Fix README.md precedence logic for repository home pages

[Ste1io]

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Proposal: Fix README.md Precedence: Root README Must Always Take Priority Over /.github/README.md

The current GitHub behavior allows /.github/README.md to override the root-level /README.md for the repository homepage if both are present.

To be clear: this is not a feature, this is a bug.

This causes confusion, violates user expectations, and contradicts established scoping and best practices in software engineering and security. The /.github/README.md should at most only serve as a fallback if the root README is missing. Not an override.

Problem Statement

When both /README.md and /.github/README.md exist, GitHub displays the /.github/README.md by default as the repository homepage. This behavior has several issues, besides just making literally no sense.

Root README.md is Canonical:

Developers, contributors, and official documentation expect /README.md to be the primary entry point for project documentation. /.github/README.md is intended as a fallback for cases where the root README is missing, not as a mechanism for overriding it.

Scoping Principles Violated:

In all well-established programming and configuration paradigms, a child or nested scope (like /.github/) should not override its parent (the repo root). Allowing a nested README to override the parent increases the risk of confusion, accidental misconfiguration, and security issues by expanding the policy/configuration surface.

Unintended Conflicts:

The /.github/ directory is now also used by tools (e.g., Copilot, VSCode extensions) to store agentic workflow prompts and AI configuration files. This increases the risk of accidental README conflicts or override scenarios.

Best Practices and Documentation:

Official documentation and conventions state that files such as /README.md, /LICENSE, and /CONTRIBUTING.md should reside at the repository root for maximum visibility and compliance. Allowing /.github/README.md to take precedence undermines this guidance.

Example: Google Chromium Repo

Take Google's high-profile chromium/chromium repository, one of the world's most visible open source projects, as a practical demonstration of how the current flawed precedence logic negatively impacts usability and accessibility:

• The /.github/README.md in this repo is specific to AI prompting workflows and agentic instructions.
• The actual project documentation for contributors (how to fork, build, or contribute to Chromium) is in the root-level /README.md, but is effectively hidden because GitHub displays the /.github/README.md by default when visiting the repository.
• This results in confusion for new contributors, who may be unable to find basic onboarding information.

Proposed Solution

1. If /README.md exists, it should always be used as the primary documentation visible at the repository root in the GitHub UI. /.github/README.md should only serve as a fallback if the root README is missing, and that itself is debatable even.
2. Special-case handling for things like /.github profile README can remain as-is.
3. Update official GitHub docs where necessary state that root-level files take precedence, and /.github/README.md is only a fallback...even though this should go without saying as the default expected behavior.

Rationale

• Contributors expect /README.md at the repo root to be the canonical documentation.
• Restricting override scope reduces edge cases and the potential for subtle policy/config bugs.
• As more tools leverage /.github/ for AI prompts and configs, accidental overrides are becoming more common and confusing.
• What if ./github/OWNERS (which is specific to the contents of that hidden directory) received higher precedence than the repo's root /OWNERS (which is an entirely different list altogether in the chromium repo) somewhere in the GitHub repository interface?

Related Observations & Precedents

This behavior appears to be a bleed-over from the custom precedence handling used for the special repository octocat/.github, where /.github/README.md is intentionally surfaced. Unfortunately, this special-case logic is being incorrectly applied to nested /.github folders in normal repositories, causing confusion and unexpected overrides.

The /.github/profile/README.md is already handled with separate logic, other special files (e.g., CONTRIBUTING.md) do not override root files, only provide them if missing.

Given how deeply integrated filename-based UI logic is in GitHub.com, this should be possible with minimal (if any) breaking changes or risk of regression.

[github-actions[bot]]

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[positron96]

Noticed this behavior as well, was very surprised and annoyed.

[opticSquid]

I discovered this and I'm surprised too. It is a nobrainer.

[alexeygnetko]

I had to rename .github/README.md to .github/README-internal.md. Not the prettiest solution 😅

[B-ki]

Same thing here, I have to rename the .github/README.md file to .github/github-README.md to avoid this issue.