Contributing to Watcher

Getting Started

We welcome contributions to improve Watcher, whether through new features, bug fixes, documentation, or optimizations. This guide explains how to set up your development environment and submit changes via Pull Requests (PRs).

Documentation: https://thalesgroup-cert.github.io/Watcher/

Issues

Bug Reports

Include: OS, Python version, Watcher version, steps to reproduce, expected vs actual behavior, and logs.

Feature Requests

Describe the problem being solved, proposed solution, and use cases. Open an issue for discussion before implementing.

Security Vulnerabilities

Use GitHub Security Advisories. Do not open public issues.

Pull Requests

Workflow

# Create branch
git checkout -b feature/<short_feature_name>

# Make changes and commit
git commit -m "Short title" -m "Optional longer description"

# Push and open PR
git push origin feature/<short_feature_name>

Commit Convention

Follow Conventional Commits:

• feat: New feature
• fix: Bug fix
• docs: Documentation
• refactor: Code refactoring
• test: Tests
• chore: Maintenance

Pull Request Requirements

• Fill Pull Request template completely
• Link related issues with Fixes #123
• Pass all tests
• Follow code style
• Update documentation if needed
• Minimum 80% test coverage for new code

Branch Naming

• feature/ - New features
• fix/ - Bug fixes
• docs/ - Documentation
• refactor/ - Code improvements

Code Review Process

• All PRs are reviewed by project maintainers.
• Reviews may request changes for consistency, security, or clarity.
• Once approved, your PR will be merged into the test branch, then later into master.

Best Practices

• Keep commits small and focused.
• Write clear commit messages.
• Ensure code is formatted and linted.
• Add/update tests where relevant.
• Update documentation when introducing changes.

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Following these steps helps us keep Watcher reliable, maintainable, and secure.