cla: Add CLA references and instructions (#1690)

- Added a dedicated page describing the process of signing the CLA
- Added references to this page on documents explaining how to submit code and documentation
changes

4 files changed, 56 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/docs/contributing/cla.rst b/docs/contributing/cla.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..778beb9d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/contributing/cla.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+.. _cla:
+
+#############################
+Contributor License Agreement
+#############################
+
+Before we can accept your contributions to VyOS, you must sign a **Contributor
+License Agreement (CLA)**.
+
+This is a standard open-source practice designed to protect both you and the
+project.
+
+The process is simple and fully automated:
+
+1. **Review the CLA document**
+
+   You can find the CLA text at our
+   `GitHub repository <https://github.com/vyos/vyos-cla-signatures/>`__.
+
+2. **Submit a pull request**
+
+   When you open a pull request, a CLA bot will automatically check whether all
+   commit authors have signed the CLA.
+
+3. **Follow the bot's instructions**
+
+   If the CLA has not been signed, the bot will leave a comment with a prompt.
+   Simply reply to that comment with the suggested text to sign the CLA.
+
+4. **Wait for confirmation**
+
+   The CLA bot will verify your response and update the pull request status.
+   Once all commit authors have signed, the bot will confirm that the CLA
+   requirement has been met, and unlock the pull request for merging.
+
+.. note::
+
+   The CLA must be signed by **each commit author**.
+
+   If your pull request includes commits from multiple contributors, each of
+   them must sign the CLA before the pull request can be accepted.
+
+Once signed, the CLA remains valid for all past and future contributions to VyOS
+made under the same GitHub identity.
diff --git a/docs/contributing/development.rst b/docs/contributing/development.rst
index 50e22c44..22bebd9c 100644
--- a/docs/contributing/development.rst
+++ b/docs/contributing/development.rst
@@ -24,6 +24,11 @@ The README.md file will guide you to use the this top level repository.
 Submit a Patch
 ==============
 
+.. warning::
+
+  Please read and sign the :doc:`Contributor License Agreement<cla>` before
+  submitting any patches.
+
 Patches are always more than welcome. To have a clean and easy to maintain
 repository we have some guidelines when working with Git. A clean repository
 eases the automatic generation of a changelog file.
diff --git a/docs/documentation.rst b/docs/documentation.rst
index 62624c5a..a4ea11e4 100644
--- a/docs/documentation.rst
+++ b/docs/documentation.rst
@@ -10,6 +10,12 @@ We encourage every VyOS user to help us improve our documentation as we have
 a deficit like most software projects.  This not only helps you when reading
 but also everyone else.
 
+.. warning::
+
+  Please read and sign the
+  :doc:`Contributor License Agreement<contributing/cla>` before submitting any
+  documentation updates.
+
 If you are willing to contribute to our documentation this is the definite
 guide how to do so.
 
diff --git a/docs/index.rst b/docs/index.rst
index 3cdf8684..00db5dda 100644
--- a/docs/index.rst
+++ b/docs/index.rst
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ VyOS User Guide
 
    contributing/build-vyos
    contributing/development
+   contributing/cla
    contributing/issues-features
    contributing/upstream-packages
    contributing/debugging