Have your Governance Match your Community​

CNCF maintainers are Founders, CTO, CEO, Marketing, Tech Lead, VP Sales, HR, and every title under the book. The CNCF constantly bombards you with project opportunities: booths, slots for talks, etc. All of this can be overwhelming to maintainers.

Feel free to expand your governance where it fits. Today's example is to expand a typical boring CODEOWNERS file to empower folks.

First off is something I find myself reminding projects constantly: Your governance is yours to adapt! You can add a few simple lines to your existing documentation to bring in people:

Examples: CNCF Service Desk tickets, coordinating with CNCF Project and Events teams, and LFX Administration. No code or code review rights.

We're so used to the files in our repositories being only relegated to the code!

It's about trust​

There are five global KubeCons and tons of KCDs - scaling this at the contributor level is difficult, which is why decoupling it from the code is a nice hack.

This lets you pull in those community managers, project and product managers - they bring in those crucial skills that we all need. And when they are declared in your governance as Contributors it shows that the project is looking at its contributor ladder as a whole.

Thanks to Kapil Thangavelu who showed me this little word hack at Cloud Custodian.

Git is our source of truth​

The CNCF staff use the files that you put in git as THE source of truth. It determines your event resources, everything. It never hurts to check the list for correctness, it should reflect the state of your project. (Note: the GitHub webui struggles with this file, you need to check it out of the repo or use raw mode).

Initially created in 2022 by CNCF's TAG Security and Compliance (TAG-SC), the Cloud Native Security Controls Catalog (CNSC Catalog) is a direct, actionable list of controls mapped to NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5. To incorporate emerging technologies, tools, and research, a new version of the catalog has been created and released in 2026.

What is the CNSC Catalog?​

The catalog incorporates guidance from TAG-SC's Cloud Native Security Whitepaper (CNSWP) and the Software Supply Chain Security Paper (SSCSP) in a way that can be rapidly referenced. Each entry assigns a unique identifier to discrete guidance and includes a reference to external guidance from NIST SP 800-53.

Previous versions of the catalog were delivered in a proprietary format hosted by TAG-SC, increasing complexity for readers. The updated version now utilizes the best practices and schemas provided by the OpenSSF's Gemara project. This approach allows users to harness the CNSC Catalog using tools that are already compatible for similar efforts using Gemara, such as the Open Source Project Security Baseline or the FINOS Common Cloud Controls project.

The existing controls are now organized into family groupings that span the complete cloud-native lifecycle. Each entry provides a unique identifier, title, objective statement, and family classification.

Here is an example from the Deploy family:

Project maintainers can leverage these guidelines as a ready-made foundation for a project-specific hardening guide for creating security controls aligned with TAG-SC guidance. Each guideline maps to a corresponding NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 control, giving regulated end-users a clear picture of how cloud-native security practices align with the standards they are required to satisfy.

The catalog is maintained in version control and accepts contributions through standard pull request workflows with full review history and traceability preserved.

What's Next​

With Milestone 1 complete, the next step is putting the catalog to work. The near-term goal is to support CNCF project maintainers in creating project-specific hardening guides using the guidance most relevant to their project's footprint.

If you are interested in this work and would like to provide feedback or get involved, please reach out on GitHub, in the #initiative-cloud-native-security-controls-catalog channel on CNCF Slack, or through TAG Security and Compliance public calendar meetings.

References​

• Cloud Native Security Controls Catalog Initiative (cncf/toc#1910)
• OSPS Baseline
• Common Cloud Controls
• Gemara
• Cloud Native Security Controls Catalog Phase I (cncf/tag-security#635)

We look forward to seeing many of you at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Japan next month!

CNCF staff will be at the various maintainer-focused activities on July 29-30.

Please take a moment to complete the 2H 2026 Maintainer Survey. Your feedback is essential for us to serve you better in the second half of the year.

• Mentorship Program Updates
• Oracle Cloud Usage Optimization
• KubeCon + CloudNativeCon 2026 Opportunities and Deadlines
• Please Complete the 2H 2026 Maintainer Survey

Mentorship Program Updates​

LFX Mentoring has grown into one of the largest open source mentorship programs in the world, connecting new contributors with experienced maintainers across hundreds of projects every year. As the program scales, we're making two updates that keep it fair, sustainable and welcoming for everyone. Learn more.

Oracle Cloud Usage Optimization​

Nearly 50 projects have adopted Oracle Cloud Infrastructure for ARM compute, CI/CD pipelines, and compatibility testing over the past 3 years. Please review your current usage and shut down any idle or unused resources so we can continue to be conscientious stewards of these donated resources.

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon 2026 Opportunities and Deadlines​

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Japan Project Table Directory​

Planning to attend KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Japan? Browse the CNCF projects participating in the Project Pavilion and hear directly from the maintainers behind them. See the Project Table Directory.

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon 2026 – Scholarships & Travel Funding Deadlines​

Observability Summit Europe​

Register by July 31 to get Early Bird pricing for Observability Summit Europe.

Interested in speaking? The Observability Summit CFP is now open. Learn more about session topics, presentation formats, and submission requirements.

Submit a Talk - DUE Tuesday, July 7, 23:59 CEST

Maintainer Summit North America​

Join fellow maintainers on Sunday, November 8 for a day of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and community building.

Before registering, please review the eligibility requirements to ensure you qualify to participate. If you've already adopted .project for your maintainer list, the CSV that's mentioned will be updated on your behalf.

Interested in speaking? The Maintainer Summit CFP is now open! Learn more about session topics, presentation formats, and important dates.

Submit a Talk - DUE Sunday, July 19, 11:59 PM MST

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America​

Project CFPs and Interest Forms are open for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America. Submit to participate in Project Lightning Talks, Maintainer Track, Project Kiosks, and PR Support - see the links below for details.

Submit a Talk - DUE Sunday, July 12, 11:59 PM MDT

Project Opportunities - DUE Wednesday, July 22

Please Complete the 2H 2026 Maintainer Survey​

We're entering the second half of the year, and that means another maintainer survey. We run them twice a year to measure maintainer awareness of available resources, including support from CNCF staff, Linux Foundation tools, the Technical Oversight Committee (TOC), and the Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs). This is your chance to provide feedback to make sure the CNCF remains the best place for maintainers to host a cloud native project.

See you next month​

Please let us know if you have any suggestions for future newsletter content by sending an email to projects@cncf.io.

You can also continue discussions with other maintainers in the #maintainer-circle Slack channel.

🫶 Daniel, Jeefy, Bob, Nate, Jorge, Riaan, Ihor, Robert and the rest of the CNCF staff

Two updates that help our growing mentorship community do its best work.

LFX Mentoring has grown into one of the largest open source mentorship programs in the world, connecting new contributors with experienced maintainers across hundreds of projects every year. As the program scales, we're making two updates that keep it fair, sustainable and welcoming for everyone.

A more equitable stipend model​

At its core, LFX Mentoring is all about providing unique opportunities to learn, grow, and become part of the global open source community. By participating, mentees get to work on exciting technology and receive invaluable coaching directly from experienced practitioners. Because the heart of this program is professional development, it is fundamentally designed as a learning experience, not employment. While many open source mentorships are entirely unpaid, some of our participating projects choose to offer stipends. These stipends can be thought of as educational grants that help offset basic living expenses so mentees can focus their energy on learning and contributing. Since these stipends are intended to offset basic living expenses (and not intended as compensation or wages), these amounts are calculated to reflect the cost of living in a mentee’s country.

Mentee stipends are calculated using a formula based on Purchasing Power Parity (PPP): we start from a $6,000 USD baseline and adjust for each mentee's country, so a stipend’s real-world value is comparable wherever a mentee lives. We review these amounts periodically to keep them aligned with industry standards and economic conditions.

For programs that start on or after July 1, 2026, we've refreshed the schedule. We keep PPP and the $6,600 maximum, and we've lowered the minimum to $1,000 so that stipends more closely reflect regional cost of living and align with other popular open source mentoring programs. This lets us reinvest in the program and extend mentorship to more people each term.

These updates apply only to future programs. If you've already been accepted into a program that starts before July 1, 2026, you'll continue to receive the amount listed in your acceptance letter. Full country-by-country amounts are published in the mentee stipend documentation.

A shared Standard of Excellence​

We're also publishing the Linux Foundation Mentoring Standards of Excellence: a clear statement of the collaborative, respectful, and professional behavior we encourage from every mentor, mentee, and candidate.

The Standards highlight what makes mentorship work: supporting one another, giving constructive feedback, communicating with respect, and accepting evaluations and selection decisions gracefully. They also explain how to raise concerns through the right channels. The goal is simple: every participant has a positive, productive experience and the clarity to do their best work.

Learn more​

Explore open mentorships and apply at LFX Mentorship.

We didn't send out an edition in April due to the volume of other staff messages sent to the maintainer mailing lists.

We look forward to seeing many of you at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon India next month!

CNCF staff will be at the various maintainer-focused activities on June 18-19.

• The .project Repository Rollout Has Started
• Cloud Native Community Groups Migration
• Kapa.ai Tech Doc Assistants Now Available
• PR Support for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Japan
• CNCF Maintainer and End User Contributor Program

The .project Repository Rollout Has Started​

The CNCF is officially rolling out .project repositories across all projects. This effort is designed to make maintainer records and project metadata consistent and accurate.

If your project is currently applying to move levels within the CNCF, this rollout is being prioritized for your organization right now. However, all CNCF projects need to start prepping their data.

To ensure a seamless transition and prevent any interruptions to your access to CNCF resources, the Service Desk, and maintainer mailing lists, etc., we need projects to take the following steps.

What You Need to Do​

• Keep Maintainer Data Up to Date: Ensure your project's existing MAINTAINERS.md or CODEOWNERS files in your main repository are accurate. The CNCF staff will automatically provision your new .project repository and generate an initial pull request based on these files.
• Link GitHub Handles to LFID: Every listed maintainer must link their GitHub handle to their Linux Foundation ID (LFID). You can do this at OpenProfile.
• Verify Email Settings: Look over OpenProfile Email Management and ensure your primary email preferences are correct. These addresses are used directly for access management and maintainer outreach.
• Review and Merge Your PR: Once the CNCF team provisions your .project repository, look out for the pending maintainer verification PR. Please review, update, and merge it!

Questions or Support?​

If your team runs into any issues or has questions about the transition, please reach out directly to the CNCF projects team or open a ticket via the Service Desk.

Cloud Native Community Groups Migration​

We've successfully migrated our community groups from Bevy to the new Open Community Group platform. Organizers are already seeing value in the built-in Call for Speakers (CFS) workflow and the ability to contribute directly to the platform's development, ensuring our tooling stays as open as our code.

Kapa.ai Tech Doc Assistants Now Available​

As projects grow, maintainers increasingly spend time responding to the same technical questions across Slack, Discord, and GitHub issues. Many of these are already answered in the documentation. CNCF has partnered with Kapa.ai to provide free tech doc assistants to our projects.

PR Support for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Japan​

We're currently organizing the official news package for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Japan (July 29-30). If your project has a major release or milestone planned for the event, let us know and we can help amplify it via the CNCF blog and social channels. Learn more.

CNCF Maintainer and End User Contributor Program​

We're inviting projects and end users to contribute original bylined articles to The New Stack, a publication covering cloud native technologies. This initiative aims to amplify voices within the CNCF community, share cloud native stories and experiences, and highlight the interesting work being done across projects and organizations. Learn more.

See you next month​

Please let us know if you have any suggestions for future newsletter content by sending an email to projects@cncf.io.

You can also continue discussions with other maintainers in the #maintainer-circle Slack channel.

🫶 Daniel, Jeefy, Bob, Nate, Jorge, Riaan, Ihor, Robert and the rest of the CNCF staff

The short version is that .project is a standardized metadata repository for CNCF projects. It gives each project a clear, machine-readable home for information like project details, repositories, maintainers, governance references, security contacts, and other metadata that CNCF systems rely on.

What is .project?​

.project is an open source utility that creates and validates a standardized metadata repository for CNCF projects. In practice, that means each project gets a dedicated repo that can hold structured information about the project in a consistent format.

This gives projects a single source of truth for metadata that often ends up spread across multiple repositories, documents, and manual processes. Rather than relying on ad hoc updates, CNCF automation can read from this repo and use the data consistently.

Why it matters​

Many project details are needed in more than one place. With .project, CNCF can validate and consume that metadata for tasks like Landscape updates, governance audits, maintainer roster checks, and other automation workflows.

That improves consistency, reduces manual follow-up, and makes it easier for project information to stay current over time.

What maintainers should expect​

For maintainers, the main thing to know is that CNCF staff will create and bootstrap the .project repository for your project. In other words: no migration to plan, no setup to perform, and no immediate work to do. The main request is simply not to be surprised when a new .project repository shows up in your organization.

Some projects have already had .project rolled out, including @grpc/.project and @project-dalec/.project. These examples show what the generated repository looks like in practice.

When metadata changes need to flow downstream, the automation can also open Landscape updates automatically. You can see one example in this generated @cncf/landscape pull request.

Open source and open to contributions​

.project is open source, and pull requests are welcome. If you have ideas for improvements or see something that could work better, contributions are encouraged.

References​

• .project utility in @cncf/automation
• @grpc/.project
• @project-dalec/.project
• Example generated @cncf/landscape pull request
• Contact the CNCF Projects team

High-traffic projects like OpenTelemetry and Envoy Gateway have been using Kapa.ai to handle thousands of community questions per month, reducing the volume of inbound support questions maintainers handle directly.

CNCF has partnered with Kapa.ai to provide AI-powered documentation assistants to hosted projects at no cost.

What is Kapa.ai?​

Kapa.ai helps technical communities build AI assistants that work for complex products. Unlike a general-purpose LLM that might guess when it doesn't know an answer, Kapa uses Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) to ground its responses in your project's specific documentation and knowledge base.

It can ingest multiple sources, including your project's:

• Documentation
• Source code
• GitHub issues and discussions
• Slack and Discord archives
• Technical files and Stack Overflow answers

The result is a dedicated AI assistant that can be embedded directly into your documentation site, installed as a bot in your community chat, or deployed as a pre-built hosted MCP server directly in your developers' IDEs.

How This Helps Maintainers​

This isn't just about answering user questions - it's about improving your project's health by:

• Identifying documentation gaps: Kapa tracks when it can't answer a question because the information simply isn't in your docs. This gives you a clear roadmap of exactly what needs to be written.
• Giving reliable answers: By grounding the AI in your specific knowledge base, it significantly reduces the "hallucinations" common in general AI tools.
• Reducing query load: Kapa handles common questions directly, reducing the number of issues and Slack threads that require maintainer attention.

A Note on Data Privacy​

One of the primary reasons for this partnership is Kapa.ai's commitment to data integrity.

Get it for Your Project​

If your project is part of the CNCF, you can apply for free access to Kapa.ai directly through the CNCF Service Desk. The qualification process has been simplified in collaboration with the Kapa.ai team, mirroring the experience launched with the Docker partnership.

Next steps for maintainers:

1. Head over to the CNCF Service Desk.
2. Submit a request for Kapa.ai access.
3. The CNCF Projects team will work with you to ingest your knowledge base and deploy your bot.

References​

• Kapa.ai - AI assistant platform for technical communities
• CNCF Service Desk - Submit a request for Kapa.ai access

CNCF staff will be at the Maintainer Summit and the Project Pavilion throughout the week. Please find us if you have any questions about support for your projects.

Table of contents​

• PCC Adoption Gathers Momentum: Streamline Your Project's Meetings
• Updates to the Open Source Partnership Program (OSPP)
• Rolling out .project for Project Metadata
• Looking for a New Role? Check out GitJobs
• Happenings at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon EU

PCC Adoption Gathers Momentum: Streamline Your Project’s Meetings​

The community-wide shift to the LFX Project Control Center (PCC) is in full swing. Projects that have already migrated are reporting a massive reduction in administrative toil, specifically highlighting the time saved by self-service meeting scheduling. By taking direct control of their calendars, maintainers no longer need to open Service Desk tickets for routine updates, reclaiming valuable time to focus on their code and community.

New Guide: Linking Your Project’s YouTube Channel​

For projects already utilizing PCC, we have released a new resource to help you fully automate your workflow. A new instructional video has been added to the CNCF Calendar page to ensure your community recordings are handled effortlessly.

This guide specifically covers:

• Making the Connection: How to link your PCC meetings directly to your project’s YouTube channel for automatic uploads.
• The Meeting Host Key: Where to find your host key within PCC and how to use it to properly authenticate and record your sessions.

📺 Watch the new instruction video: Managing PCC & YouTube Integration

Join Us in Amsterdam​

If your project hasn't switched to PCC meetings yet, KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe is the perfect place to get started.

• Meet the Team: The CNCF Project Team will be on-site in Amsterdam. It’s a great time to meet in person, walk through the setup, and make the switch on the spot.
• Can’t make it? If we won’t see you in Amsterdam, please reach out to the project team via the CNCF Service Desk to begin your transition.

Updates to the Open Source Partnership Program (OSPP)​

Check out our refreshed partnerships page, featuring a curated stack of pre-vetted, no-cost services and a standardized onboarding process designed to eliminate your project’s operational tax.

To request any of them - please reach out to the CNCF Staff via the CNCF Service Desk.

GitHub Copilot Business Phase-Out​

We are sunsetting legacy GitHub Copilot Business licenses in early April, shortly after KubeCon Europe. Maintainers should transition to the Enterprise tier now to ensure continued access; instructions, more details on the transition, and the request procedure are available on the contributor blog.

Rolling out .project for Project Metadata​

Some of you already know about .project, but many don't.

tl;dr? A repo (.project) under your Project's GH Org that houses as much project metadata as possible that we feed into everything else (Landscape for example) -- Readme goes into more. That said....

Over the next couple of months, the projects team will be rolling this out to every project under the CNCF. Staff will be the ones bootstrapping each project’s repo to try and minimize the amount of work on maintainers. We hope this will actually minimize the amount of toil maintainers have with keeping data up to date and being able to own their own metadata all in one place.

Please email projects@cncf.io or come find us at the Project Pavilion in Amsterdam if you have questions.

Looking for a New Role? Check out GitJobs​

As of the writing of this, we have 17 new jobs posted on GitJobs for the month of March. If you or a fellow community member is looking OR, if you’re hiring, check out gitjobs.dev for postings.

Happenings at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon EU​

Maintainer Summit​

View the schedule and plan your day. There will be an update and announcements from the projects staff during the kickoff presentation on new resources available to you.

Maintainers’ Meeting Room​

G003 is dedicated to your meetings! While you still have access to a lounge with refreshments, it’s not always private, with Ambassadors and Kubestronauts having access. Here is the map to the neighboring room for your convenience.

See you next month​

Please let us know if you have any suggestions for future newsletter content by sending an email to projects@cncf.io.

You can also continue discussions with other maintainers in the #maintainer-circle Slack channel.

🫶 Daniel, Jeefy, Bob, Nate, Jorge, Riaan, Ihor, Robert and the rest of the CNCF staff

As we move forward, we are working to simplify our infrastructure and billing. To that end, we will be phasing out all legacy GitHub Copilot Business licenses in early April 2026.

Why the transition?​

Historically, the CNCF provided Copilot Business seats to various contributors. However, our current partnership with GitHub focuses on the Enterprise tier, which offers an expanded feature set and is provided specifically for formal maintainers.

By sunsetting the legacy Business seats, we ensure we use our resources efficiently and that all maintainers have access to GitHub's highest-tier AI tools.

Enterprise vs. Business: What is the difference?​

GitHub Copilot Enterprise includes all the features of the Business plan, along with advanced capabilities designed to support larger-scale collaboration and deeper integration with your development environment.

To see a side-by-side comparison of the features available in each plan, visit the official GitHub documentation: GitHub Copilot Plans Comparison.

How does this affect you?​

I already have an Enterprise license​

I already have an Enterprise license and a Business license​

If you are already using an Enterprise seat, you do not need to take any action. You may have noticed you were assigned both "Business" and "Enterprise" seats—in this case, the Enterprise license already takes precedence. When the Business seats are removed in April, your access will continue without interruption.

I only have a Business license (or no license at all)​

If you are currently relying on a Business seat provided by the CNCF, you must ensure you are transitioned to an Enterprise seat to avoid a lapse in access.

How to request your Enterprise seat​

If you are an eligible maintainer and have not yet moved to the Enterprise tier, please follow the formal request procedure outlined in our previous guide:

How to request GitHub Copilot Enterprise for CNCF Maintainers

Timeline​

If you have any questions or encounter issues during this transition, please open a ticket at the CNCF Service Desk.

References​

• CNCF Maintainers Dashboard — Verify your maintainer status
• GitHub Copilot Plans Comparison — Feature comparison between Business and Enterprise tiers
• Now Available: Free GitHub Copilot Enterprise for CNCF Maintainers — Original announcement and request instructions
• CNCF Service Desk — Submit support requests and access tickets

We hope you’re excited for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe and plan to attend the Maintainer Summit!

You can learn more about the event and other worldwide KubeCon + CloudNativeCon opportunities in this month’s newsletter.

• Scholarships & Travel Funding Deadlines
• KubeCon + CloudNativeCon EU 2026
• KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Worldwide
• Virtual Events
• Update Your Project Logos
• Call for Kubernetes AI Conformance applications and reference architectures
• See you next month

Scholarships & Travel Funding Deadlines​

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon EU 2026​

LAST CALL! Share Your Project News​

Planning a major update, new feature, or milestone to align with KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026? The CNCF PR team can help amplify your news.

Announcements will be:

• Included in the official media news package shared with journalists and analysts
• Highlighted during CNCF's on-site press conference
• Scheduled for release March 23–26 (CET)

Questions? Contact pr@cncf.io

Maintainer Summit Europe​

Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with fellow maintainers on Sunday, 22 March, for a day of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and community building. Registration is expected to reach capacity, and onsite registration will not be available. Please review the Maintainer Summit eligibility requirements in advance to ensure you qualify to participate. To attend the Maintainer Summit, you must also be registered for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe.

Register for the Maintainer Summit today!

Plan Your Trip to Amsterdam​

Book your travel for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026: Save with Conference Rates.

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Worldwide​

LAST CALL! KubeCon + CloudNativeCon India 2026 - Project Benefits​

Last call to submit! CFPs and Interest Forms for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon India are closing soon. If you’d like to participate in Project Lightning Talks, the Maintainer Track, Project Tables, or receive PR support, submit the interest form and/or CFP by Sunday, 1 March 23:59 IST.

Project Opportunities + CFP - DUE Sunday, March 1

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Japan - Project Benefits now LIVE​

CFPs and Interest Forms are now open for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Japan! Don’t miss your chance to participate in Project Lightning Talks, Maintainer Track, Project Tables, and PR Support. Check out the link below for details about each opportunity and to submit.

Project Opportunities + CFP - DUE Sunday, April 12

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon + OpenInfra Summit + PyTorch Conference China - Project Benefits now LIVE​

CFPs and Interest Forms are now open for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon + OpenInfra Summit + PyTorch Conference China! Don’t miss your chance to participate in Project Lightning Talks, Maintainer Track, Project Tables, and PR Support. Check out the link below for details about each opportunity and to submit.

Submit a CFP - DUE Sunday, 3 May

Project Opportunities - DUE Sunday, 24 May

Virtual Events​

Update Your Project Logos​

The CNCF Events Team pulls project logos from the CNCF artwork repository for signage and stickers. Please be sure to upload your project’s high-resolution stacked and horizontal color logos at least 8 weeks before the event. If the required file is unavailable in the repository or is not high resolution, CNCF staff will determine which file to use.

Call for Kubernetes AI Conformance applications and reference architectures​

Late last year, the Kubernetes AI Conformance program officially launched and the interest and response has been overwhelming! Many thanks to our initial batch of contributors and conformance program participants.

With Kubernetes 1.35 having launched, it's a perfect time to submit your K8s AI Conformance application here.

Willing to talk about your use of Cloud Native projects in the AI training and inference space? We'd love to hear from you! Please email projects@cncf.io

See you next month​

Please let us know if you have any suggestions for future newsletter content by sending an email to projects@cncf.io.

You can also continue discussions with other maintainers in the #maintainer-circle Slack channel.

🫶 Daniel, Jeefy, Bob, Nate, Jorge, Riaan, Ihor, Robert and the rest of the CNCF staff

Announcements will be:

• Included in the official media news package shared with journalists and analysts
• Highlighted during CNCF's on-site press conference
• Scheduled for release March 23–26 (CET)

Questions? Contact pr@cncf.io

References​

• KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026
• CNCF PR Contact

In 2025 we saw continued project growth, with the TOC accepting an additional six projects to close out the year. The speed at which projects join the CNCF and advance through levels has improved thanks to better processes, and we've expanded the variety of services available to maintainers through new partnerships with providers. We are committed to serving our 2,000+ maintainers and 300,000+ contributors even better in 2026.

Please take a moment to complete the 2H 2025 Maintainer Survey. Your feedback is vital for us to serve you better this year. The survey will close on January 30th, so please respond as soon as you can!

• Google Summer of Code 2026 opportunities
• Please take the Maintainer Survey
• KubeCon+CloudNativeCon 2026 – Scholarships & Travel Funding Deadlines
• KubeCon+CloudNativeCon 2026 – Maintainer Summit & Travel Info
• Call for Kubernetes AI Conformance applications and reference architectures
• GitHub Copilot guidance
• Docker Hardened Images are now free for projects
• CNCF Projects Calendar Migration
• Help us help you
• See you next month

Google Summer of Code 2026 opportunities​

CNCF is planning on being a Mentoring Organization again this year for Google Summer of Code (GSoC) and can help projects looking to participate in the program. This is a fantastic opportunity to increase your project's contributor community and get valuable work done!

In 2026, GSoC is actively looking to bring in more projects in the areas of Security and AI/ML.

GSoC 2026 Announcement
CNCF GSoC 2026 ideas worksheet

Key dates:

• Organizations application period: Monday, Jan 19, to Tuesday, Feb 3, 2026
• CNCF Project proposals submissions recommendation: Wednesday Jan 14, 2026
• Note: the internal recommendation date has passed and we currently only have a handful of proposals. If you're reading this before the org application deadline (Feb 3, 2026), you can still add an idea—the more proposals we have, the stronger our org application will be.

Please take the Maintainer Survey​

To help guide the CNCF's efforts in supporting our projects, we regularly collect feedback from maintainers on their experience at the CNCF. Please help us help you by filling out the 2H25 edition of the CNCF Maintainers Survey.

This is your chance to tell us how we're doing, gauge your understanding of the benefits of hosting a project at the CNCF, and influence our priorities in 2026. It should take no more than a couple of minutes of your time. Thanks in advance!

KubeCon+CloudNativeCon 2026 – Scholarships & Travel Funding Deadlines​

KubeCon+CloudNativeCon 2026 – Maintainer Summit & Travel Info​

Maintainer Summit Europe​

Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with fellow maintainers on Sunday, 22 March, for a day of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and community building. Review eligibility requirements & register now for the Maintainer Summit today!

Plan Your Trip to Amsterdam​

Book your travel for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026: Save with Conference Rates.

Observability Summit North America​

Don't forget to submit your proposal for Observability Summit North America!

Visit the Observability Summit North America page for additional information on topics, and submission types and submit your session via the CFP by Sunday, January 25 at 11:59 PM CST.

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon India 2026 - Project Benefits now LIVE!​

CFPs and Interest Forms are now open for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon India! Don’t miss your chance to participate in Project Lightning Talks, Maintainer Track, Project Tables, and PR Support. Check out the link below for details about each opportunity and to submit.

Project Opportunities + CFP - DUE Sunday 1 March 23:59 IST

Update Your Project Logos!​

The CNCF Events Team pulls project logos from the CNCF artwork repository for signage and stickers. Please be sure to upload your project’s high-resolution stacked and horizontal color logos at least 8 weeks before the event. If the required file is unavailable in the repository or is not high resolution, CNCF staff will determine which file to use.

Call for Kubernetes AI Conformance applications and reference architectures​

Late last year, the Kubernetes AI Conformance program officially launched and the interest and response has been overwhelming! Many thanks to our initial batch of contributors and conformance program participants.

With Kubernetes 1.35 having launched, it's a perfect time to submit your K8s AI Conformance application here.

Willing to talk about your use of Cloud Native projects in the AI training and inference space? We'd love to hear from you! Please email projects@cncf.io

GitHub Copilot guidance​

We are excited to officially roll out GitHub Copilot Enterprise to CNCF project maintainers!

This post outlines the specific features available to you, best practices for sustainable usage, and the step-by-step process to request access today.

Docker Hardened Images are now free for projects​

Docker announced that they are making Docker Hardened Images free to all developers.

DHI provides maintainers of CNCF projects with secure, minimal, continuously maintained, base container images that reduce vulnerabilities and attack surfaces while fitting into existing workflows and improving supply-chain security overall.

Many CNCF projects can already be found in the DHI catalog, and giving the broader community access to secure, well-maintained building blocks helps us strengthen the software supply chain together.

Learn how to get started in this blog post.

CNCF Projects Calendar Migration: Move your project’s meetings to LFX PCC for Self-Service Scheduling​

As we head into 2026, we encourage any remaining projects to transition to the LFX Project Control Center (PCC) to take full advantage of our new self-service calendar system. With the legacy Google Calendar system now sunset, moving to PCC is the best way to ensure your community meetings remain visible and organized.

By switching to PCC, maintainers gain direct autonomy over their schedules, including:

• Automatic recording uploads to your project’s YouTube channel.
• Direct control via LFX, removing the need for Service Desk tickets for simple updates.

If you haven’t made the move yet, please reach out via the CNCF Service Desk. We are here to support your transition path and ensure a smooth setup.

For a quick walkthrough, check out this short video tutorial on managing meetings within PCC.

Help us help you​

See you next month​

Please let us know if you have any suggestions for future newsletter content by sending an email to projects@cncf.io.

You can also continue discussions with other maintainers in the #maintainer-circle Slack channel.

🫶 Daniel, Jeefy, Bob, Nate, Jorge, Riaan, Ihor, Robert and the rest of the CNCF staff

We are highlighting this update for the benefit of the CNCF maintainer community, as DHI can be used by CNCF projects as a secure and transparent foundation for shipping container images.

What are Docker Hardened Images?​

Docker Hardened Images are minimal, security-focused container base images designed to reduce inherited risk in downstream projects. They are built and maintained with security and transparency as defaults, featuring:

• Minimal attack surface: Only required components are included.
• Non-root execution: Images run as non-root by default.
• Supply Chain Security: Includes published SBOMs and SLSA Level 3 build provenance.
• Active Maintenance: Ongoing patching and rebuilds are performed as vulnerabilities are disclosed.
• Open Standards: All images are reproducible, open source, and licensed under Apache 2.0, making them compatible with CNCF governance and distribution models.

Benefits for CNCF Maintainers​

For CNCF project maintainers, using Docker Hardened Images can:

• Reduce Maintenance Burden: Lower the number of base-image CVEs maintainers must patch, freeing time for feature development.
• Operational Efficiency: Eliminate the need to maintain custom hardened base images.
• Improve Transparency: Build greater trust for downstream users.
• Consistent Baselines: Provide a well-maintained security baseline with minimal effort.

Here's How to Get Started​

As a CNCF project maintainer, you can start using Docker Hardened Images today for free. We encourage you to explore the documentation and bring DHI into your workflows.

To learn more, please join the upcoming Docker-hosted CNCF community call:

• Date: January 23, 2026
• Time: 4 pm UTC / 5 pm CET / 8 am PST
• Registration: Sign up here

This session will be a technical walkthrough and developer-focused discussion featuring the team behind Docker Hardened Images, as well as maintainers sharing their experiences. They will be available to dive into technical questions from the community.

Agenda​

1. Introduction to DHI
2. Demos
3. CNCF maintainer's experience
4. OSS maintainer's experience
5. Q&A

Here is what you need to know about the benefits, eligibility, and how to apply.

Key Benefits for Your Project​

Joining the DSOS program offers several high-impact advantages for project maintainership:

• Unlimited Image Pulls: Removes rate limits for your users on Docker Hub.
• "Sponsored OSS" Status: Gains a verified badge for greater trust and visibility.
• Advanced Security: Access to Docker Scout for vulnerability analysis and policy enforcement.
• Automated Workflows: Streamlined image builds directly from your source code.
• Insights: Access to Docker usage metrics and community engagement data.

Important Technical Considerations​

1. Transitioning to an Organization Account​

If your project currently publishes images under a personal Docker ID, you must convert it to an organization account.

• This conversion is free.
• A second Docker user account is required to act as the "Owner" of the organization.
• The email addresses for the organization and the owner account must be the same to ensure proper access control.

2. Paid Subscription Conflict​

DSOS and paid Docker subscriptions are mutually exclusive. If your project currently pays for a subscription, you must transition off that plan before you can join the DSOS program.

How to Apply​

Applications must be submitted via the CNCF ServiceDesk rather than directly to Docker. This workflow ensures the request comes from an official CNCF project and prioritizes the request with Docker.

What happens after approval?​

Once approved, benefits are granted at the project level for one year. Renewals are available as long as the project remains active, non-commercial, and continues to meet the eligibility criteria.

For more information on the application process, visit the CNCF maintainer documentation or reach out via the standard CNCF support channels.

CNCF LFX Mentorship 2026 Term 1 Mar-May

Key LFX dates:

• Project Proposals Open: Wednesday, January 7 – Tuesday, January 20, 2026
• Mentee Applications Open: Monday, January 26 – Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 11AM PST (19:00 UTC)
• Application Review Period: Wednesday, February 11 – Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 11AM PST (19:00 UTC)

In addition to LFX, the CNCF is planning on being a Mentoring Organization again this year for Google Summer of Code (GSoC) and can help projects looking to participate in the program. This is a fantastic opportunity to increase your project's contributor community and get valuable work done!

In 2026, GSoC is actively looking to bring in more projects in the areas of Security and AI/ML.

GSoC 2026 Announcement

CNCF Project GSoC 2026 Ideas

Key GSoC dates:

• Organizations application period: Monday, Jan 19, to Tuesday, Feb 3, 2026
• CNCF Project proposals submissions recommendation: Wednesday Jan 14, 2026
  • Note, proposals can still be submitted after this recommended date, but the Mentorship team needs time to evaluate the proposals and package our application. The more proposals we have, the stronger our org application will be.

We're looking forward to seeing all the project ideas you're interested in working on!

It's been an amazing 2025 with record project growth, improvements in the speed that projects join the CNCF and move levels, and the breadth of new services we've made available to maintainers.

We look forward to helping your projects make an even greater impact in 2026.

And please take the 2H 2025 Maintainer Survey when you have a chance. It will help us serve you better in the coming year.

Thank you, we hope you enjoy the end of year downtime and we wish you the best in the new year!

• ✍️ Please take the Maintainer Survey
• 🚲 Upcoming project opportunity deadline (TODAY!)
• 🎥 Maintainer Summit recordings available
• 🚀 New contribute.cncf.io launched
• 📄 Call for Kubernetes AI Conformance applications and reference architectures
• 🧑‍🎓 CNCF LFX 2026 Term 1 call for proposals open soon
• 🔑 Google Summer of Code 2026 opportunities
• 🤖 GitHub Copilot guidance
• 🕵️ Kusari Inspector free for projects
• 🐳 Docker Hardened Images free for projects
• 📈 Telemetry collection and privacy guidelines
• 🙏 Please take the Maintainer Survey
• 🎉 Thank you for an amazing year

✍️ Please take the Maintainer Survey​

To help guide the CNCF's efforts in supporting our projects we regularly collect feedback from maintainers on their experience at the CNCF. Please help us help you by filling out the 2H25 edition of the CNCF Maintainers Survey.

This is your chance to tell us how we're doing, gauge your understanding of the benefits of hosting a project at the CNCF, and influence our priorities in 2026. It should take no more than a couple of minutes of your time. Thanks in advance!

🚲 Upcoming project opportunity deadline (TODAY!)​

We notified projects about KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026 opportunities last week. The CFP for Maintainer Track, Contribfest, and Project Lightning Talks closed on Sunday, 14 December, but the Kiosk + PR Interest Form closes on Wednesday, 17 December, at 23:59 local time. Get your requests in today!

🎥 Maintainer Summit recordings available​

The YouTube playlist for the Maintainer Summit at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America is now available. We look forward to seeing you again in Amsterdam 🚲

🚀 New contribute.cncf.io launched​

We've relaunched contribute.cncf.io 🎉. This site serves as the primary place for maintainers to learn about what benefits they have as a CNCF project and helps expand our funnel of new contributors to your projects. You can also open issues and submit pull requests to improve content.

We've also launched a blog on the site. It's where you'll find our monthly newsletter going forward. And if you missed it, you can check out the Maintainer Summit announcement post with updates about new code assistants, cloud credits, image registries, the ask.cncf.io chatbot, and LFX tools.

📄 Call for Kubernetes AI Conformance applications and reference architectures​

Earlier this year, the Kubernetes AI Conformance program officially launched and the interest and response has been overwhelming! Many thanks to our initial batch of contributors and conformance program participants.

With Kubernetes 1.35 launching soon (already?) it's a perfect time to submit your K8s AI Conformance application here.

Willing to talk about your use of Cloud Native projects in the AI training and inference space? We'd love to hear from you! Please email projects@cncf.io

🧑‍🎓 CNCF LFX 2026 Term 1 call for proposals open soon​

LFX Mentorship 2026 Term 1 March - May is opening early next year for project ideas! Since 2020, 25 LFX mentee alumni have gone on to become CNCF project maintainers. This is a great opportunity to grow your contributor community.

Project submission and application timeline:

• Project proposal period: Jan 7 - Jan 20, 2026
• Mentee applications open: Jan 26 - Feb 10, 2026
• Term begins: March 2, 2026

We're looking forward to seeing all your project ideas!

🔑 Google Summer of Code 2026 opportunities​

CNCF is planning on being a Mentoring Organization again next year for Google Summer of Code (GSoC) and can help projects looking to participate in the program. This is a fantastic opportunity to increase your project's contributor community and get valuable work done!

Next year, GSoC is actively looking to bring in more projects in the areas of Security and AI/ML.

GSoC 2026 Announcement

Key dates:

• Organizations application period: Monday, Jan 19, to Tuesday, Feb 3, 2026
• CNCF Project proposals submissions recommendation: Wednesday Jan 14, 2026
  • Note, proposals can still be submitted after this recommended date, but the Mentorship team needs time to evaluate the proposals and package our application. The more proposals we have, the stronger our org application will be.

🤖 GitHub Copilot guidance​

We are excited to officially roll out GitHub Copilot Enterprise to CNCF project maintainers!

This post outlines the specific features available to you, best practices for sustainable usage, and the step-by-step process to request access today.

🕵️ Kusari Inspector free for projects​

We have another tool for our utility belt! To help us continue to improve shipping more secure projects faster, Kusari has graciously offered all CNCF projects their Inspector product free of charge! Inspector gives full visibility into versions, licenses, and security risks for direct and transitive dependencies.

To sign up for your project, visit https://us.kusari.cloud/signup and go for the free trial. Kusari and CNCF staff will ensure the full product is unlocked for all CNCF GitHub orgs.

Here are docs for any curious: https://docs.kusari.cloud/docs/Inspector/ and if you have any questions, we've been told that y'all can reach out directly by posting to https://github.com/kusaridev/community!

🐳 Docker Hardened Images free for projects​

Today, Docker announced that they are making Docker Hardened Images free to all developers.

DHI provides maintainers of CNCF projects with secure, minimal, continuously maintained, base container images that reduce vulnerabilities and attack surfaces while fitting into existing workflows and improving supply-chain security overall.

Many CNCF projects can already be found in the DHI catalog, and giving the broader community access to secure, well-maintained building blocks helps us strengthen the software supply chain together.

Learn how to get started in this announcement from Docker.

📈 Telemetry collection and privacy guidelines​

The Linux Foundation maintains telemetry and privacy policies to help protect projects and their users. Projects are expected to follow these guidelines, and for CNCF-provided services staff also reviews third-party tools to ensure alignment before making them available to projects.

We've identified a small number of cases where third-party services may not yet fully align, and we'll be reaching out to work with those project teams to get that sorted. Our goal is to be supportive and collaborative, and to help maintainers ensure transparency, user trust, and alignment with community expectations.

🙏 Please take the Maintainer Survey​

🎉 Thank you for an amazing year​

On behalf of the entire projects team staff, I want to thank you for an amazing year in the CNCF community.

We've seen amazing project growth, accelerated Sandbox project applications reviews and onboarding, and made great strides to improve the velocity at which we evaluate project applications to move to Incubation and Graduation.

As folks will be taking time off through the rest of the year, we remind you that staff GitHub issue, Service Desk ticket, and email responses will likely be slower than normal. Enjoy the holiday season and have a happy new year!

🫶 Daniel, Jeefy, Bob, Nate, Jorge, Riaan, Ihor, Robert and the rest of the CNCF staff

As highlighted during the CNCF Maintainers Summit in Atlanta back in November, this offering is tailored to help reduce maintainer burnout by automating the repetitive parts of software development. This post outlines the specific features available to you, best practices for sustainable usage, and the step-by-step process to request access today.

What's Included in the Bundle?​

Eligible maintainers will receive access to the full Enterprise suite, which includes:

1. Copilot Coding Agent: This autonomous agent acts as a virtual pair programmer. You can assign it complex tasks—like "refactor this module to use the new API" or "fix the bug described in Issue cncf/contribute-site#402"—and it will attempt to implement the solution, allowing you to focus on high-level design.
2. Copilot Code Review: A massive time-saver for maintainers. This tool analyzes pull requests to identify bugs, suggest improvements, and ensure code consistency before a human reviewer even looks at the diff.
3. Contextual Chat: Ask questions about your specific project ("How does our retry logic handle 503 errors?") and receive answers grounded in your codebase and documentation.

Sustainable Innovation: Using "Auto Mode"​

With great power comes great resource consumption. Copilot Enterprise offers access to "heavy," high-parameter models that are computationally expensive.

To align with our community's values of sustainability, we strongly recommend using the Auto mode for model selection in your VS Code or IDE settings.

• How it works: Auto mode dynamically selects the most efficient model for your specific prompt. It uses lighter models for simple completions and reserves the heavy models for complex architectural queries.
• Benefit: This ensures you get the performance you need without unnecessary energy consumption.

Eligibility​

This benefit is strictly for official CNCF project maintainers.

• We validate eligibility against the official CNCF Maintainers list.
• Please ensure your project's MAINTAINERS.md or OWNERS file is up to date and reflects your current status before applying.

How to Apply​

We have streamlined the process through the CNCF Service Desk.

1. Visit the Service Desk: Navigate to https://servicedesk.cncf.io/.
2. Submit a Request: Select the Program Management category.
3. Provide Details: In your ticket, please provide your GitHub handle.
   • Optional: You may also include the GitHub handles of other maintainers on your project that you would like to enroll in the same request.

Activation: CNCF staff will verify your status against our maintainer records and provision the license. You will receive a notification once access is enabled.

If you have any questions or run into issues during the setup, please comment on your Service Desk ticket. Happy coding!

Planning to speak at the Maintainer Summit? Be sure to submit your CFP by Sunday, 14 December at 23:59 local time.

Please visit the Project Opportunities page to learn more about the benefits, deadlines, how to sign up, and more.

Kindly note that due to high demand, space is limited and there is a high possibility that not all projects will be able to participate as we are not able to accept all requests.

References​

• Project Benefits CFP (Maintainer Track, Contribfest, Project Lightning Talks)
• Kiosk + PR Interest Form
• Maintainer Summit CFP
• Project Opportunities Page
• KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026

And please make sure to take the maintainer survey! This is your chance to tell us how we're doing, gauge your understanding of the benefits of hosting a project at the CNCF, and influence our priorities in 2026.

New services since the last Maintainer Summit at KubeCon London​

GitHub Copilot​

We are excited to announce an expanded partnership with GitHub to provide free Copilot Enterprise licenses to CNCF project maintainers. This benefit is part of a limited pilot program and will be rolling out in the coming weeks. Eligibility will be validated against the list at maintainers.cncf.io, so please ensure your project's information is up to date.

Docker Sponsored Open Source Program​

Through the Docker Sponsored Open Source Program, project maintainers gain access to upgraded registry, security, and support services. These include unlimited Docker Hub image pulls, sponsored OSS status, Docker Scout for vulnerability analysis, automated image builds, usage metrics, and streamlined support. Request access via the Service Desk.

Akamai/Linode​

Akamai pledged $700K in cloud credits to the CNCF for project use. Projects can now request access to onboard Linode. This platform provides another alternative to Equinix which is due to sunset later this year. Oracle Cloud credits also continue to be available, particularly for AI workloads on ARM and bare metal deployments. Request access to either service via the Service Desk.

LFX Insights​

The latest version of Insights was launched at Open Source Summit in June. You can get deeper context on the health of your project by analyzing its velocity, contributor dependency, and organizational reliance. You can also add a badge to your repos, embed charts in your READMEs and presentations. If you see any data issues (such as new repos not onboarded or other missing data, you can open up issues on the Insights GitHub repo. Check it out!

LFX Project Control Center​

The CNCF has moved its community calendar to PCC which now enables maintainers to publish and update their own entries on the CNCF community calendar. This eliminates a project and staff bottleneck as entries were previously handled as Service Desk tickets. PCC also recently added an often-requested feature: the automatic upload of project meetings to the project's designated YouTube channel. Projects have control over any video changes before publication.

ask.cncf.io​

ask.cncf.io is an AI assistant built with Dosu designed to answer questions about the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) ecosystem, including projects, governance, events, and contributor information. This is not a general LLM chatbot. It only contains information from official repositories and documentation across the CNCF. Give it a try and come back often to see how it improves over time.

contribute.cncf.io​

We've relaunched the contribute.cncf.io site 🎉. This site serves as the primary place for maintainers to learn about what benefits they have as a CNCF project and helps expand our funnel of new maintainers for your projects. You can also submit pull requests to improve content.

Reminder about other services available to you​

• The contribute.cncf.io resource page is up to date with everything that's available to projects and maintainers.
• Service Desk is where you can make a variety of requests, ask questions, and connect with CNCF staff.
• Please make sure all of your maintainers are up to date on maintainers.cncf.io. This is how we validate Maintainer Summit registrations, send invites to Service Desk, and make sure projects are up to speed on upcoming event opportunities.

Other news​

• Submit your cloud native AI reference architectures!
• Stay tuned for guidance on binary signing for Apple and Microsoft desktop applications! The Linux Foundation is launching an organization-wide program soon.

Please fill out the survey so we can serve you better​

• Yes, another reminder 🙂. Please make sure to take the maintainer survey! This is your chance to tell us how we're doing, gauge your understanding of the benefits of hosting a project at the CNCF, and influence our priorities in 2026.

See you at Maintainer Summit and have a great rest of your KubeCon NA in Atlanta!

Award Categories​

Top Committer​

Recognizes excellence in technical contributions to CNCF and its projects. The CNCF Top Committer has made key commits to projects and, more importantly, contributes in a way that benefits the project neutrally as a whole.

Chop Wood Carry Water​

Given to a community member who helps behind the scenes, dedicating countless hours of their time to open source projects + completing often thankless tasks for the ecosystem's benefit.

Lorem Ipsum (prev. Top Documentarian)​

Given to a community member who has shown excellence in documentation contributions to CNCF and its projects. Excellent technical documentation is one of the best ways projects can lower the barrier for contribution.

TAGGIE​

This award recognizes an impactful contributor to the CNCF Technical Advisory Groups. This individual has broad reach and significant impact in growing the TAG ecosystem.

Award winners will be announced at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America.

References​

• Nomination Form
• CNCF Community Awards - Past award winners and award descriptions
• KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America - Event information