Route publication contributions through public pull requests

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -1,29 +1,30 @@
 # Contributing to Microsoft Foundry Samples
 
-This repository contains official Microsoft Foundry documentation samples. The contents are published automatically from a private staging repository and are not edited directly here.
+This repository contains official Microsoft Foundry documentation samples. Changes are submitted as pull requests directly to this repository.
 
 ## Reporting Issues
 
 If you find a bug, have a question, or want to suggest an improvement to an existing sample, please [open an issue](https://github.com/microsoft-foundry/foundry-samples/issues/new) on this repository. We welcome feedback from everyone!
 
-## Contributing Changes (Microsoft Contributors)
+Before starting a substantial change, check for an existing issue. Open one when discussion or design agreement would help avoid duplicate work.
 
-Sample contributions are currently limited to Microsoft Foundry teams.
+## Contributing Changes
 
-All changes — new samples, updates, and bug fixes — are submitted through the private staging repository [`foundry-samples-pr`](https://github.com/microsoft-foundry/foundry-samples-pr). Changes merged there are automatically synced to this public repository on a nightly basis.
+Sample contributions are currently limited to Microsoft Foundry teams with permission to create a branch in this repository. Fork pull requests cannot satisfy the intentionally failing `trusted` gate, so sample changes must use a same-repository branch.
 
-> [!NOTE]
-> The link above will return a **404** until you've completed step 1 below.
+1. **Create a branch in this repository.** Use a same-repository branch for all sample changes.
+2. **Make a focused change.** Keep each pull request scoped to one sample, fix, or related set of updates. Follow the conventions in the surrounding sample.
+3. **Respect file ownership.** Review [CODEOWNERS](.github/CODEOWNERS) before editing. The listed owners will be requested when their files are changed.
+4. **Validate locally.** Run the setup, build, test, or sample-specific validation documented by the affected sample. Never commit credentials, local environment files, or generated secrets.
+5. **Open a pull request against `main`.** In the pull request description, explain what changed, why it changed, and the local validation you ran. Link the relevant issue when one exists.
 
-### How to get started
+### Pull request checks
 
-1. **Join the `microsoft-foundry` GitHub organization.** Navigate to the organization page on the Open Source Management Portal and click **Join**:
+Pull requests run repository validation automatically:
 
-   <https://repos.opensource.microsoft.com/orgs/microsoft-foundry>
-
-2. **Access the staging repository.** Once you've joined the org, you'll be able to view [`foundry-samples-pr`](https://github.com/microsoft-foundry/foundry-samples-pr).
-
-3. **Follow the contributing guide there.** The `foundry-samples-pr` repository has its own [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](https://github.com/microsoft-foundry/foundry-samples-pr/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) with full instructions for setting up write access, creating a branch, and submitting a pull request.
+- The required `trusted` check must pass.
+- Review and address the other checks reported on the pull request.
+- After required checks and review are complete, a maintainer triggers the merge. Pull requests are not merged automatically.
 
 ## Contributor License Agreement
 
@@ -32,4 +33,3 @@ This project requires a Contributor License Agreement (CLA). When you submit a p
 ## Code of Conduct
 
 This project has adopted the [Microsoft Open Source Code of Conduct](https://opensource.microsoft.com/codeofconduct/). For more information, see the [Code of Conduct FAQ](https://opensource.microsoft.com/codeofconduct/faq/) or contact [opencode@microsoft.com](mailto:opencode@microsoft.com).
-

README.md

@@ -10,5 +10,4 @@ Use the samples in this repository to try out Microsoft Foundry scenarios on you
 
 Found a bug or have a suggestion? [Open an issue](https://github.com/microsoft-foundry/foundry-samples/issues/new) — we welcome feedback from everyone!
 
-Sample contributions are submitted through a private staging repository. If you're a Microsoft employee or contractor, see the [contributing guidelines](CONTRIBUTING.md) for how to get started.
-
+Microsoft contributors with permission to create a branch in this repository can contribute a sample or fix by opening a pull request directly against `main`. Pull requests must pass the required `trusted` check and are merged by a maintainer. See the [contributing guidelines](CONTRIBUTING.md) for setup, validation, and review details.