diff --git a/redfish-core/include/registries/openbmc_message_registry.hpp b/redfish-core/include/registries/openbmc_message_registry.hpp
index 80d30c3..4810eb4 100644
--- a/redfish-core/include/registries/openbmc_message_registry.hpp
+++ b/redfish-core/include/registries/openbmc_message_registry.hpp
@@ -16,6 +16,47 @@
 #pragma once
 #include <registries.hpp>
 
+/*
+    Please read this before making edits to the structure below.
+
+    Messages in this registry are intended to be generally useful across
+   OpenBMC systems.  To that end, there are a number of guidelines needed for
+   messages in this file to remain useful across systems.
+
+    1. Messages should not be specific to a piece or type of hardware. Generally
+   this involves not using terms like "CPU", "Drive", "Backplane", etc in the
+   message strings, unless that behavior is specific to that particular piece of
+   hardware.
+   Incorrect: MemoryOverheated
+   Correct: DeviceOverheated
+   Correct: MemoryECCError (ECC is specific to memory, therefore class specific
+   is acceptable)
+
+    2. Messages should not use any proprietary, copyright, or company-specific
+   terms.  In general, messages should prefer the industry accepted term.
+
+    3. Message strings should be human readable, and read like a normal
+   sentence.  This generally involves placing the substitution parameters in the
+   appropriate place in the string.
+
+   Incorrect: "An error occurred.  Device: %1"
+
+   Correct: "An error occurred on device %1".
+
+    4. Message registry versioning semantics shall be obeyed.  Adding new
+   messages require an increment to the subminor revision.  Changes to existing
+   messages require an increment to the patch version.  If the copyright year is
+   different than the current date, increment it when the version is changed.
+
+   5. If you are changing this in your own downstream company-specific fork,
+   please change the "id" field below away from "OpenBMC.0.X.X" to something of
+   the form of "CompanyName.0.X.X".  This is to ensure that when a system is
+   found in industry that has modified this registry, it can be differentiated
+   from the OpenBMC project maintained registry.
+
+   6. Keep the below list alphabetized by message id.
+*/
+
 namespace redfish::registries::openbmc
 {
 const Header header = {