TL;DR
After a contentious takeover of Ruby project repositories, Ruby Central says it will transfer ownership of the RubyGems and Bundler GitHub repositories to the Ruby core team led by Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto. The transfer does not return control to the individual maintainers who were removed, and the episode has prompted resignations and alternative package-hosting efforts.
What happened
In October 2025 Ruby Central moved to shift repository ownership of two key Ruby projects, RubyGems and Bundler, to the Ruby core team, with creator Yukihiro Matsumoto announcing the change in a blog post. The action followed an earlier episode in which a Ruby core team member, Hiroshi Shibata, renamed a GitHub enterprise account to 'Ruby Central', added the non-profit's open-source director Marty Haught as an owner, and revoked admin rights for several maintainers. Ruby Central has framed the intervention as an effort to strengthen governance and supply-chain security; Matsumoto said the core team will help ensure long-term stability while working with Ruby Central and the community. Critics say the nonprofit ousted long-time maintainers without their consent. Since the dispute, at least one maintainer, Ellen Dash, resigned from Ruby Central, some community members have discussed forking projects, and an alternative gem index, gem.coop, has emerged. Legal and attribution issues were also contested publicly by maintainers and Ruby Central.
Why it matters
- Sets a precedent for how stewarding organizations can assume administrative control of open-source project repositories, which could affect trust between volunteers and host entities.
- Raises questions about governance and accountability for critical language tooling that many projects and companies depend on.
- Highlights supply-chain and access-security concerns for package ecosystems that distribute widely used libraries.
- May push some contributors and users toward alternative registries or forks, fragmenting the ecosystem and support channels.
Key facts
- Ruby Central announced it will transfer repository ownership of RubyGems and Bundler to the Ruby core team led by Yukihiro Matsumoto.
- The contested sequence began when Hiroshi Shibata renamed a GitHub enterprise to 'Ruby Central', added Marty Haught as an owner, and revoked other maintainers' admin rights.
- Ruby Central defended its actions as steps to improve governance and supply-chain security for Ruby infrastructure.
- Joel Drapper and other critics have described the episode as a 'hostile takeover' that removed long-time maintainers from projects they oversaw.
- Drapper alleges Ruby Central lost a $250,000 sponsorship and became financially reliant on Shopify, which he says pressured the nonprofit; Shopify did not respond to a request for comment in the source.
- RubyGems maintainer Ellen Dash resigned from Ruby Central following the dispute.
- The software licenses for RubyGems and Bundler will remain unchanged and contributors retain copyright and authorship of their code, according to Matsumoto.
- Some community members have begun exploring alternatives, including a separate gem index known as gem.coop.
What to watch next
- Whether the original maintainers regain administrative access or formal roles on RubyGems and Bundler — not confirmed in the source.
- Adoption rate and community support for alternative registries such as gem.coop as users and projects react — not confirmed in the source.
- Any public response or clarification from Shopify about alleged funding pressure — not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- RubyGems: The package manager and repository system used to distribute and install Ruby libraries (gems).
- Bundler: A tool that manages Ruby application dependencies by installing the right versions of gems and recording them for projects.
- Ruby core team: The group of developers responsible for maintaining the Ruby programming language and its official direction.
- Ruby Central: A nonprofit organization that supports the Ruby community, including conferences and sponsorship of projects.
- Maintainer: A person or team who oversees development, reviews contributions, and manages releases for an open-source project.
Reader FAQ
Who will own the RubyGems and Bundler repositories now?
The Ruby core team, led by Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto, will assume repository ownership according to his blog post.
Does this transfer restore access to the maintainers who were removed?
Not confirmed in the source.
Why did Ruby Central take control of the repositories?
Ruby Central said the move was intended to strengthen governance and supply-chain security for the projects.
Were project licenses or contributor rights changed?
No; the source says licenses remain unchanged and contributors retain copyright and authorship.
Did Shopify force Ruby Central to take these actions?
Joel Drapper alleges Shopify pressured Ruby Central after a sponsorship dispute, but Shopify did not respond to a request for comment in the source.
DEVOPS 23 Ruby Central tries to make peace after 'hostile takeover' Taps Ruby core to oversee RubyGems, Bundler Thomas Claburn Sat 18 Oct 2025 // 11:15 UTC Ruby Central, the non-profit that recently seized…
Sources
- Ruby Central tries to make peace after 'hostile takeover'
- Ruby Central Statement on RubyGems & Bundler
- The Transition of RubyGems Repository Ownership
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