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Contributing to Clean Commit

Thank you for your interest in contributing to Clean Commit! We welcome contributions from everyone.

Table of Contents

How to Contribute

There are many ways to contribute to Clean Commit:

1. Use It and Share Feedback

  • Try Clean Commit in your projects
  • Share your experience with the community
  • Report what works and what doesn't

2. Improve Documentation

  • Fix typos or unclear explanations
  • Add more examples
  • Improve existing examples
  • Translate documentation

3. Propose Enhancements

  • Suggest improvements to the specification
  • Propose new examples or use cases
  • Share edge cases we haven't covered

4. Participate in Discussions

  • Help answer questions from other users
  • Share your expertise and insights
  • Engage in specification discussions

Proposing Changes to the Workflow

The Clean Commit workflow is intentionally minimal and stable. Changes to the core specification require careful consideration.

Before Proposing a Change

Ask yourself:

  • Does this change make the workflow simpler or more complex?
  • Is this solving a real problem that many users face?
  • Can existing types handle this use case?
  • Does this maintain the "Clean Code deserves Clean Commit" philosophy?

How to Propose a Change

  1. Open an Issue

    • Use the "Specification Change Proposal" template (if available)
    • Clearly describe the problem you're trying to solve
    • Explain why existing types don't work
    • Provide real-world examples

  2. Include These Details

    • Problem: What issue are you addressing?
    • Current Behavior: How does Clean Commit handle this now?
    • Proposed Solution: What change are you suggesting?
    • Examples: Show before/after examples
    • Impact: How does this affect existing users?

  3. Be Open to Discussion

    • The community will review and discuss your proposal
    • Be prepared to iterate on your idea
    • Consider alternative solutions
    • Accept that not all proposals will be accepted

Types of Changes

Minor Changes (easier to accept):

  • Clarifications to existing documentation
  • Additional examples
  • Improved explanations
  • Edge case guidelines

Major Changes (require strong justification):

  • Adding new commit types
  • Changing type definitions
  • Modifying format rules
  • Removing existing types

Improving Documentation

Documentation improvements are always welcome!

What to Improve

  • Clarity: Make explanations easier to understand
  • Examples: Add more real-world examples
  • Organization: Improve structure and navigation
  • Completeness: Fill gaps in documentation
  • Accuracy: Fix errors or outdated information

How to Contribute Documentation

  1. Fork the Repository

    git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/clean-commit.git
cd clean-commit

  2. Create a Branch

    git checkout -b docs/improve-examples

  3. Make Your Changes

    • Edit the relevant markdown files
    • Follow existing formatting conventions
    • Keep language simple and friendly

  4. Use Clean Commit Workflow

    📖 docs: improve examples in quick reference
📖 docs (readme): add missing installation step
📖 docs: fix typo in specification

    Automate with GitHub Copilot (Optional):

    Configure VS Code to auto-generate Clean Commit messages:

    {
  "github.copilot.chat.commitMessageGeneration.instructions": [
    {
      "text": "Use Clean Commit workflow: <emoji> <type>: <description> or <emoji> <type> (<scope>): <description>. Choose type: 📦 new=user-facing features/functionality, 🔧 update=modify existing code/logic, 🗑️ remove=delete code/features, 🔒 security=fix vulnerabilities, ⚙️ setup=configs/CI/tooling/.github files, ☕ chore=maintenance/deps/LICENSE, 🧪 test=test files, 📖 docs=README/guides/comments, 🚀 release=version tags. Format: lowercase type, present tense (add not added), no period, max 72 chars. Examples: ⚙️ setup: add GitHub funding configuration | 📦 new: user authentication | 🔧 update (api): improve error handling | ☕ chore (deps): bump react version"
    }
  ]
}

  5. Submit a Pull Request

    • Describe what you changed and why
    • Link to any related issues
    • Request review from maintainers

Discussion Guidelines

When participating in discussions:

Do:

  • ✅ Be respectful and constructive
  • ✅ Focus on ideas, not people
  • ✅ Provide concrete examples
  • ✅ Listen to different perspectives
  • ✅ Assume good intentions
  • ✅ Stay on topic

Don't:

  • ❌ Be dismissive or condescending
  • ❌ Make personal attacks
  • ❌ Derail conversations
  • ❌ Spam or promote unrelated content
  • ❌ Argue in bad faith

Healthy Discussion Example

"I think we should consider adding a 'fix' type because bug fixes are common. However, I see how 'update' already covers this. Maybe we could clarify in the docs that bug fixes should use 'update'?"

Unhealthy Discussion Example

"This workflow is useless without a 'fix' type. Anyone who thinks otherwise doesn't understand real development."

Code of Conduct

Our Pledge

We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone, regardless of:

  • Experience level
  • Background
  • Identity
  • Personal characteristics

Expected Behavior

  • Use welcoming and inclusive language
  • Respect differing viewpoints and experiences
  • Accept constructive criticism gracefully
  • Focus on what's best for the community
  • Show empathy towards other community members

Unacceptable Behavior

  • Harassment or discriminatory language
  • Trolling or insulting comments
  • Personal or political attacks
  • Publishing others' private information
  • Any conduct inappropriate in a professional setting

Enforcement

Violations of the code of conduct may result in:

  1. Warning from maintainers
  2. Temporary ban from discussions
  3. Permanent ban from the project

Report violations to the project maintainers.

Review Process

For Documentation Changes

  1. Submission: Submit your pull request
  2. Review: Maintainers review within 7 days
  3. Feedback: Address any requested changes
  4. Approval: Once approved, changes are merged
  5. Credit: You'll be credited in the contributors list

For Specification Changes

  1. Discussion: Open issue for community discussion
  2. Consensus: Allow time for community input (minimum 2 weeks)
  3. Decision: Maintainers evaluate based on feedback
  4. Implementation: If approved, update documentation
  5. Announcement: Communicate changes to users

Questions?

  • General Questions: Open a GitHub Discussion
  • Bug Reports: Open a GitHub Issue
  • Security Issues: Contact maintainers directly

Recognition

All contributors will be recognized in our documentation. Thank you for helping make Clean Commit better!

License

By contributing to Clean Commit, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the MIT License.

Thank you for contributing to Clean Commit!