Contributor License Agreement

Noun · Open Source

Definitions

  1. A legal agreement that contributors sign before their code can be accepted into an open-source project. CLAs typically grant the project maintainers rights to redistribute the contribution and ensure the contributor has the legal right to submit it. Controversial because they add friction.

    In plain English: A legal form open-source contributors must sign giving the project permission to use their code.

    Example: "Your PR can't be merged until you sign the CLA — it's a one-time thing, just click the link the bot posted."

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