netbox/AI_POLICY.md

AI Contribution Policy

This project welcomes the thoughtful use of AI tools when contributing, yet asks all contributors to follow two core principles.

Never let an LLM speak for you

When maintainers read a comment, an issue, or a pull request from you, they want to know they are hearing your words. Grammar and spelling do not matter. What matters is real connection.

• All comments, issues, and pull request descriptions should be written in your own voice
• We value clear, human communication over perfect grammar or spelling
• Avoid copy-pasting AI-generated summaries that don't reflect your own understanding

AI-generated summaries tend to be long-winded, dense, and often inaccurate. Simplicity is an art. The goal is not to sound impressive, but to communicate clearly.

Never let an LLM think for you

Go ahead and use AI to explore the codebase, or to write the function or test you need. But the final step before contributing should always be understanding what it has written.

• Feel free to use AI tools to generate code or explore ideas
• Only submit contributions you fully understand and can explain
• Contributions should reflect your own reasoning and problem-solving

Use AI to point you in the right direction, but always take personal responsibility. Do not quote an LLM in an issue or pull request. Maintainers want to know what you think.

Our aim is ensuring quality and maintaining the joy of collaborating and communicating with real people.

Summary

• AI may be used to generate code or explore ideas
• Comments, issues, and pull request descriptions must be written in your own voice
• Contributions must be fully understood and explainable by the contributor
• Contribution guidelines must still be followed

This policy is based on the Human Voice policy, version 1.0.0 from 2026-09-23. Read more about this and other AI contribution policies on ai-policy.dev.