ace-voting

How to create the metadata file

This guide explains how to generate and commit the rationale metadata file for a Governance Action (GA).

Prerequisites

• Access to the internal Google Doc containing the voting rationale.
• Git installed and configured.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare the Rationale Content

1. Open the Google Doc containing the rationale text.
2. Download the document content as Markdown or keep it open to copy-paste sections.
   • Note: Ensure you have the Summary, Rationale Statement, Precedent Discussion, Counterargument Discussion, and Conclusion ready.

2. Generate Metadata JSON

1. Navigate to the Cardano Foundation Voting Tool: voting.cardanofoundation.org
2. Select the Governance Action:
   • Find the specific Governance Action you are voting on (verify the Gov Action ID).
3. Fill out the Information:
   • Copy the text from your source document into the corresponding fields in the tool:
     • Summary
     • Rationale Statement
     • Precedent Discussion
     • Counterargument Discussion
     • Conclusion
   • Ensure specific references (like Constitution and Governance Action Metadata) are included if part of the rationale.
4. Download:
   • Once filled, click the download button to get the JSON file containing the rationale.

3. Rename and Organize

1. Locate the downloaded file.
2. Rename the file following the repository's naming convention:
   • Format: ga<Index>-<Short-Description>.json
   • Example: ga84-van-rossem-hf.json
   • Tip: Look at existing files in the directory to match the ga numbering sequence.
3. Move the file into the correct folder in this repository (e.g., 202601/ for January 2026).

4. Commit and Push

1. Open your terminal or Git client in the repository folder.
2. Run the following commands:

   git pull origin main             # Ensure you have the latest changes
   git add <path/to/your/file>      # e.g., git add 202601/ga84-van-rossem-hf.json
   git commit -m "Add rationale for GA<Index>"
   git push origin main

5. Share with Team

1. Go to the file in the GitHub repository interface.
2. Click the "Raw" button to view the raw JSON content.
3. Copy the URL from the browser address bar.
4. Share this Raw URL in the team chat.