setting-up-public-domain-repos-majo

name: setting-up-public-domain-repos-majo description: | Set up new repositories with dual licensing (Unlicense OR 0BSD) or convert existing repositories to public domain. Use when initializing a new project, adding licensing to an unlicensed repo, or switching from restrictive licenses to public domain. Fetches authoritative license files, configures repository structure, and ensures consistent public domain setup. license: Unlicense OR 0BSD metadata: author: Mark Joshwel mark@joshwel.co version: "2026.2.2" default_author: Mark Joshwel default_email: mark@joshwel.co

Public Domain Repository Setup (Mark)

Goal: Set up free-as-in-freedom repositories with dual licensing under The Unlicense OR BSD Zero Clause License (0BSD), ensuring maximum freedom for users while providing legal clarity.

When to Use This Skill

• Initializing a new repository - Setting up licensing from the start
• Converting an existing repository to public domain - Changing from restrictive licenses
• Setting up licensing for a new project - Ensuring consistent public domain structure
• Ensuring consistent public domain structure - Across multiple projects
• Adding public domain dedication - To personal or open-source projects

When NOT to Use This Skill

• Repository has existing licenses that cannot be changed (corporate policy)
• Project requires copyleft licenses (GPL, AGPL, etc.)
• Project requires attribution licenses (MIT, Apache, BSD-2/3-Clause)
• Contributor cannot waive copyright (employer restrictions, some jurisdictions)
• Need to preserve existing license obligations (fork of licensed project)

Process

1. Check repository state - Determine if new or existing repository
2. Check for existing license files (CRITICAL) - Look for LICENSE, COPYING, or similar files
3. If existing licenses found, STOP and ask user - Get explicit guidance before proceeding
4. Fetch authoritative files - Download from gist repository:
   • CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
   • CONTRIBUTING
   • LICENCING (British spelling)
   • LICENSE-0BSD
   • UNLICENSE
5. Update copyright year - Set to current year in LICENSE-0BSD (CRITICAL)
6. Place files in repository root - Copy all fetched files to project root
7. Initialize git if needed - Run git init if no .git directory exists
8. Verify setup - Check all 5 files are present with correct content
9. Commit license files - Add and commit with message "Add public domain dual-licensing"
10. Add SPDX identifiers - Add to source files per dev-standards-majo skill
11. Update AGENTS.md - Document the licensing choice

Constraints

• ALWAYS check for existing LICENSE/COPYING files first - Do not overwrite without user guidance
• ALWAYS update copyright year to current year in LICENSE-0BSD - Never use outdated year
• ALWAYS use dual-license format Unlicense OR 0BSD in SPDX identifiers
• NEVER proceed with setup if existing licenses clash - Stop and ask user for direction
• Use British spelling "LICENCING" (with 'c') - But LICENSE-0BSD and UNLICENSE use American spelling (with 's') for standards compatibility
• Fetch from authoritative gist sources - Don't create files from scratch
• Default to Mark Joshwel mark@joshwel.co - Unless user specifies otherwise

Automated setup for public domain repositories with dual licensing (Unlicense OR 0BSD).

Overview

This skill sets up repositories to be free-as-in-freedom, dual-licensed under The Unlicense or the BSD Zero Clause License (SPDX: Unlicense OR 0BSD).

The Spirit: Treat the work as public domain via The Unlicense, but provide the BSD Zero Clause License where public domain dedication is not possible due to policies bound to a contributor or their employer.

Prerequisites

• Git repository (initialized or not)
• Internet access to fetch authoritative files
• Default author: Mark Joshwel mark@joshwel.co

Setup Workflow

Step 1: Check Repository State

Determine if this is a new repository or existing:

# Check if git repo exists
if [ -d .git ]; then
    echo "Existing repository"
else
    echo "New repository - will initialize"
fi

# Check for existing license files
ls -la LICENSE* 2>/dev/null || echo "No LICENSE files found"
ls -la UNLICENSE* 2>/dev/null || echo "No UNLICENSE file found"

Step 2: Handle Existing Files (CRITICAL)

If LICENSE, COPYING, or similar files exist:

STOP and ask the user:

I found existing license files in this repository:
- [List existing files]

How would you like to proceed?
1. Replace with public domain dual-license setup
2. Keep existing licenses and add public domain as additional option
3. Abort setup
4. Something else (describe)

Do not proceed without user guidance when clashes exist.

Step 3: Fetch Authoritative Files

Fetch all files from authoritative sources:

# Create temporary directory for downloads
mkdir -p /tmp/pd-setup

# Fetch all files
curl -sL https://gist.githubusercontent.com/markjoshwel/6a0b4ea7673c279bc5a2fb5fe4ed423e/raw/9cd9bd30475b761823cf6e8920fba268766f3408/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md -o /tmp/pd-setup/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md

curl -sL https://gist.githubusercontent.com/markjoshwel/6a0b4ea7673c279bc5a2fb5fe4ed423e/raw/9cd9bd30475b761823cf6e8920fba268766f3408/CONTRIBUTING -o /tmp/pd-setup/CONTRIBUTING

curl -sL https://gist.githubusercontent.com/markjoshwel/6a0b4ea7673c279bc5a2fb5fe4ed423e/raw/9cd9bd30475b761823cf6e8920fba268766f3408/LICENCING -o /tmp/pd-setup/LICENCING

curl -sL https://gist.githubusercontent.com/markjoshwel/6a0b4ea7673c279bc5a2fb5fe4ed423e/raw/9cd9bd30475b761823cf6e8920fba268766f3408/LICENSE-0BSD -o /tmp/pd-setup/LICENSE-0BSD

curl -sL https://gist.githubusercontent.com/markjoshwel/6a0b4ea7673c279bc5a2fb5fe4ed423e/raw/9cd9bd30475b761823cf6e8920fba268766f3408/UNLICENSE -o /tmp/pd-setup/UNLICENSE

Step 4: Update Copyright Year

CRITICAL: Update the copyright year in LICENSE-0BSD to the current year:

# Get current year
CURRENT_YEAR=$(date +%Y)

# Update LICENSE-0BSD with current year
sed -i "s/Copyright (C) [0-9]\{4\}/Copyright (C) $CURRENT_YEAR/" /tmp/pd-setup/LICENSE-0BSD

# Verify the change
grep "Copyright" /tmp/pd-setup/LICENSE-0BSD

Note: Due to British English conventions, the file is named "LICENCING" (with 'c'), but LICENSE-0BSD and UNLICENSE use American spelling "LICENSE" (with 's') for standards compatibility.

Step 5: Place Files

Copy files to repository root:

# Copy all files to repository root
cp /tmp/pd-setup/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md ./CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
cp /tmp/pd-setup/CONTRIBUTING ./CONTRIBUTING
cp /tmp/pd-setup/LICENCING ./LICENCING
cp /tmp/pd-setup/LICENSE-0BSD ./LICENSE-0BSD
cp /tmp/pd-setup/UNLICENSE ./UNLICENSE

# Clean up
rm -rf /tmp/pd-setup

Step 6: Initialize Git (if needed)

IMPORTANT: Initialize git repository if it doesn't exist:

# Initialize git if not already initialized
if [ ! -d .git ]; then
    git init
    echo "Git repository initialized"
fi

This skill is designed to be called at the opportune time to set up a repository, so initializing git is appropriate.

Step 7: Verify Setup

Check that all files are in place:

# List all public domain files
echo "=== Public Domain Repository Files ==="
ls -la CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md CONTRIBUTING LICENCING LICENSE-0BSD UNLICENSE 2>/dev/null

echo ""
echo "=== LICENSE-0BSD Copyright Year ==="
head -1 LICENSE-0BSD

echo ""
echo "=== LICENCING Content Preview ==="
head -10 LICENCING

File Descriptions

SPDX License Identifiers

When creating new source files, add the appropriate SPDX identifier at the top:

For most files (dual-licensed):

# SPDX-License-Identifier: Unlicense OR 0BSD

For files by contributors who cannot waive copyright:

# SPDX-License-Identifier: 0BSD

Note: SPDX identifiers in source files are covered by the dev-standards-majo skill. This skill focuses on repository-level setup.

Complete Setup Script

Here's the complete workflow in one go:

#!/bin/bash
# Public Domain Repository Setup

set -e

echo "=== Public Domain Repository Setup ==="
echo ""

# Check for existing license files
EXISTING=$(ls LICENSE* COPYING* 2>/dev/null || true)
if [ -n "$EXISTING" ]; then
    echo "WARNING: Existing license files found:"
    echo "$EXISTING"
    echo ""
    echo "Please resolve conflicts before proceeding."
    exit 1
fi

# Create temp directory
TMPDIR=$(mktemp -d)
trap "rm -rf $TMPDIR" EXIT

# Fetch files
echo "Fetching authoritative files..."
curl -sL https://gist.githubusercontent.com/markjoshwel/6a0b4ea7673c279bc5a2fb5fe4ed423e/raw/9cd9bd30475b761823cf6e8920fba268766f3408/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md -o "$TMPDIR/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md"
curl -sL https://gist.githubusercontent.com/markjoshwel/6a0b4ea7673c279bc5a2fb5fe4ed423e/raw/9cd9bd30475b761823cf6e8920fba268766f3408/CONTRIBUTING -o "$TMPDIR/CONTRIBUTING"
curl -sL https://gist.githubusercontent.com/markjoshwel/6a0b4ea7673c279bc5a2fb5fe4ed423e/raw/9cd9bd30475b761823cf6e8920fba268766f3408/LICENCING -o "$TMPDIR/LICENCING"
curl -sL https://gist.githubusercontent.com/markjoshwel/6a0b4ea7673c279bc5a2fb5fe4ed423e/raw/9cd9bd30475b761823cf6e8920fba268766f3408/LICENSE-0BSD -o "$TMPDIR/LICENSE-0BSD"
curl -sL https://gist.githubusercontent.com/markjoshwel/6a0b4ea7673c279bc5a2fb5fe4ed423e/raw/9cd9bd30475b761823cf6e8920fba268766f3408/UNLICENSE -o "$TMPDIR/UNLICENSE"

# Update copyright year
CURRENT_YEAR=$(date +%Y)
sed -i "s/Copyright (C) [0-9]\{4\}/Copyright (C) $CURRENT_YEAR/" "$TMPDIR/LICENSE-0BSD"

# Copy files
echo "Installing files..."
cp "$TMPDIR"/* .

# Initialize git if needed
if [ ! -d .git ]; then
    git init
    echo "Git repository initialized"
fi

echo ""
echo "=== Setup Complete ==="
echo "Files installed:"
ls -la CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md CONTRIBUTING LICENCING LICENSE-0BSD UNLICENSE
echo ""
echo "Copyright year: $CURRENT_YEAR"

Post-Setup Steps

After running this skill:

1. Review files - Ensure they meet your project's needs
2. Add to git:

   git add CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md CONTRIBUTING LICENCING LICENSE-0BSD UNLICENSE
   git commit -m "Add public domain dual-licensing"
   

3. Update AGENTS.md - Note the licensing choice
4. Add SPDX identifiers to source files (see dev-standards-majo skill)

Testing Skills

• Existing license check: Verify no LICENSE/COPYING files exist before proceeding
• File presence test: All 5 files present (CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md, CONTRIBUTING, LICENCING, LICENSE-0BSD, UNLICENSE)
• Copyright year verification: Check current year is in LICENSE-0BSD line 1
• Fetch validation: All files downloaded correctly from gist URLs
• Git initialization: .git directory exists after setup
• SPDX format check: Dual-license format "Unlicense OR 0BSD" in identifiers
• British spelling: LICENCING spelled with 'c' (British), LICENSE-0BSD with 's' (American)

Common Issues

Issue: curl fails to fetch

Solution: Check internet connection and gist URLs. The URLs should be:

• https://gist.githubusercontent.com/markjoshwel/6a0b4ea7673c279bc5a2fb5fe4ed423e/raw/...

Issue: sed not working on macOS

Solution: Use sed -i '' instead of sed -i on macOS:

sed -i '' "s/Copyright (C) [0-9]\{4\}/Copyright (C) $CURRENT_YEAR/" LICENSE-0BSD

Issue: Existing LICENSE file

Solution: This skill will stop and ask for guidance. Do not overwrite without user confirmation.

Integration

This skill extends dev-standards-majo. Always ensure dev-standards-majo is loaded for:

• AGENTS.md maintenance
• Universal code principles
• Documentation policies

Works alongside:

• python-majo / js-bun-majo / shell-majo — For language-specific project setup
• task-planning-majo — For complex repository setups
• git-majo — For committing license files
• writing-docs-majo — For writing licence documentation

References

• The Unlicense
• BSD Zero Clause License
• SPDX License List

Notes

• British vs American spelling: LICENCING uses British spelling (with 'c'), while LICENSE-0BSD and UNLICENSE use American spelling (with 's') for compatibility with standards
• Copyright year: Always updated to current year automatically
• Author: Defaults to Mark Joshwel mark@joshwel.co