diff --git a/docs/OWNERS b/docs/OWNERS
index 45ec5232c..2d7127147 100644
--- a/docs/OWNERS
+++ b/docs/OWNERS
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 per-file map_files.md = danalbert@google.com, enh@google.com, jiyong@google.com
 per-file native_code_coverage.md = pirama@google.com, srhines@google.com, allenhair@google.com
+per-file tidy.md = chh@google.com, srhines@google.com
diff --git a/docs/tidy.md b/docs/tidy.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3140198c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/tidy.md
@@ -0,0 +1,244 @@
+# Clang-Tidy Rules and Checks
+
+Android C/C++ source files can be checked by clang-tidy for issues like
+coding style, error-prone/performance patterns, and static flow analysis.
+See the official
+[clang-tidy document](https://clang.llvm.org/extra/clang-tidy)
+and list of
+[clang-tidy checks](https://clang.llvm.org/extra/clang-tidy/checks/list.html).
+
+## Global defaults for Android builds
+
+The simplest way to enable clang-tidy checks is
+to set environment variable `WITH_TIDY`.
+```
+$ WITH_TIDY=1 make
+```
+
+This will turn on the global default to run clang-tidy for every required
+C/C++ source file compilation. The global default clang-tidy checks
+do not include time-consuming static analyzer checks. To enable those
+checks, set the `CLANG_ANALYZER_CHECKS` variable.
+```
+$ WITH_TIDY=1 CLANG_ANALYZER_CHECKS=1 make
+```
+
+The default global clang-tidy checks and flags are defined in
+[build/soong/cc/config/tidy.go](https://android.googlesource.com/platform/build/soong/+/refs/heads/master/cc/config/tidy.go).
+
+
+## Module clang-tidy properties
+
+The global default can be overwritten by module properties in Android.bp.
+
+### `tidy` and `tidy_checks`
+
+For example, in
+[system/bpf/Android.bp](https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/bpf/+/refs/heads/master/Android.bp),
+clang-tidy is enabled explicitly and with a different check list:
+```
+cc_defaults {
+    name: "bpf_defaults",
+    // snipped
+    tidy: true,
+    tidy_checks: [
+        "android-*",
+        "cert-*",
+        "-cert-err34-c",
+        "clang-analyzer-security*",
+        // Disabling due to many unavoidable warnings from POSIX API usage.
+        "-google-runtime-int",
+    ],
+}
+```
+That means in normal builds, even without `WITH_TIDY=1`,
+the modules that use `bpf_defaults` will run clang-tidy
+over C/C++ source files with the given `tidy_checks`.
+Note that `clang-analyzer-security*` is included in `tidy_checks`
+but not all `clang-analyzer-*` checks. Check `cert-err34-c` is
+disabled, although `cert-*` is selected.
+
+Some modules might want to disable clang-tidy even when
+environment variable `WITH_TIDY=1` is set.
+Examples can be found in
+[system/netd/tests/Android.bp](https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/netd/+/refs/heads/master/tests/Android.bp)
+```
+cc_test {
+    name: "netd_integration_test",
+    // snipped
+    defaults: ["netd_defaults"],
+    tidy: false,  // cuts test build time by almost 1 minute
+```
+and in
+[bionic/tests/Android.bp](https://android.googlesource.com/platform/bionic/+/refs/heads/master/tests/Android.bp).
+```
+cc_test_library {
+    name: "fortify_disabled_for_tidy",
+    // snipped
+    srcs: ["clang_fortify_tests.cpp"],
+    tidy: false,
+}
+```
+
+### `tidy_checks_as_errors`
+
+The global tidy checks are enabled as warnings.
+If a C/C++ module wants to be free of certain clang-tidy warnings,
+it can chose those checks to be treated as errors.
+For example
+[system/core/libsysutils/Android.bp](https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/core/+/refs/heads/master/libsysutils/Android.bp)
+has enabled clang-tidy explicitly, selected its own tidy checks,
+and set three groups of tidy checks as errors:
+```
+cc_library {
+    name: "libsysutils",
+    // snipped
+    tidy: true,
+    tidy_checks: [
+        "-*",
+        "cert-*",
+        "clang-analyzer-security*",
+        "android-*",
+    ],
+    tidy_checks_as_errors: [
+        "cert-*",
+        "clang-analyzer-security*",
+        "android-*",
+    ],
+    // snipped
+}
+```
+
+### `tidy_flags` and `tidy_disabled_srcs`
+
+Extra clang-tidy flags can be passed with the `tidy_flags` property.
+
+Some Android modules use the `tidy_flags` to pass "-warnings-as-errors="
+to clang-tidy. This usage should now be replaced with the
+`tidy_checks_as_errors` property.
+
+Some other tidy flags examples are `-format-style=` and `-header-filter=`
+For example, in
+[art/odrefresh/Android.bp](https://android.googlesource.com/platform/art/+/refs/heads/master/odrefresh/Android.bp),
+we found
+```
+cc_defaults {
+    name: "odrefresh-defaults",
+    srcs: [
+        "odrefresh.cc",
+        "odr_common.cc",
+        "odr_compilation_log.cc",
+        "odr_fs_utils.cc",
+        "odr_metrics.cc",
+        "odr_metrics_record.cc",
+    ],
+    // snipped
+    generated_sources: [
+        "apex-info-list-tinyxml",
+        "art-apex-cache-info",
+        "art-odrefresh-operator-srcs",
+    ],
+    // snipped
+    tidy: true,
+    tidy_disabled_srcs: [":art-apex-cache-info"],
+    tidy_flags: [
+        "-format-style=file",
+        "-header-filter=(art/odrefresh/|system/apex/)",
+    ],
+}
+```
+That means all modules with the `odrefresh-defaults` will
+have clang-tidy enabled, but not for generated source
+files in `art-apex-cache-info`.
+The clang-tidy is called with extra flags to specify the
+format-style and header-filter.
+
+Note that the globally set default for header-filter is to
+include only the module directory. So, the default clang-tidy
+warnings for `art/odrefresh` modules will include source files
+under that directory. Now `odrefresh-defaults` is interested
+in seeing warnings from both `art/odrefresh/` and `system/apex/`
+and it redefines `-header-filter` in its `tidy_flags`.
+
+
+## Phony tidy-* targets
+
+### The tidy-*directory* targets
+
+Setting `WITH_TIDY=1` is easy to enable clang-tidy globally for any build.
+However, it adds extra compilation time.
+
+For developers focusing on just one directory, they only want to compile
+their files with clang-tidy and wish to build other Android components as
+fast as possible. Changing the `WITH_TIDY=1` variable setting is also expensive
+since the build.ninja file will be regenerated due to any such variable change.
+
+To manually select only some directories or modules to compile with clang-tidy,
+do not set the `WITH_TIDY=1` variable, but use the special `tidy-<directory>`
+phony target. For example, a person working on `system/libbase` can build
+Android quickly with
+```
+unset WITH_TIDY # Optional, not if you haven't set WITH_TIDY
+make droid tidy-system-libbase
+```
+
+For any directory `d1/d2/d3`, a phony target tidy-d1-d2-d3 is generated
+if there is any C/C++ source file under `d1/d2/d3`.
+
+Note that with `make droid tidy-system-libbase`, some C/C++ files
+that are not needed by the `droid` target will be passed to clang-tidy
+if they are under `system/libbase`. This is like a `checkbuild`
+under `system/libbase` to include all modules, but only C/C++
+files of those modules are compiled with clang-tidy.
+
+### The tidy-soong target
+
+A special `tidy-soong` target is defined to include all C/C++
+source files in *all* directories. This phony target is sometimes
+used to test if all source files compile with a new clang-tidy release.
+
+### The tidy-*_subset targets
+
+A *subset* of each tidy-* phony target is defined to reduce test time.
+Since any Android module, a C/C++ library or binary, can be built
+for many different *variants*, one C/C++ source file is usually
+compiled multiple times with different compilation flags.
+Many of such *variant* flags have little or no effect on clang-tidy
+checks. To reduce clang-tidy check time, a *subset* target like
+`tidy-soong_subset` or `tidy-system-libbase_subset` is generated
+to include only a subset, the first variant, of each module in
+the directory.
+
+Hence, for C/C++ source code quality, instead of a long
+"make checkbuild", we can use "make tidy-soong_subset".
+
+
+## Limit clang-tidy runtime
+
+Some Android modules have large files that take a long time to compile
+with clang-tidy, with or without the clang-analyzer checks.
+To limit clang-tidy time, an environment variable can be set as
+```base
+WITH_TIDY=1 TIDY_TIMEOUT=90 make
+```
+This 90-second limit is actually the default time limit
+in several Android continuous builds where `WITH_TIDY=1` and
+`CLANG_ANALYZER_CHECKS=1` are set.
+
+## Capabilities for Android.bp and Android.mk
+
+Some of the previously mentioned features are defined only
+for modules in Android.bp files, not for Android.mk modules yet.
+
+* The global `WITH_TIDY=1` variable will enable clang-tidy for all C/C++
+  modules in Android.bp or Android.mk files.
+
+* The global `TIDY_TIMEOUT` variable is recognized by Android prebuilt
+  clang-tidy, so it should work for any clang-tidy invocation.
+
+* The clang-tidy module level properties are defined for Android.bp modules.
+  For Android.mk modules, old `LOCAL_TIDY`, `LOCAL_TIDY_CHECKS`,
+  `LOCAL_TIDY_FLAGS` work similarly, but it would be better to convert
+  those modules to use Android.bp files.
+
+* The `tidy-*` phony targets are only generated for Android.bp modules.