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Clarify how projects should use SPECs #440

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Clarify how projects should use SPECs#440
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jarrodmillman
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documentationImprovements or additions to documentation

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@jarrodmillman
jarrodmillman
opened on Oct 12, 2026

SPECs are shared recommendations, not compliance standards. They aim to reduce maintainer burden, and projects can adapt them to their users, technical constraints, and available resources.

Recent discussions suggest we should make this flexibility explicit in each SPEC, not just in the process documentation. I propose:

  • adding a short notice to the top of every SPEC Add a short clarifying notice to each SPEC #441
  • expanding SPEC 0's "Ecosystem Adoption" section and describing its schedule as default drop dates, not deadlines
  • updating "Purpose and Process" distinguishing endorsement, adoption, adapted adoption, and conformance Clarify purpose and process #442
  • piloting project-level adoption declarations / documentation (e.g., scikit-image/SPEC_ADOPTION.md, networkx/SPEC_ADOPTION.md)
  • drafting a blog post with more history and better explain the SPEC process and documents in a more accessible manner

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  1. jarrodmillman
    self-assigned this
    on Oct 12, 2026

  2. jarrodmillman commented on Oct 12, 2026

    @jarrodmillman
    jarrodmillman
    on Oct 12, 2026
    MemberAuthor

    We should start recommending project-level adoption declarations / documentation.
    Long-term we may want to create something more formal that could support tooling.
    For example, a .sp-specs directory containing specific implementation details for SPEC 0 in a .sp-specs/spec0.md.

    For now, I am imagining something more lightweight see #442.
    For example, a top-level SPEC_ADOPTION.md containing:

    # SPEC adoption

https://scientific-python.org/specs/

## SPEC 0

Status: Adapted

We use SPEC 0 as the default basis for dependency-support decisions, with these variations:

1. Python versions are supported through upstream EOL.
2. Core dependencies normally follow the SPEC 0 schedule.

These choices are reviewed when release or maintenance conditions change.

## SPEC 8

Status: Adopted

  3. lucascolley commented on Oct 12, 2026

    @lucascolley
    lucascolley
    on Oct 12, 2026
    Contributor

    +1 for the broad plan!

  4. bsipocz
    added
    documentationImprovements or additions to documentation
    on Oct 14, 2026
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