Contributing Guide Authoring

Quality Criteria

Toolchain-Specific Patterns

Adapt the Development Setup section to the project's ecosystem:

• Node.js: nvm for version management, npm/yarn/pnpm for dependencies, jest/vitest for testing, eslint/prettier for linting and formatting. Include node -v and npm test verification steps.
• Python: pyenv for version management, pip/poetry/uv for dependencies, pytest for testing, ruff/black for formatting. Include python --version and pytest verification steps.
• Go: go install for tooling, go test ./... for testing, golangci-lint for linting. Include go version and go test ./... verification steps.
• Rust: rustup for toolchain management, cargo test for testing, clippy for linting, rustfmt for formatting. Include rustc --version and cargo test verification steps.

Guidelines

• DO: Test every command in the Development Setup section on a clean machine
• DO: Include a "verification" step after setup (e.g., "run tests to confirm everything works")
• DO: Link to the CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
• DO: Specify response time expectations for PR reviews
• DON'T: Assume the reader has the project's toolchain pre-installed
• DON'T: Write "follow best practices" without specifying which practices
• DON'T: Require CLA signing without explaining what it is and why
• DON'T: Gate first-time contributions behind excessive process

Edge Cases

• Documentation-only contributions: Provide a separate, simplified workflow that doesn't require full dev setup -- contributors should be able to edit docs with just a text editor and Git
• Monorepo: Explain which package(s) to set up and how to scope tests to the relevant package rather than running the entire suite
• External dependencies (databases, APIs): Document how to set up local development dependencies using Docker Compose or provide mock/stub alternatives
• No CI yet: Note that tests are run manually and explain exactly how; include the expected output so contributors can self-verify

Supporting Files

• Contributing Framework