0005: GitHub account successor until a deputy is named

Date: 2026-10-08. Status: accepted.

Context

Decision 0002 makes continuity depend on deputies named in MAINTAINERS.md, and gate G7 of the public-flip checklist asks for at least one named successor. No deputy has been named yet, and the maintainer prefers to leave the deputy line as “to be named” rather than remove it or name someone who has not agreed.

Decision

Until a deputy is named, succession is covered by the maintainer’s GitHub account successor (GitHub Settings, Account, Successor settings), who can take over the maintainer’s repositories, including this one, if the maintainer can no longer act. MAINTAINERS.md keeps “Deputy: to be named”.

Consequences

• The project has a working succession path before a deputy exists; it covers continuity of the repository, not day-to-day releases.
• The thirty-day release rule of decision 0002 applies only once a deputy is named.
• Gate G7 is met when a named deputy is added to MAINTAINERS.md; until then the maintainer may sign G7 on the basis of this decision.