diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING-new.md b/CONTRIBUTING-new.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..cbcab9ee1db7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING-new.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+# Contributing to Nixpkgs
diff --git a/doc/README.md b/doc/README.md
index 5395d7ca8f61..eea797403808 100644
--- a/doc/README.md
+++ b/doc/README.md
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
-
-# Nixpkgs/doc
+# Contributing to the Nixpkgs manual
 
 This directory houses the sources files for the Nixpkgs manual.
 
diff --git a/maintainers/README.md b/maintainers/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..8438533da143
--- /dev/null
+++ b/maintainers/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+# Nixpkgs Maintainers
diff --git a/nixos/README b/nixos/README.md
similarity index 92%
rename from nixos/README
rename to nixos/README.md
index ce4dd1988d2d..260209e94ee7 100644
--- a/nixos/README
+++ b/nixos/README.md
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-*** NixOS ***
+# NixOS
 
 NixOS is a Linux distribution based on the purely functional package
 management system Nix.  More information can be found at
diff --git a/pkgs/README.md b/pkgs/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..88180a953103
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+# Contributing to Nixpkgs packages