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RFC Process

Significant changes to the NTL specification go through a Request for Comments (RFC) process. This ensures that protocol changes are well-considered, publicly discussed, and documented.

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What Requires an RFC

  • New signal types
  • Changes to the wire format
  • New propagation scopes
  • Changes to the crypto interface
  • New required adapter types
  • Breaking changes to any specification document

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What Doesn’t Require an RFC

  • Bug fixes in the reference implementation
  • Documentation improvements
  • New optional features that don’t affect the protocol
  • Performance optimizations
  • Tooling and developer experience improvements

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RFC Lifecycle

Draft → Discussion → Review → Accepted/Rejected → Implemented

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1. Draft

Create a new file in the rfcs/ directory of the NTL repository: 
rfcs/0001-signal-compression.md
Use the RFC template: 
# RFC-XXXX: [Title]

- **Author:** [Name]
- **Status:** Draft
- **Created:** [Date]
- **Updated:** [Date]

## Summary

One paragraph description.

## Motivation

Why is this change needed?

## Specification

Detailed technical specification of the change.

## Backward Compatibility

How does this affect existing implementations?

## Security Considerations

What are the security implications?

## Alternatives Considered

What other approaches were evaluated?

## References

Related documents, prior art, research.

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2. Discussion

Open a pull request with the RFC. Discussion happens in the PR comments. The author should actively engage with feedback and update the RFC.

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3. Review

After sufficient discussion (minimum 14 days), the RFC enters formal review. Reviewers include:
  • NTL core maintainers
  • Domain experts (crypto, networking, etc.)
  • Community members who expressed interest

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4. Decision

RFCs are accepted by consensus among core maintainers, with community input weighed heavily. Decisions are documented in the RFC itself.

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5. Implementation

Accepted RFCs are implemented in the reference implementation and the specification is updated accordingly. The RFC number is referenced in the spec changes.

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RFC Numbering

RFCs are numbered sequentially starting from 0001. Numbers are assigned when the draft PR is opened.