CONTRIBUTING.md

🤝 Contributing to gitc

Thank you for your interest in contributing to gitc, an AI-powered CLI tool for generating meaningful commit messages from your Git diffs. Your contributions help make gitc better for everyone!

We welcome all types of contributions, including bug fixes, feature additions, documentation improvements, and tests. This guide outlines how you can get involved.

📌 Table of Contents

• Code of Conduct
• Getting Started
• Development Setup
• Making Contributions
• Commit Message Guidelines
• Pull Request Process
• Feature Suggestions & Bug Reports
• Community

📜 Code of Conduct

We are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive community. Please adhere to our Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct. Treat everyone with respect and kindness.

⚙️ Getting Started

To start contributing, follow these steps:

1. Fork the repository on GitHub.
2. Clone your fork to your local machine:

   git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/gitc.git
   cd gitc

3. Create a new branch for your changes:

   git checkout -b feature/<your-feature-name>

🛠 Development Setup

To set up the development environment, ensure you have the following prerequisites:

• Go ≥ 1.20
• Git
• (Optional) An OpenAI API Key for testing AI-powered features

Steps:

1. Install dependencies:

   go mod tidy

2. Build the project:

   go build -o gitc ./cmd/gitc

3. Run the tool:

   ./gitc --help

4. Run tests:

   go test ./...

✍️ Making Contributions

We value contributions in many forms, including:

• 🐛 Fixing bugs
• 📄 Improving documentation
• 🚀 Adding new features
• ✅ Writing or improving tests
• 💡 Suggesting ideas via discussions

If you're unsure where to start, check out our GitHub Discussions or Issues for inspiration.

🧾 Commit Message Guidelines

We use Conventional Commits to maintain a clear and semantic commit history. This ensures our changelog is easy to read and understand.

Examples:

feat(config): add support for Gemini AI provider
fix(cli): resolve crash when config file is missing
docs(readme): clarify installation steps

Pro Tip: You can use gitc itself to generate commit messages! For example:

gitc -a --commit-type feat

Commit Types:

• feat: New features or enhancements
• fix: Bug fixes
• docs: Documentation updates
• test: Adding or improving tests
• refactor: Code refactoring without changing functionality
• chore: Miscellaneous tasks (e.g., updating dependencies)

🚀 Pull Request Process

To submit your changes:

1. Ensure your pull request (PR) targets the main branch.
2. Verify that all tests pass:

   go test ./...

3. Write a clear and descriptive PR title and description.
4. Reference related issues (e.g., Closes #42 or Fixes #42).
5. Add relevant labels (e.g., bug, feature, documentation).
6. Submit your PR and respond to any feedback during the code review process.

💡 Feature Suggestions & Bug Reports

• Report a bug: Open an issue on our Issues page.
• Suggest a feature: Start a discussion on our Discussions page.
• New to contributing? Look for issues labeled good first issue to get started.

🫶 Community

Join our community to connect with other contributors:

• Participate in GitHub Discussions to share ideas or ask questions.
• Stay updated by starring the repository and following along!

🙌 Thank You!

Your contributions—whether code, documentation, or ideas—make gitc better for everyone. We're excited to have you as part of our community! 🚀