Contributing to Prismer.AI

March 3, 2026 · View on GitHub

Thank you for your interest in contributing to Prismer.AI! This document provides guidelines and information for contributors.

Code of Conduct

By participating in this project, you agree to maintain a respectful and inclusive environment for everyone.

How to Contribute

Reporting Issues

  • Search existing issues before creating a new one
  • Use the issue templates when available
  • Provide clear reproduction steps for bugs
  • Include relevant system information

Pull Requests

  1. Fork the repository and create your branch from main
  2. Write clear commit messages following Conventional Commits
  3. Add tests for new functionality
  4. Update documentation as needed
  5. Ensure all tests pass before submitting

Commit Message Format

type(scope): description

[optional body]

[optional footer]

Types: feat, fix, docs, style, refactor, test, chore

Example:

feat(paper-reader): add citation extraction from PDFs

- Implemented PDF parsing for reference sections
- Added support for common citation formats
- Integrated with Semantic Scholar API

Closes #123

Development Setup

cd web
npm install
cp .env.docker.example .env    # Edit and add your OPENAI_API_KEY
npm run db:generate && npm run db:push
npm run dev                    # → http://localhost:3000

Requires Node.js 18+. For the full development guide (environment variables, Docker profiles, testing), see docs/CONTRIB.md.

Areas We Need Help

Academic Domain Experts

Help us understand research workflows better and validate our approach to academic tooling.

Frontend Engineers

  • Improve component UX and accessibility
  • Optimize performance for large documents
  • Enhance mobile responsiveness

ML Engineers

  • Enhance RAG pipeline for citation accuracy
  • Improve citation verification algorithms
  • Optimize embedding strategies

Technical Writers

  • API documentation
  • Tutorials and guides
  • Example projects

Questions?

Feel free to open an issue for any questions about contributing.

Thank you for helping make academic research more accessible! 🎓