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Contributing to Terminal Jarvis

We welcome contributions from the community! This guide provides everything you need to know to contribute effectively.

Quick Start for Contributors

Ready to contribute? Follow these steps:

  1. Join the Terminal Jarvis Discord
  2. Discuss your contribution in #features or #bugfix channels
  3. Fork the repository
  4. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
  5. Follow our contribution guidelines (detailed below)
  6. Ensure tests pass (cargo test)
  7. Use our PR template for submitting changes

Contribution Types

We welcome various types of contributions:

Code Contributions

  • New AI tool integrations
  • Bug fixes and stability improvements
  • Performance enhancements
  • Session continuation improvements
  • Authentication workflow fixes

Documentation

  • README improvements
  • API documentation
  • Installation guides
  • Usage examples and tutorials

Testing

  • Unit and integration tests
  • Bug reproduction test cases
  • CI/CD improvements
  • Cross-platform testing

User Experience

  • Interactive interface improvements
  • ASCII art and visual enhancements
  • Error message clarity
  • Command-line ergonomics

Contribution Process

1. Discord Discussion (MANDATORY)

All contributions must start with a Discord discussion.

Why?

  • Prevents duplicate work
  • Ensures alignment with project goals
  • Gets early feedback on approach
  • Builds community engagement

What to discuss:

  • Feature proposal and rationale
  • Implementation approach
  • Testing strategy
  • Breaking changes (if any)

2. Fork and Branch

# Fork the repository on GitHub, then:
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/terminal-jarvis.git
cd terminal-jarvis

# Create a feature branch
git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
# or
git checkout -b bugfix/issue-description

3. Follow Development Standards

Rust Code:

  • Must pass cargo clippy --all-targets --all-features -- -D warnings
  • Must be formatted with cargo fmt --all
  • Use anyhow::Result for error handling
  • Add doc comments for public functions

TypeScript Code:

  • Use Biome for linting and formatting, NOT ESLint
  • Run npm run lint and npm run format before committing

Commit Messages:

Use Conventional Commits:

feat: add support for new AI tool
fix: resolve authentication timeout issue
docs: update installation instructions
test: add tests for tool detection

4. Test Your Changes

# Run all tests
cargo test

# Check code formatting
cargo fmt --all

# Run linting
cargo clippy --all-targets --all-features -- -D warnings

# Test NPM package (if applicable)
cd npm/terminal-jarvis && npm run build

5. Create Pull Request

  • Use the provided PR template
  • Select appropriate PR type (docs, feature, bugfix, etc.)
  • Link Discord discussion
  • Include comprehensive testing information

Development Environment Setup

Click "Code" → "Codespaces" → "Create codespace" for instant setup with:

  • Rust 1.87 pre-installed
  • Node.js 20 ready
  • All dependencies configured
  • VS Code integration

Local Setup

Install Rust:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

Install Node.js 20+ using nvm or your preferred method.

Clone and build:

git clone https://github.com/BA-CalderonMorales/terminal-jarvis.git
cd terminal-jarvis
cargo build

Code Quality Rules

Test-Driven Development

When fixing bugs:

  1. Write a test that reproduces the bug
  2. Fix the bug
  3. Verify the test passes
  4. Add regression test

Code Organization

  • Keep files small and focused (200-300 lines)
  • Follow the domain-based module structure
  • Use clear, descriptive names
  • Add comments for complex logic only

Error Handling

// Good: Descriptive error messages
.context("Failed to install tool: NPM not available")?

// Bad: Generic errors
.unwrap()

Adding New AI Tools

Want to add a new tool? Here's how:

  1. Create tool configuration in config/tools/:
[tool]
display_name = "New Tool"
config_key = "newtool"
description = "Description of the tool"
cli_command = "newtool"
requires_npm = true
status = "testing"

[tool.install]
command = "npm"
args = ["install", "-g", "newtool-package"]
verify_command = "newtool --version"

[tool.auth]
env_vars = ["NEWTOOL_API_KEY"]
setup_url = "https://newtool.com/setup"
auth_instructions = "Get your API key from..."
  1. Test the integration:
terminal-jarvis list
terminal-jarvis info newtool
terminal-jarvis install newtool

  1. Add tests to test-core-functionality.sh

  2. Update documentation in this project

Important Limitations for Contributors

Distribution Access

Contributors do NOT have access to:

  • NPM registry publishing
  • Crates.io publishing
  • Homebrew formula updates
  • GitHub release creation

Maintainers handle all publishing and distribution after PR approval.

Version Management

  • Do NOT manually update version numbers
  • Maintainers handle version bumps and CHANGELOG.md updates
  • Focus on code quality and functionality in your PR

Testing Constraints

  • Test locally with development builds
  • Cannot test published package distribution
  • Focus on unit/integration tests for your changes

Pull Request Template

When creating a PR, include:

## Type of Change

- [ ] Documentation update
- [ ] Feature addition
- [ ] Bug fix
- [ ] Performance improvement
- [ ] Refactoring
- [ ] Test addition

## Description

[Clear description of what changed and why]

## Discord Discussion

Link: [Discord thread URL]

## Testing Performed

- [ ] Local testing completed
- [ ] All tests pass (`cargo test`)
- [ ] Code formatted (`cargo fmt`)
- [ ] Linting passes (`cargo clippy`)

## Breaking Changes

[List any breaking changes, or state "None"]

Effective Contribution Tips

Start Small

  • Begin with documentation improvements or small bug fixes
  • Understand the codebase before attempting major features
  • Ask questions in Discord - the community is helpful!

Focus Areas for New Contributors

  • Documentation: README clarity, installation guides, usage examples
  • Testing: Add test coverage for existing functionality
  • Bug Reports: Help identify and reproduce issues
  • Tool Integration: Add support for new AI coding tools
  • User Experience: Improve interactive interface and error messages

Getting Help

  • Discord: Real-time help in #development channel
  • GitHub Issues: Browse existing issues for contribution ideas
  • Architecture Guide: Read Architecture for technical deep dive
  • Testing Guide: See Testing for testing approaches

Recognition

Contributors are recognized in:

  • GitHub contributor graphs
  • Release notes for significant contributions
  • Discord contributor role
  • README acknowledgments (for major contributions)

Code of Conduct

Be respectful, inclusive, and collaborative. We follow GitHub's Community Guidelines.

Ready to contribute? Join our Discord community and let's build something amazing together!