credit

name: credit description: Attribution and licensing practice for LLM-assisted work — how to acknowledge upstream sources, ported code, and AI tools. NOT a slash command; loaded as ambient context. when_to_use: "porting code, adapting a skill, adding a dependency, shipping anything built on prior work"

Credit

Why this matters more in LLM-vibed work

LLMs blend sources invisibly. When a model ports, adapts, or derives from upstream work, the human reviewing the output may not notice the provenance. The obligation to attribute does not disappear because the author was AI-assisted — it shifts to the person directing the work.

ALWAYS

• ALWAYS create a NOTICE file when the repo contains ported or adapted code from named upstream sources
• ALWAYS include upstream copyright, license type, and URL in NOTICE
• ALWAYS retain per-file copyright headers and LICENSE files that came with ported work
• ALWAYS update NOTICE when adding a new ported skill, adapted algorithm, or vendored snippet — even if the source license does not legally require attribution
• ALWAYS note the chain: if work was ported via an intermediary (e.g. hermes-agent), acknowledge both the original author and the intermediary

NEVER

• NEVER strip copyright headers from ported files — even MIT/Unlicense
• NEVER claim original authorship of adapted work in commit messages or README
• NEVER omit Apache-2.0 NOTICE obligations — Apache requires the NOTICE file to be preserved and reproduced in derivative works

NOTICE file format

Follow the arizuko pattern (see ~/wk/arizuko/NOTICE):

<project> — by <author>
<license>. <warranty disclaimer>. <attribution ask>.

If you build on this — say so:
  Built on <project> (<url>) by <author>.

Built on:
  <upstream> © <year> <author> (<license>)
    <url>
    [ported via <intermediary> if applicable]

One entry per upstream source. Group minor sources under a shared line if they share the same origin repo. Keep it readable — a legal file someone will actually look at.

AI tool attribution

When a project is substantially shaped by an AI tool (code generation, skill authoring, architectural decisions), note it in README or NOTICE:

Development assisted by Claude Code (Anthropic).

This is not legally required for most licenses, but sets accurate expectations for contributors and auditors about the project's provenance.

License compatibility quick reference