doc: add large pull requests contributing guide

Fixes: #62752

Author: mcollina

doc/contributing/large-pull-requests.md

@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+# Large pull requests
+
+* [Overview](#overview)
+* [What qualifies as a large pull request](#what-qualifies-as-a-large-pull-request)
+* [Who can open a large pull request](#who-can-open-a-large-pull-request)
+* [Requirements](#requirements)
+  * [Design document](#design-document)
+  * [Review guide](#review-guide)
+  * [Approval requirements](#approval-requirements)
+  * [Dependency changes](#dependency-changes)
+* [Splitting large pull requests](#splitting-large-pull-requests)
+  * [Feature forks and branches](#feature-forks-and-branches)
+* [Guidance for reviewers](#guidance-for-reviewers)
+
+## Overview
+
+Large pull requests are difficult to review thoroughly. They are likely to sit
+for a long time without receiving adequate review, and when they do get reviewed,
+the quality of that review is often lower due to reviewer fatigue. Contributors
+should avoid creating large pull requests except in those cases where it is
+effectively unavoidable, such as when adding a major new subsystem.
+
+This document outlines the policy for authoring and reviewing large pull
+requests in the Node.js project.
+
+## What qualifies as a large pull request
+
+A pull request is considered large when it exceeds **3000 lines** of combined
+additions and deletions. This threshold applies across all files in the pull
+request, including changes in `deps/`, `test/`, `doc/`, `lib/`, `src/`, and
+`tools/`.
+
+Changes in `deps/` are included in this count. Dependency changes are
+sensitive because they often receive less scrutiny than first-party code.
+
+## Who can open a large pull request
+
+Large pull requests may only be opened by existing
+[collaborators](https://github.com/nodejs/node/#current-project-team-members).
+Non-collaborators are strongly discouraged from opening pull requests of this
+size. Collaborators should close large pull requests from non-collaborators and
+direct the author to discuss the proposed changes in an issue first, and to
+find a collaborator to champion the work.
+
+## Requirements
+
+All large pull requests must satisfy the following requirements in addition to
+the standard [pull request requirements](./pull-requests.md).
+
+### Design document
+
+A design document or detailed issue must be available when the pull request is
+opened. The design document should explain:
+
+* The motivation for the change.
+* The high-level approach and architecture.
+* Any alternatives that were considered and why they were rejected.
+* How the change interacts with existing subsystems.
+
+The design document can be a GitHub issue, a Markdown file in the repository,
+or an external document linked from the pull request description. It does not
+need to be shared before the work starts, but it must be available for reviewers
+when the pull request is opened.
+
+### Review guide
+
+The pull request description must include a review guide that helps reviewers
+navigate the change. The review guide should:
+
+* Identify the key files and directories to review.
+* Describe the order in which files should be reviewed.
+* Highlight the most critical sections that need careful attention.
+* Include a testing plan explaining how the change has been validated and
+  how reviewers can verify the behavior.
+
+### Approval requirements
+
+Large pull requests follow the same approval path as semver-major changes:
+
+* At least **two TSC member approvals** are required.
+* The standard 48-hour wait time applies. Given the complexity of large pull
+  requests, authors should expect and allow for a longer review period.
+* CI must pass before landing.
+
+### Dependency changes
+
+When a large pull request adds or modifies a dependency in `deps/`:
+
+* Dependency changes must be in a **separate commit** from the rest of the
+  pull request. This makes it easier to review the dependency update
+  independently from the first-party code changes.
+* The provenance and integrity of the dependency must be verifiable.
+  Include documentation of how the dependency was obtained and how
+  reviewers can reproduce the build artifact.
+
+## Splitting large pull requests
+
+Contributors should always consider whether a large pull request can be split
+into smaller, independently reviewable pieces. Strategies include:
+
+* Landing foundational internal APIs first, then building on top of them.
+* Separating test additions from implementation changes.
+* Splitting documentation into its own pull request.
+* Landing refactoring or preparatory changes before the main feature.
+
+### Feature forks and branches
+
+For extremely large or complex changes that develop over time, such as adding
+a major new subsystem, contributors should consider using a feature fork.
+This approach has been used successfully in the past for subsystems like QUIC.
+
+The feature fork must be hosted in a **separate GitHub repository**, managed
+by the collaborator championing the change. The repository can live in the
+[nodejs organization](https://github.com/nodejs) or be a personal repository
+of the champion. The champion is responsible for coordinating development,
+managing access, and ensuring the fork stays up to date with `main`.
+
+A feature fork allows:
+
+* Incremental development with multiple collaborators.
+* Review of individual commits rather than one monolithic diff.
+* CI validation at each stage of development.
+* Independent issue tracking and discussion in the fork repository.
+
+When the work is ready, the final merge into `main` via a pull request still
+requires the same approval and review requirements as any other large pull
+request.
+
+## Guidance for reviewers
+
+Reviewing a large pull request is a significant time investment. Reviewers
+should:
+
+* Read the design document and review guide before diving into the code.
+* Focus review effort on `lib/` and `src/` changes, which have the highest
+  impact on the runtime. `test/` and `doc/` changes, while important, are
+  lower risk.
+* Not hesitate to request that the author split the pull request if it can
+  reasonably be broken into smaller pieces.
+* Coordinate with other reviewers to divide the review workload when possible.