diff --git a/staging/README.md b/staging/README.md
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+# External Repository Staging Area
+
+This directory is the staging area for packages that have been split to their
+own repository. The content here will be periodically published to respective
+top-level kubesphere.io repositories.
+
+Repositories currently staged here:
+
+- [`kubesphere.io/client-go`](https://github.com/kubesphere/client-go)
+
+
+The code in the staging/ directory is authoritative, i.e. the only copy of the
+code. You can directly modify such code.
+
+## Using staged repositories from KubeSphere code
+
+KubeSphere code uses the repositories in this directory via symlinks in the
+`vendor/kubesphere.io` directory into this staging area. For example, when
+KubeSphere code imports a package from the `kubesphere.io/client-go` repository, that
+import is resolved to `staging/src/kubesphere.io/client-go` relative to the project
+root:
+
+```go
+// pkg/example/some_code.go
+package example
+
+import (
+  "kubesphere.io/client-go/" // resolves to staging/src/kubesphere.io/client-go/dynamic
+)
+```
+
+Once the change-over to external repositories is complete, these repositories
+will actually be vendored from `kubesphere.io/<package-name>`.
+
+## Creating a new repository in staging
+
+### Adding the staging repository in `kubesphere/kubesphere`:
+
+1. Add a propose to sig-architecture in [community](https://github.com/kubesphere/community/). Waiting approval for creating the staging repository.
+
+2. Once approval has been granted, create the new staging repository.
+
+3. Add a symlink to the staging repo in `vendor/kubesphere.io`.
+
+4. Add all mandatory template files to the staging repo such as README.md, LICENSE, OWNER,CONTRIBUTING.md.
+
+
+### Creating the published repository
+
+1. Create an repository in the KubeSphere org. The published repository **must** have an
+initial empty commit.
+
+2. Setup branch protection and enable access to the `ks-publishing-bot` bot.
+
+3. Once the repository has been created in the KubeSphere org, update the publishing-bot to publish the staging repository by updating:
+
+    - [`rules.yaml`](/staging/publishing/rules.yaml):
+    Make sure that the list of dependencies reflects the staging repos in the `Godeps.json` file.
+
+4. Add the repo to the list of staging repos in this `README.md` file.
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diff --git a/staging/publishing/rules.yaml b/staging/publishing/rules.yaml
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+recursive-delete-patterns:
+- BUILD
+default-go-version: 1.13.15
+rules:
+- destination: client-go
+  library: true
+  branches:
+  - source:
+      branch: master
+      dir: staging/src/kubesphere.io/client-go
+    name: master
+  # - source:
+  #     branch: release-3.1
+  #     dir: staging/src/kubesphere.io/client-go
+  #   name: release-3.1
+  #   go: 1.13.15
+
+  smoke-test: |
+    # assumes GO111MODULE=on
+    go build ./...
+    go test ./...
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