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Open Development

Spillway is being developed in the open so users, researchers, and potential contributors can understand how it works and evaluate its claims.

AI-assisted development

The project uses modern AI-assisted software development—sometimes called “vibe coding”—alongside conventional engineering practices.

AI tools help accelerate implementation, documentation, review, testing, and exploration. They do not replace human judgment. Features are reviewed, tested, version controlled, and revised as the project evolves.

The goal is not to hide or romanticize the development method. It is to document it clearly enough that others can judge the resulting software on its architecture, behavior, tests, and transparency.

What is developed in public

The project aims to publish and maintain:

  • architecture and design documents;
  • roadmap and issue discussions;
  • privacy and security decisions;
  • source code suitable for public inspection;
  • data-format and interoperability decisions;
  • testing and release notes; and
  • explanations of important tradeoffs.

Source availability and stewardship

Copyright and commercial rights are being retained during the project's early stages. Personal, educational, research, and community participation are welcome at no cost; commercial use and commercial redistribution require a separate agreement.

This is intended to preserve long-term flexibility. If a university, nonprofit, research institute, foundation, or another institution is eventually better positioned to steward Spillway, the governance and licensing model may evolve, including a transfer or broader grant of rights where appropriate.

Contributions

Bug reports, design criticism, documentation improvements, testing, and code contributions are welcome in principle. Contribution procedures and the project's formal license will be published before broad public participation begins.