diff --git a/contributors/devel/api-conventions.md b/contributors/devel/api-conventions.md
index 100b64457..c00776f43 100644
--- a/contributors/devel/api-conventions.md
+++ b/contributors/devel/api-conventions.md
@@ -26,11 +26,6 @@ An introduction to using resources with kubectl can be found in [the object mana
   - [Verbs on Resources](#verbs-on-resources)
     - [PATCH operations](#patch-operations)
       - [Strategic Merge Patch](#strategic-merge-patch)
-    - [List Operations](#list-operations)
-      - [List of Maps](#list-of-maps)
-      - [List of Primitives](#list-of-primitives)
-        - [Unordered Set](#unordered-set)
-    - [Map Operations](#map-operations)
   - [Idempotency](#idempotency)
   - [Optional vs. Required](#optional-vs-required)
   - [Defaulting](#defaulting)
@@ -555,172 +550,7 @@ below.
 
 #### Strategic Merge Patch
 
-In the standard JSON merge patch, JSON objects are always merged but lists are
-always replaced. Often that isn't what we want. Let's say we start with the
-following Pod:
-
-```yaml
-spec:
-  containers:
-    - name: nginx
-      image: nginx-1.0
-```
-
-...and we POST that to the server (as JSON). Then let's say we want to *add* a
-container to this Pod.
-
-```yaml
-PATCH /api/v1/namespaces/default/pods/pod-name
-spec:
-  containers:
-    - name: log-tailer
-      image: log-tailer-1.0
-```
-
-If we were to use standard Merge Patch, the entire container list would be
-replaced with the single log-tailer container. However, our intent is for the
-container lists to merge together based on the `name` field.
-
-To solve this problem, Strategic Merge Patch uses the go struct tag of the API
-objects to determine what lists should be merged and which ones should not.
-Currently the metadata is available as struct tags on the API objects
-themselves, but will become available to clients as Swagger annotations in the
-future. In the above example, the `patchStrategy` metadata for the `containers`
-field would be `merge` and the `patchMergeKey` would be `name`.
-
-Note: If the patch results in merging two lists of primitives, the primitives are
-first deduplicated and then merged.
-
-Strategic Merge Patch also supports special operations as listed below.
-
-### List Operations
-
-#### List of Maps
-
-To override the container list to be strictly replaced, regardless of the
-default:
-
-```yaml
-containers:
-  - name: nginx
-    image: nginx-1.0
-  - $patch: replace   # any further $patch operations nested in this list will be ignored
-```
-
-To delete an element of a list that should be merged:
-
-```yaml
-containers:
-  - name: nginx
-    image: nginx-1.0
-  - $patch: delete
-    name: log-tailer  # merge key and value goes here
-```
-
-Delete operation will delete the first entry in the list that match the merge key.
-But there is validation to make sure no 2 entries with the same merge key will get in the list.
-
-#### List of Primitives
-
-We have two patch strategies for lists of primitives: replace and merge.
-Replace is the default patch strategy, which will replace the whole list on update and it will preserve the order;
-while merge strategy works as an unordered set. In this section, we call a primitive list with merge strategy an unordered set.
-The patch strategy is defined in the go struct tag of the API objects,
-e.g. `finalizers` uses `merge` as patch strategy.
-```go
-Finalizers []string `json:"finalizers,omitempty" patchStrategy:"merge" protobuf:"bytes,14,rep,name=finalizers"`
-```
-
-##### Unordered Set
-
-There are 3 operations: add, delete, replace.
-
-Suppose we have defined a `finalizers` and we call it the original finalizers:
-
-```yaml
-finalizers:
-  - a
-  - b
-  - c
-```
-
-1) To add items in a set, we use the list name as the key.
-e.g. to add items "d" and "e" in the original finalizers, the patch will be:
-
-```yaml
-finalizers:
-  - d
-  - e
-```
-
-After applying the patch on the original finalizers, it will become:
-
-```yaml
-finalizers:
-  - a
-  - b
-  - c
-  - d
-  - e
-```
-
-2) To delete items in a set, we use a parallel list with key: `$deleteFromPrimitiveList/\<keyOfPrimitiveList\>`.
-e.g. to delete items "b" and "c" from the original finalizers, the patch will be:
-
-```yaml
-$deleteFromPrimitiveList/finalizers:
-  - b
-  - c
-```
-
-After applying the patch on the original finalizers, it will become:
-
-```yaml
-finalizers:
-  - a
-```
-
-In an erroneous case, the set may be created with duplicates. Deleting an item that has duplicates will delete all matching items.
-
-3) Replace can be fulfilled by an addition and a deletion.
-e.g. to replace "a" with "x" in the original finalizers, the patch will be:
-
-```yaml
-$deleteFromPrimitiveList/finalizers:
-  - a
-finalizers:
-  - x
-```
-
-After applying the patch on the original finalizers, it will become:
-
-```yaml
-finalizers:
-  - x
-  - b
-  - c
-```
-
-### Map Operations
-
-To indicate that a map should not be merged and instead should be taken literally:
-
-```yaml
-$patch: replace  # recursive and applies to all fields of the map it's in
-containers:
-- name: nginx
-  image: nginx-1.0
-```
-
-To delete a field of a map:
-
-```yaml
-name: nginx
-image: nginx-1.0
-labels:
-  live: null  # set the value of the map key to null
-```
-
+Details of Strategic Merge Patch are covered [here](../strategic-merge-patch.md).
 
 ## Idempotency
 
diff --git a/contributors/devel/strategic-merge-patch.md b/contributors/devel/strategic-merge-patch.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5d1f3336d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contributors/devel/strategic-merge-patch.md
@@ -0,0 +1,223 @@
+Strategic Merge Patch
+=====================
+
+# Background
+
+TODO: @pwittrock complete this section
+
+In the standard JSON merge patch, JSON objects are always merged but lists are
+always replaced. Often that isn't what we want. Let's say we start with the
+following Pod:
+
+```yaml
+spec:
+  containers:
+    - name: nginx
+      image: nginx-1.0
+```
+
+and we POST that to the server (as JSON). Then let's say we want to *add* a
+container to this Pod.
+
+```yaml
+PATCH /api/v1/namespaces/default/pods/pod-name
+spec:
+  containers:
+    - name: log-tailer
+      image: log-tailer-1.0
+```
+
+If we were to use standard Merge Patch, the entire container list would be
+replaced with the single log-tailer container. However, our intent is for the
+container lists to merge together based on the `name` field.
+
+To solve this problem, Strategic Merge Patch uses the go struct tag of the API
+objects to determine what lists should be merged and which ones should not.
+Currently the metadata is available as struct tags on the API objects
+themselves, but will become available to clients as Swagger annotations in the
+future. In the above example, the `patchStrategy` metadata for the `containers`
+field would be `merge` and the `patchMergeKey` would be `name`.
+
+
+# Basic Patch Format
+
+Strategic Merge Patch supports special operations through directives.
+
+There are multiple directives:
+
+- replace
+- merge
+- delete
+- delete from primitive list
+
+`replace`, `merge` and `delete` are mutual exclusive.
+
+## `replace` Directive
+
+### Purpose
+
+`replace` directive indicates that the element that contains it should be replaced instead of being merged.
+
+### Syntax
+
+`replace` directive is used in both patch with directive marker and go struct tags.
+
+Example usage in the patch:
+
+```
+$patch: replace
+```
+
+### Example
+
+`replace` directive can be used on both map and list.
+
+#### Map
+
+To indicate that a map should not be merged and instead should be taken literally:
+
+```yaml
+$patch: replace  # recursive and applies to all fields of the map it's in
+containers:
+- name: nginx
+  image: nginx-1.0
+```
+
+#### List of Maps
+
+To override the container list to be strictly replaced, regardless of the default:
+
+```yaml
+containers:
+  - name: nginx
+    image: nginx-1.0
+  - $patch: replace   # any further $patch operations nested in this list will be ignored
+```
+
+
+## `delete` Directive
+
+### Purpose
+
+`delete` directive indicates that the element that contains it should be deleted.
+
+### Syntax
+
+`delete` directive is used only in the patch with directive marker.
+It can be used on both map and list of maps.
+```
+$patch: delete
+```
+
+### Example
+
+#### List of Maps
+
+To delete an element of a list that should be merged:
+
+```yaml
+containers:
+  - name: nginx
+    image: nginx-1.0
+  - $patch: delete
+    name: log-tailer  # merge key and value goes here
+```
+
+Note: Delete operation will delete all entries in the list that match the merge key.
+
+#### Maps
+
+One way to delete a map is using `delete` directive.
+Applying this patch will delete the rollingUpdate map.
+```yaml
+rollingUpdate:
+  $patch: delete
+```
+
+An equivalent way to delete this map is
+```yaml
+rollingUpdate: null
+```
+
+## `merge` Directive
+
+### Purpose
+
+`merge` directive indicates that the element that contains it should be merged instead of being replaced.
+
+### Syntax
+
+`merge` directive is used only in the go struct tags.
+
+
+## `deleteFromPrimitiveList` Directive
+
+### Purpose
+
+We have two patch strategies for lists of primitives: replace and merge.
+Replace is the default patch strategy for list, which will replace the whole list on update and it will preserve the order;
+while merge strategy works as an unordered set. We call a primitive list with merge strategy an unordered set.
+The patch strategy is defined in the go struct tag of the API objects.
+
+`deleteFromPrimitiveList` directive indicates that the elements in this list should be deleted from the original primitive list.
+
+### Syntax
+
+It is used only as the prefix of the key in the patch.
+```
+$deleteFromPrimitiveList/<keyOfPrimitiveList>: [a primitive list]
+```
+
+### Example
+
+##### List of Primitives (Unordered Set)
+
+`finalizers` uses `merge` as patch strategy.
+```go
+Finalizers []string `json:"finalizers,omitempty" patchStrategy:"merge" protobuf:"bytes,14,rep,name=finalizers"`
+```
+
+Suppose we have defined a `finalizers` and we call it the original finalizers:
+
+```yaml
+finalizers:
+  - a
+  - b
+  - c
+```
+
+To delete items "b" and "c" from the original finalizers, the patch will be:
+
+```yaml
+# The directive includes the prefix $deleteFromPrimitiveList and
+# followed by a '/' and the name of the list.
+# The values in this list will be deleted after applying the patch.
+$deleteFromPrimitiveList/finalizers:
+  - b
+  - c
+```
+
+After applying the patch on the original finalizers, it will become:
+
+```yaml
+finalizers:
+  - a
+```
+
+Note: When merging two set, the primitives are first deduplicated and then merged.
+In an erroneous case, the set may be created with duplicates. Deleting an
+item that has duplicates will delete all matching items.
+
+
+TODO: @pwittrock
+# Changing Patch Format
+
+## Purpose
+
+## Requirement
+
+### Version Skew
+
+## Strategy
+
+## Example