Stewarded — Visible by design. Guided with care.

Some work benefits from being visible and carefully directed.

Visibility creates trust. It lets people see how something was made, how it is structured, and where improvements might be possible.

Direction keeps a project from becoming shapeless, overextended, or pulled away from its purpose. Stewarded gives that balance a name.

The model can apply to software, documentation, research, educational materials, design systems, creative works, templates, archives, frameworks, and other forms of published work where visibility helps and long-term coherence is part of the value.

Principles

A calm middle ground.

Stewarded is not built from suspicion. It is built from care: for the people using the work, studying it, maintaining it, and relying on its shape over time.

1

Make the work visible.

Let people inspect the underlying materials, understand the thinking, and offer better critique.

2

Keep direction clear.

A steward remains responsible for what belongs, what does not, and how the public version develops.

3

Invite useful participation.

Suggestions, issues, corrections, and contributions can be welcome without transferring public direction.

First type

Stewarded Source

Stewarded Source is for projects where source code or source materials are publicly visible, but the public version remains author-led or steward-led.

It is not traditional open source. It is a clear way to say: the work can be read, studied, discussed, and used within limits while its public direction remains cared for.

✓

People can inspect and learn.

Source materials are visible so users, readers, and contributors can understand how the work is made.

✓

Feedback can improve the work.

Critique, issues, corrections, and suggestions can be invited without making the project directionless.

✓

The steward keeps the public shape.

The license defines what private use, public redistribution, derivative releases, and commercial use are allowed.

Examples

Where Stewarded can fit.

The model is most useful when the work benefits from public understanding, but its value depends on maintained direction.

Small tools

Source-visible utilities people can inspect, use privately, and suggest improvements for without turning them into public clones.

Design systems

Tokens, components, source files, and usage rules that can be studied while the original system remains maintained.

Research

Notes, methods, references, and supporting materials that make the work easier to trust without losing the public record.

Creative worlds

Lore bibles, maps, timelines, and production notes that invite understanding while keeping canon direction coherent.

Templates

Reusable files and structures people can learn from or use within limits without repackaging the collection as their own.

Not every project needs stewardship.

Stewarded is for visible work with maintained direction. Some projects are better served by open-source, public-domain, community-governed, or more permissive publishing models.

Shared infrastructure

Foundational libraries, protocols, and widely adopted tools may need the freedoms open-source licenses are designed to provide.

Community-governed work

If the goal is shared ownership and collective direction, the publishing structure should reflect that from the beginning.

Public-domain resources

Some work is meant to be copied, preserved, remixed, and redistributed with as little friction as possible.

License

The current license draft.

The philosophy explains the intent. The license explains the permissions. The Stewarded Source License keeps the source visible while reserving redistribution, derivatives, public forks, rebrands, and competing products.

Stewarded Source License 1.0

A license for visible source with steward-led public direction.

This is the practical boundary layer for Stewarded Source: people can inspect, audit, privately run, and privately self-host the software, while the public version remains cared for by the copyright holder.

Plain-English shape

People can read the source, learn from it, audit it, and use it privately.

They cannot redistribute it, publish modified versions, rebrand it, sell it, or use the source as the basis for a separate product or service without permission.

Allowed

Read, audit, privately run, and privately self-host the software.

Not allowed

Redistribute, sublicense, publish, rebrand, or release modified versions.

Reserved

Public direction, derivatives, competitive versions, and separate products or services.

Full license text

Stewarded Source License 1.0

Copyright (c) [year] [copyright holder]

Permission is granted to any person obtaining access to this software and
associated source code (the "Software") to:

  (a) read and audit the source code for any purpose;
  (b) run and use the Software privately and without restriction; and
  (c) self-host the Software for personal, internal, or private use.

All other rights are reserved. Without prior written permission from the
copyright holder, you may not:

  (a) copy, publish, distribute, sublicense, or otherwise redistribute
      the Software or any portion of its source code or binaries;
  (b) modify the Software or create derivative works based on the Software;
  (c) release, rebrand, or distribute a modified, forked, or competitive
      version of the Software; or
  (d) use the Software's source code as the basis for a separate product
      or service.

You may not remove or alter this license notice or any copyright notice
included with the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. THE COPYRIGHT
HOLDER ASSUMES NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER FOR ANY USE OF THE SOFTWARE.

FAQ

Plain answers first.

Is Stewarded open source?

No. Stewarded is a distinct model. It may make materials visible and reviewable, but it does not automatically grant the broad redistribution and derivative rights associated with open-source licenses.

Can people submit changes?

Yes, if the steward invites that process. Suggestions, corrections, issues, and pull requests can all be welcome. The steward decides what becomes part of the public version.

Can people learn from the source?

Yes. Making underlying materials visible is one of the main goals. People should be able to inspect the work, understand it, and learn from the approach.

Why not just use an open-source license?

Open source is excellent for many projects, especially shared infrastructure. Stewarded is for work that benefits from visibility and participation while still needing a clearly guided public direction.

Visible by design. Guided with care.