SCIP Protocol Transitions to Independent Open Governance with Meta and Uber Steering Committee

In June 2022, Sourcegraph introduced SCIP (pronounced "skip"), a language-agnostic protocol designed for indexing source code. SCIP powers essential code navigation features like Go to definition and Find references in Sourcegraph. As SCIP approaches its fourth anniversary, the project is undergoing a significant transformation.

Sourcegraph has decided to transition SCIP from a Sourcegraph-owned project to an independent one with an open governance structure. A Core Steering Committee will be established to guide SCIP's future development. Sourcegraph remains a deeply committed and active member of the community; they will continue to use and invest heavily in SCIP.

Open Governance for a Scalable Ecosystem

This new structure is designed to promote innovation and predictability while safeguarding the protocol's stability. The governance model introduces three crucial tiers to empower the community of contributors and partners:

1. A Public, Transparent SEP Process

The core protocol schema will now be governed by a structured Request for Comments (RFC) mechanism: the SCIP Enhancement Proposals (SEP) process. This ensures that every significant change, from architectural shifts to schema updates, is proposed, debated, and resolved publicly.

2. The Core Steering Committee (CSC)

The ultimate decisions on strategic direction, governance, and final protocol definitions rest with the newly formed Core Steering Committee (CSC). This group of esteemed industry leaders and experts ensures SCIP's long-term health and coherence. You can checkout the governance for more information.

3. Community Participation

Open governance means welcoming contributions from developers, companies, and organizations across the industry who want to help shape the future of code intelligence.

Welcoming Our Inaugural Core Steering Committee

Sourcegraph is incredibly proud to announce the founding members of the SCIP Core Steering Committee. Their diverse perspectives and deep technical knowledge will be foundational as the protocol scales:

• Catherine Gasnier from Meta
• Jamy Timmermans from Uber
• Michal Kielbowicz from Sourcegraph

This partnership demonstrates the industry's commitment to making SCIP an open standard for everyone. The inclusion of engineers from major tech companies like Meta and Uber signals broad industry support for the protocol's vision.

Join Us in Shaping the Future

The SCIP team invites developers and organizations to participate in this new era of the protocol. Here's how you can get involved:

• Explore the Rules: You can read the complete details of how this project is run in the newly updated governance.
• Propose an Idea: Submit your first architectural or schema proposal using the new SEP template available on GitHub Issues.
• Join the Conversation: The team invites you to join their Discord and provide feedback.

The SCIP team is excited about what they can build together. Their vision is to make code intelligence truly universal, accessible to developers regardless of the programming languages or tools they use.

The Significance of This Transition

This move to independent governance represents a maturing of the SCIP project. By establishing a formal governance structure with industry leaders, Sourcegraph is ensuring that SCIP can grow beyond its origins as a single-company project into a true open standard.

The protocol's language-agnostic design already positions it well for broad adoption, and this governance transition removes potential barriers to entry for companies that might have been hesitant to depend on a protocol controlled by a single vendor.

For developers, this means more predictable evolution of the protocol, clearer contribution paths, and confidence that SCIP will continue to serve the broader developer community rather than any single company's interests.

As codebases grow larger and more complex, tools like SCIP that enable intelligent code navigation become increasingly critical. The transition to open governance ensures that the protocol can evolve to meet the needs of the entire software development industry.