Contributing

Thanks for your interest in contributing. This guide covers how to participate, what we accept, and how to get started.

Ways to contribute

Issues (no setup required)

• Bug reports - Something broken? Open a bug report with reproduction steps.
• Feature requests - Have an idea? Open a feature request describing the problem it solves.

Code (requires CLA)

We accept pull requests for:

Type	Process
Bug fixes	Open a PR directly (link the issue if one exists)
New translations	Open a PR directly (see Translation Guide)
Documentation improvements	Open a PR directly
Test coverage improvements	Open a PR directly
New tools or features	Open an issue first, wait for the approved label before writing code
Refactors or architecture changes	Open an issue first, wait for the approved label before writing code

What we will not accept

• Changes to CI/CD workflows, release config, or linter/compiler config
• PRs without a signed Contributor License Agreement
• PRs over 400 lines of change (break large work into smaller PRs)
• Features that were not discussed and approved in an issue first
• Changes to packages/ai/ without prior discussion

Contributor License Agreement

Before we can merge your first PR, you must sign our Individual CLA. This is a one-time requirement.

Why: SnapOtter is dual-licensed (AGPLv3 + commercial). The CLA grants us the right to distribute your contributions under both licenses. You retain full copyright ownership of your work.

How: When you open your first PR, the CLA Assistant bot will comment with a link. Click it, review the agreement, and sign with your GitHub account. Takes 30 seconds.

If you are contributing on behalf of your employer and your employer retains IP rights over your work, contact [email protected] to arrange a Corporate CLA before submitting.

Getting started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 22+
• pnpm 9+
• Python 3.11+ (only for AI tools)
• Docker (optional, for full integration testing)

Setup

# Fork and clone
git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/snapotter.git
cd snapotter

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Start dev servers (web on :1349, API on :13490)
pnpm dev

Running checks

Before submitting a PR, ensure all checks pass locally:

pnpm lint          # Biome lint + format check
pnpm typecheck     # TypeScript across monorepo
pnpm test          # Vitest unit + integration tests

Pull request process

1. Fork the repo and create a branch from main (feat/my-feature or fix/issue-123)
2. Make your changes in focused, reviewable commits using conventional commits
3. Add or update tests for your changes
4. Run pnpm lint && pnpm typecheck && pnpm test locally
5. Open a PR against main and fill out the template
6. Sign the CLA if prompted
7. Wait for CI to pass and a maintainer to review

Review expectations

• We aim to respond to PRs within 7 days
• Small, focused PRs get reviewed faster
• If you have not heard back in 7 days, leave a comment pinging the thread
• We may request changes, suggest a different approach, or close the PR if it does not align with project direction

After your PR is merged

Your contribution will be included in the next release and credited in the changelog.

Good first issues

Looking for something to work on? Check our good first issues for beginner-friendly tasks, or help wanted for larger items where we'd appreciate community help.

Code style

• Biome handles formatting and linting (double quotes, semicolons, 2-space indent)
• Pre-commit hook runs biome check --write on staged files automatically
• If the linter complains, fix the code (do not modify Biome config)
• ES modules everywhere (import/export)
• Conventional commits: feat:, fix:, refactor:, docs:, test:, chore:

For full architecture details, see the Developer Guide.

Security

Do not open a public PR or issue for security vulnerabilities. Report them privately through GitHub Security Advisories or email [email protected]. See SECURITY.md for full details.

Questions?

• Documentation
• Discord
• GitHub Discussions