diff --git a/src/services/maintainer-recap-top-contributors.ts b/src/services/maintainer-recap-top-contributors.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fb78d2c829
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/services/maintainer-recap-top-contributors.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+// Maintainer-recap TOP-CONTRIBUTORS section (#2244, content slice of the #1963 recap digest).
+//
+// Pure section builder over a RecapReport projection: a leaderboard of the window's most-merged
+// contributor logins with merged-PR counts ONLY — NO scoring / reward / trust internals. Every emitted
+// line is gated through isPublicSafeText (src/signals/redaction.ts) before it can surface, matching the
+// public-safe framing the notifications service already enforces (src/notifications/service.ts).
+//
+// Own file (mirroring maintainer-recap-calibration.ts) so it stays decoupled from the foundation builder
+// and sibling sections — zero shared-file conflict surface. No delivery, no scheduling.
+import { isPublicSafeText } from "../signals/redaction";
+
+// Readability cap when the caller does not specify one — mirrors alerts.ts MAX_LISTED.
+const DEFAULT_LIMIT = 8;
+
+/** One contributor's window activity — merged-PR count only (public-safe by construction). */
+export type TopContributor = { login: string; merged: number };
+
+/** Projection of RecapReport used by the top-contributors section (window + contributors only). */
+export type TopContributorsRecapSource = {
+  windowDays: number;
+  contributors: TopContributor[];
+};
+
+/** One titled digest section: structured rows for consumers + ready-to-emit lines for the formatter. */
+export type TopContributorsRecapSection = {
+  title: string;
+  /** Public-safe contributors, sorted by merged desc (ties by login asc), capped at the limit. */
+  rows: TopContributor[];
+  /** Contributors dropped because their emitted line failed the public-safe gate. */
+  dropped: number;
+  lines: string[];
+};
+
+/**
+ * Pure top-contributors section over a RecapReport projection.
+ *
+ * - Each contributor's emitted line (`login: N merged`) must pass {@link isPublicSafeText}; any that would
+ *   leak a reward/score/trust term (or a local path) is DROPPED and counted in `dropped`.
+ * - Survivors are sorted by merged descending, ties broken by login ascending (deterministic), then capped
+ *   at `limit` (a non-positive limit yields an empty leaderboard).
+ */
+export function buildTopContributorsRecapSection(
+  report: TopContributorsRecapSource,
+  limit = DEFAULT_LIMIT,
+): TopContributorsRecapSection {
+  const withLines = report.contributors.map((c) => ({
+    login: c.login,
+    merged: c.merged,
+    line: `${c.login}: ${c.merged} merged`,
+  }));
+  // Reject any line that fails the public-safe gate (defense in depth — a login must never carry an
+  // economic/identity term or a local path onto a public digest surface).
+  const safe = withLines.filter((c) => isPublicSafeText(c.line));
+  const dropped = withLines.length - safe.length;
+
+  const ranked = safe
+    .sort((a, b) => b.merged - a.merged || a.login.localeCompare(b.login))
+    .slice(0, Math.max(0, limit));
+
+  const title = "Top contributors";
+  const lines =
+    ranked.length === 0
+      ? [`No contributor activity in the last ${report.windowDays} day(s).`]
+      : ranked.map((c) => c.line);
+
+  return {
+    title,
+    rows: ranked.map(({ login, merged }) => ({ login, merged })),
+    dropped,
+    lines,
+  };
+}
diff --git a/test/unit/maintainer-recap-top-contributors.test.ts b/test/unit/maintainer-recap-top-contributors.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..eaca081bd7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/maintainer-recap-top-contributors.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import {
+  buildTopContributorsRecapSection,
+  type TopContributorsRecapSource,
+} from "../../src/services/maintainer-recap-top-contributors";
+
+const WINDOW = 7;
+
+function source(
+  contributors: TopContributorsRecapSource["contributors"],
+  windowDays = WINDOW,
+): TopContributorsRecapSource {
+  return { windowDays, contributors };
+}
+
+describe("buildTopContributorsRecapSection (#2244)", () => {
+  it("sorts by merged descending and emits count-only lines", () => {
+    const section = buildTopContributorsRecapSection(
+      source([
+        { login: "alice", merged: 2 },
+        { login: "bob", merged: 9 },
+        { login: "carol", merged: 5 },
+      ]),
+    );
+    expect(section.title).toBe("Top contributors");
+    expect(section.rows.map((r) => r.login)).toEqual(["bob", "carol", "alice"]);
+    expect(section.dropped).toBe(0);
+    expect(section.lines).toEqual(["bob: 9 merged", "carol: 5 merged", "alice: 2 merged"]);
+  });
+
+  it("breaks a merged-count tie by login ascending (deterministic — localeCompare arm)", () => {
+    const section = buildTopContributorsRecapSection(
+      source([
+        { login: "zoe", merged: 4 },
+        { login: "amy", merged: 4 },
+        { login: "max", merged: 4 },
+      ]),
+    );
+    expect(section.rows.map((r) => r.login)).toEqual(["amy", "max", "zoe"]);
+  });
+
+  it("caps the leaderboard at the given limit", () => {
+    const many = Array.from({ length: 10 }, (_, i) => ({ login: `u${i}`, merged: 100 - i }));
+    const section = buildTopContributorsRecapSection(source(many), 3);
+    expect(section.rows).toHaveLength(3);
+    expect(section.rows.map((r) => r.login)).toEqual(["u0", "u1", "u2"]);
+    expect(section.lines).toHaveLength(3);
+  });
+
+  it("keeps public-safe logins and DROPS ones whose line carries a reward/score term (both gate arms)", () => {
+    const section = buildTopContributorsRecapSection(
+      source([
+        { login: "honest-dev", merged: 7 },
+        { login: "reward-farm", merged: 99 }, // "reward" ⇒ isPublicSafeText false ⇒ dropped
+        { login: "score-bot", merged: 50 }, // "score" ⇒ dropped
+      ]),
+    );
+    expect(section.dropped).toBe(2);
+    expect(section.rows.map((r) => r.login)).toEqual(["honest-dev"]);
+    for (const line of section.lines) {
+      expect(line).not.toMatch(/reward|score/i);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("emits a no-activity line when nothing survives (empty input, all-dropped, and non-positive limit arms)", () => {
+    expect(buildTopContributorsRecapSection(source([])).lines).toEqual([
+      "No contributor activity in the last 7 day(s).",
+    ]);
+    // all contributors dropped by the public-safe gate ⇒ still the empty arm
+    const allUnsafe = buildTopContributorsRecapSection(source([{ login: "payout-king", merged: 3 }]));
+    expect(allUnsafe.rows).toEqual([]);
+    expect(allUnsafe.dropped).toBe(1);
+    expect(allUnsafe.lines).toEqual(["No contributor activity in the last 7 day(s)."]);
+    // a non-positive limit yields an empty leaderboard (Math.max(0, limit) arm)
+    const zeroLimit = buildTopContributorsRecapSection(source([{ login: "alice", merged: 1 }]), 0);
+    expect(zeroLimit.rows).toEqual([]);
+    expect(zeroLimit.lines).toEqual(["No contributor activity in the last 7 day(s)."]);
+  });
+
+  it("defaults the limit to 8 when the caller omits it", () => {
+    const nine = Array.from({ length: 9 }, (_, i) => ({ login: `c${i}`, merged: 20 - i }));
+    const section = buildTopContributorsRecapSection(source(nine));
+    expect(section.rows).toHaveLength(8);
+  });
+});