Infrastructure/Get a Developer Account

This tutorial is about how to apply for a commit account for KDE so that you may change files (code, documentation files, art, etc.) in KDE's git and svn repositories.

Read-only access to Git or Subversion

All KDE repositories can be cloned or checked out anonymously, without needing any account.

KDE Identity Account

In order to submit merge requests with GitLab, you'll need a KDE Identity Account.

These can be registered using the self-service KDE Identity site. As part of this process, you will need to provide a name and email address, which has to be your own. Please note that these details will be made publicly visible on Gitlab once you have logged in there. You may therefore receive some spam as an unfortunate consequence of this.

When selecting your username, please ensure you select something which has a relation to your real name.

A Developer Account is not needed to fork repositories and submit merge requests on Gitlab.

Also note that this email address should be the same one that you use on bugs.kde.org. If you don't have an account in bugs.kde.org, please create one so that it can be given usual developer rights. Closing bug reports with keywords in commit comments only works if the email address associated with your KDE Developer account and bugs.kde.org accounts match.

How to get read-write access to Git (Gitlab) (or SVN for translators)

Please note that a KDE Developer account is not needed to submit merge requests on Gitlab. This can be done by anyone who holds a KDE Identity account. In most cases people will be encouraged by existing developers to apply for a KDE Developer account, although it is not required.

When you are ready to apply for a KDE Developer account, you should visit the Developer Application page to submit your application.

This form will ask you a series of questions, including Why do you want an account?, where you can explain what you want to do with your future KDE Developer account, like for example developing a certain application, making documentations or being the team leader of a translation.

Also note that the form will ask you who has encouraged you to apply. They will also get an email to verify your request.

Who Can Apply For a KDE Developer Account?

Normally, any developer who has done some work on projects hosted by KDE can apply for a KDE Developer account.

Translators should get approval from their team leader so that they can organize how the work is being done in his/her team. Please mention the approval from the team leader when requesting the account.

Please also read the KDE commit policy. You must accept these rules when using your future KDE Developer account. Please also familiarize yourself with the KDE Code of Conduct which describes the social foundations within KDE, and the KDE Manifesto that exposes our values.

Also please apply for an account only if you think that you will work on KDE for a somewhat longer time. If you know that you will only work for a couple of weeks and then never again, please consider not applying for a KDE Developer account but instead continue to send patches directly to developers.

The limitations are not there to exclude anyone - they are there to ensure that the maintenance of accounts remains reasonable.

Of course, to be clear: the KDE's sysadmins have the last word about whether or not to create a KDE Developer account for somebody.