---
url: /docs/guide/contributing.md
description: >-
  How to contribute to Kaiord: development setup, coding standards, PR workflow,
  and commit conventions.
---

# Contributing

Kaiord welcomes contributions. This guide covers the development workflow.

## Setup

```bash
git clone https://github.com/pablo-albaladejo/kaiord.git
cd kaiord
pnpm install
pnpm -r build
pnpm -r test
```

## Branch naming

* `feature/my-feature` -- new features
* `fix/my-fix` -- bug fixes
* `docs/my-docs` -- documentation changes

## Commit messages

Follow [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/):

```
feat(core): add ZWO round-trip validation
fix(fit): handle empty lap arrays
docs: update architecture guide
```

## PR workflow

1. Create a feature branch from `main`
2. Implement changes following hexagonal architecture
3. Add tests (TDD -- failing test first)
4. Run `pnpm -r test && pnpm -r build && pnpm lint:fix`
5. Add changeset: `pnpm exec changeset`
6. Open a PR against `main`

## Code style

* TypeScript strict mode
* Max 100 lines per file (tests exempt)
* Max 40 lines per function
* Use `type` not `interface`
* Separate type imports: `import type { X } from "..."`
* Functions over classes

## Next steps

* [Architecture](/guide/architecture) -- understand the codebase structure
* [Testing](/guide/testing) -- testing practices
* [Quick Start](/guide/quick-start) -- try Kaiord before contributing