #123" --key ~/.blvm/maintainer.key
  3. Post signature: Comment on PR: 
    /governance-sign <signature>
  4. Governance App verifies: Cryptographically verifies signature
  5. Status check updates: Shows signature count progress

Signature Verification

The Governance App cryptographically verifies each signature:

  • Uses secp256k1 ECDSA (Bitcoin-compatible)
  • Verifies signature matches maintainer’s public key
  • Ensures signature is for the correct PR
  • Prevents signature reuse

Emergency Procedures

The system includes a three-tiered emergency response system:

Tier 1: Critical Emergency (Network-threatening)

  • Review period: 0 days
  • Signatures: 4-of-7 maintainers
  • Activation: 5-of-7 emergency keyholders required
  • Maximum duration: 7 days

Tier 2: Urgent Security Issue

  • Review period: 7 days
  • Signatures: 5-of-7 maintainers
  • Maximum duration: 30 days

Tier 3: Elevated Priority

  • Review period: 30 days
  • Signatures: 6-of-7 maintainers
  • Maximum duration: 90 days

How to Get Your PR Reviewed

1. Ensure PR is Ready

  • All CI checks pass
  • Code is well-documented
  • Tests are included
  • PR description is clear

2. Be Patient

Review periods vary by tier:

  • Tier 1: 7 days minimum
  • Tier 2: 30 days minimum
  • Tier 3: 90 days minimum
  • Tier 4: 0 days (immediate)
  • Tier 5: 180 days minimum

3. Respond to Feedback

  • Address review comments promptly
  • Update PR as needed
  • Keep PR description current

4. Keep PRs Small

  • Smaller PRs are reviewed faster
  • Easier to understand
  • Less risk of issues

5. Communicate

  • Update PR description if scope changes
  • Respond to questions
  • Ask for help if stuck

PR Status Indicators

Your PR will show status indicators:

  • Signature progress: 3/5 signatures collected
  • Review period: 5 days remaining
  • CI status: All checks passing/failing

Common Questions

How do I know what tier my PR is?

The Governance App automatically classifies your PR. You’ll see the tier in the PR status checks.

Can I speed up the review process?

No. Review periods are fixed by tier to ensure adequate scrutiny. However, you can:

  • Ensure your PR is ready (all checks pass)
  • Respond to feedback quickly
  • Keep PRs small and focused

What if I disagree with the tier classification?

Contact maintainers. There’s a temporary manual override available for tier classification.

Can I merge my own PR?

No. All PRs require maintainer signatures and review period to elapse, regardless of who opened it.

Additional Resources