Contributing to dbt-ui

February 1, 2026 · View on GitHub

Thank you for your interest in contributing to dbt-ui — a modern web-based interface for dbt-core projects. Your ideas, questions, and improvements are always welcome!

Step 0: Check Existing Work

Before starting anything new, search our:

This helps avoid duplicate work and ensures we're aligned on priorities.

Step 1: Start with a Discussion

If you haven't found your issue or suggestion already discussed in there, then start a conversation:

  • Use the Discussions tab to ask questions, share ideas, or describe a possible bug or enhancement.
  • This helps confirm if:
    • The behavior is indeed a bug,
    • There's already a fix or workaround,
    • Or the proposal aligns with our roadmap.

Our goal is to keep the conversation open and constructive before moving to implementation.

Step 2: Confirm the Issue

Once a discussion reaches a clear conclusion:

  • A maintainer or discussion author may open a corresponding GitHub Issue summarizing:
    • What was confirmed,
    • Why it matters,
    • And what the next steps are.

Each issue should represent a concrete, actionable item — whether that’s fixing a confirmed bug or adding an agreed-upon feature. Using issue template is mandatory when opening an issue. Issues created without a template will be closed.

Step 3: Submit a Pull Request

When you’re ready to contribute code:

  1. Fork the repository and create a topic branch from main.
  2. Make your changes and include tests if applicable. It is important for each single commit in Pull Request to have less than 150 lines of code (deletions+insertions in total) so that it can be properly reviewed by a human in a reasonable time.
  3. Verify that your pull request links to a confirmed issue using a GitHub keyword (e.g. Fixes #123 or Closes #456).

This ensures every PR corresponds to an approved item and keeps the development process transparent.

💙 Community Principles

  • Be respectful and patient in discussions.
  • Prefer clarity over cleverness — readable code helps everyone.
  • Provide context when reporting bugs or suggesting improvements (logs, screenshots, versions, browser info, etc.).

By contributing, you help make dbt-ui more robust, transparent, and easier to use for everyone in the community.
Thank you for helping shape this project! 🙌