Contributing

Thank you for your interest in contributing to React Native AI! This guide will help you get started.

Prerequisites

• Bun (latest version recommended)
• React Native development environment (Android Studio, Xcode)

Project Structure

This is a monorepo with the following packages:

• packages/mlc/ - MLC-LLM integration for React Native
• packages/apple-llm/ - Apple Intelligence turbo module for iOS
• apps/expo-example/ - example Expo app

Quick Start

1. Clone and install dependencies:

   git clone https://github.com/callstackincubator/ai.git
   cd ai
   bun install
   

2. Run quality checks:

   bun run typecheck
   bun run lint
   

3. Test your changes:

   # Run example app
   cd apps/expo-example
   bun run start
   bun run android  # or ios
   

Development Guidelines

Code Quality

• Follow existing code style and patterns
• Ensure TypeScript types are properly defined
• Run bun run lint --fix to fix formatting issues

Native Code

• Android: Use Kotlin, follow existing patterns in packages/*/android/
• iOS: Use Swift/Objective-C++, follow existing patterns in packages/*/ios/

Commit Messages

Follow Conventional Commits:

• feat: new features
• fix: bug fixes
• docs: documentation changes
• refactor: code refactoring
• test: test additions/updates
• chore: tooling/config changes

Pull Request Process

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch from main
3. Make your changes following the guidelines above
4. Test thoroughly with both example apps
5. Submit a pull request with:
   • Clear description of changes
   • Screenshots/videos for UI changes
   • Test plan for reviewers

Common Tasks

Working with packages

Build all packages

bun run --filter='@react-native-ai/*' prepare

Work on specific package

cd packages/mlc
bun run typecheck

Running examples

cd apps/expo-example
bun run prestart    # Setup MLC dependencies
bun run start
bun run android

Native Development

• Android: Open apps/expo-example/android in Android Studio

• iOS MLC: Open apps/expo-example/ios/AiExample.xcworkspace in Xcode

• RN example app: Open apps/expo-example/ios/example.xcworkspace in Xcode

  • The Apple Intelligence package is a Turbo Module - work directly from the integrated Xcode project
  • Native code is in packages/apple-llm/ios/ but best developed through the example app

Required Native Builds

The demos require the MLC package to have built the MLC-LLM engine libraries for Android and iOS. We publish the package with prebuilt binaries and this monorepo contains a postinstall script that fetches them on initial setup so you don't need to go through the prerequisites for the MLC package yourself. Set SKIP_MLC_PREBUILT_FETCH=1 to opt out, or run bun run fetch-prebuilt in packages/mlc package to fetch manually. Rebuild from source with build:runtime:ios / build:runtime:android when needed.

Need Help?

• Check existing issues
• Review the code of conduct
• Ask questions in pull request discussions

We appreciate all contributions, big and small! 🚀