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Contributing

Summary

RelyLoop welcomes contributions under Apache 2.0. The authoritative guide is CONTRIBUTING.md in the repo; this page is the orientation for first-time contributors.

Contributing with an AI agent?

RelyLoop is built agent-first and spec-driven. If you use Claude Code (or another agent), see Contributing with AI agents for onboarding prompts, the skills, the spec → plan → implement pipeline, and how cross-model review works.

First-time path

  1. Set up the dev environment. You'll need Docker 24+ (Compose v2), Python 3.12+ (managed by uv), Node 20 LTS + pnpm 9, and ~16 GB RAM. 
    git clone https://github.com/SoundMindsAI/relyloop.git
cd relyloop
uv sync                          # Python deps + .venv
pnpm --dir ui install            # frontend deps
make pre-commit-install          # format / lint / commit hooks
make up                          # boot the stack
  2. Pick something small first. A docs fix, a test, or a clearly-scoped bug is the best way to learn the review loop.
  3. Branch and commit. Short-lived feature branches off main, named <type>/<short-description>. RelyLoop uses Conventional Commits.
  4. Sign your commits (DCO). RelyLoop uses the Developer Certificate of Origin instead of a CLA — every commit needs a Signed-off-by: trailer. Just commit with -s: 
    git commit -s -m "feat(adapter): add Apache Solr adapter"
    A CI check and a local commit-msg hook both enforce it.
  5. Run the tests. make test runs unit, integration, and contract layers.
  6. Open a PR against main. The PR template prompts for what changed, why, and how you tested. CI runs lint, type-check, tests, secret scanning, and the frontend build; a maintainer reviews and squash-merges.

Adding an adapter

RelyLoop's engine, LLM-provider, and Git-provider adapters are built for community extension. Each implements a Protocol, passes the contract test suite, and documents its auth flow and quirks. See the adapters architecture doc and the spec's adapter sections.

Code of Conduct

A short kindness ask, not a long rulebook — CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md.

Reporting issues

  • Bugs / feature requests — use the issue templates on GitHub Issues.
  • Security vulnerabilities — do not file a public issue; see Security.
  • Questions / design discussions — use GitHub Discussions.