whatisgithub

What is keep?

kotlin/keep — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-03

3,711MarkdownAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5Setup · easy

In one sentence

The official repository where the Kotlin team publishes design proposals for new language features and standard library changes, with public community discussion before acceptance or rejection.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((kotlin/keep))
    What it does
      Tracks language proposals
      Documents design decisions
      Records community feedback
    Process
      Publish proposal
      Public discussion
      Accept or decline
    Proposal Status
      Public Discussion
      Experimental
      Stable
      Declined
    How to contribute
      File YouTrack ticket
      Join GitHub Discussions
    Early ideas
      Notes directory
      Pre-proposal concepts
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Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Read and comment on upcoming Kotlin language features before they ship

USE CASE 2

Track the status of a specific language proposal from idea to stable

USE CASE 3

Understand the rationale behind an existing Kotlin language design decision

USE CASE 4

Submit feedback on proposals still in public discussion phase

What is it built with?

Markdown

How does it compare?

kotlin/keepdocker/docsethereum/ethereum-org-website
Stars3,7114,5705,926
LanguageMarkdownMarkdownMarkdown
Setup difficultyeasyeasymoderate
Complexity2/51/53/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min
Not specified in the explanation.

So what is it?

KEEP stands for Kotlin Evolution and Enhancement Process. This repository is where the team behind the Kotlin programming language publicly documents proposals for changes to the language and its standard library. Kotlin is a programming language developed by JetBrains, widely used for Android app development and server-side software. Each proposal is called a KEEP and receives a sequential number. The documents are written in Markdown and stored in this repository. They cover both planned changes that are still being designed and changes that have already been built into the language. The actual code implementing a proposal lives in a separate Kotlin source code repository, this one only holds the design documents and discussion records. The process has three stages. First, a proposal is published here and assigned a KEEP number. Second, a public discussion opens on GitHub Discussions, where community members can read the proposal and share feedback. Third, the proposal is either accepted, rejected, or sent back for more work. Each document header tracks the current status, using labels like Public Discussion, In Progress, Experimental, Stable, or Declined. Beyond full proposals, the repository also contains a notes directory for early-stage ideas that are not yet ready to be formal proposals. These are directions the team is considering but needs more community input on before shaping into a complete design. If you want to suggest a new language feature, the repository directs you to file a ticket in Kotlin's public issue tracker and describe your real-world use case rather than submitting a pull request. For existing proposals still under discussion, feedback goes into the corresponding GitHub Discussion thread.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I want to understand the Kotlin KEEP proposal for value classes. Summarize what it proposes, what problem it solves, and what its current status is.
Prompt 2
Show me how to write a comment on a Kotlin KEEP GitHub Discussion that clearly explains a real-world use case for the proposed feature.
Prompt 3
I want to propose a new Kotlin language feature. Walk me through how to file a ticket in YouTrack with a concrete use-case description that matches the KEEP contribution guidelines.
Prompt 4
Explain the difference between Experimental, Stable, and In Progress status labels in Kotlin KEEPs and what each means for production use.
Prompt 5
List the most impactful Kotlin KEEPs that are currently in Public Discussion and summarize what each one would change for Android developers.

Frequently asked questions

What is keep?

The official repository where the Kotlin team publishes design proposals for new language features and standard library changes, with public community discussion before acceptance or rejection.

What language is keep written in?

Mainly Markdown. The stack also includes Markdown.

What license does keep use?

Not specified in the explanation.

How hard is keep to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is keep for?

Mainly developer.

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