CLAHubWhy Use a CLA?
A Contributor License Agreement (CLA) is a legal document that defines the terms under which a contributor grants rights to their contributions — protecting both maintainers and contributors.
Why Projects Use CLAs
Intellectual Property Protection
Without a CLA, copyright of each contribution remains with the individual. A CLA ensures the project has the rights it needs to use and distribute all contributions.
License Flexibility
If a project needs to change its license (e.g. GPLv2 to GPLv3), CLAs mean it can do so without tracking down every past contributor for permission.
Legal Clarity
A CLA provides a clear, documented record that each contributor has agreed to the terms — especially important for regulatory compliance.
Patent Protection
Many CLAs include patent grants, protecting the project and its users from patent claims by contributors.
Who Uses CLAs?
Many major open-source projects and organizations require CLAs, including Apache Software Foundation, Google, Microsoft, Meta, and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. It's a well-established practice in the open-source ecosystem.
How CLAHub Helps
Automated GitHub Integration
CLAHub checks every pull request and reports CLA status as a GitHub Check.
One-Click Signing
Contributors sign the CLA through a simple web interface linked directly from the PR.
Organization-Wide Management
Manage CLAs across all your repositories from a single dashboard.
Versioned Agreements
Update your CLA terms and automatically request re-signing from contributors.
Self-Hostable
Run CLAHub on your own infrastructure for full control over your data and compliance.
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