Contributing to Bindu

April 23, 2026 · View on GitHub

Thank you for your interest in contributing to Bindu! We're building the Internet of Agents, and your contributions help make that vision a reality. 🌻

Table of Contents

Code of Conduct

By participating in this project, you agree to maintain a respectful and inclusive environment:

  • Be respectful and constructive in all interactions
  • Welcome newcomers and help them get started
  • Focus on what's best for the community and project
  • Accept constructive criticism gracefully
  • Show empathy towards other community members

Report any unacceptable behavior to raahul@getbindu.com.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.12+ (specifically 3.12.9 recommended)
  • uv package manager (recommended) or pip
  • Git for version control
  • Basic understanding of async Python and FastAPI
  • Familiarity with agent frameworks (AG2, Agno, CrewAI, LangChain, etc.) is helpful

Areas to Contribute

We welcome contributions in several areas:

  • Core Framework: Improve the Bindu wrapper and protocol implementation
  • Protocol Support: Enhance A2A and X402 compliance
  • Agent Integrations: Add support for new agent frameworks
  • Documentation: Improve guides, examples, and API docs
  • Testing: Increase test coverage (target: 80%+)
  • Examples: Create demos and use cases
  • Bug Fixes: Fix reported issues
  • Performance: Optimize code and reduce latency

Development Setup

1. Fork and Clone

# Fork the repository on GitHub, then clone your fork
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/Bindu.git
cd Bindu

# Add upstream remote
git remote add upstream https://github.com/getbindu/Bindu.git

2. Set Up Environment

# Create virtual environment with Python 3.12.9
uv venv --python 3.12.9

# Activate virtual environment
source .venv/bin/activate  # On macOS/Linux
# or
.venv\Scripts\activate  # On Windows

# Install dependencies (including dev dependencies)
uv sync --dev

3. Install Pre-commit Hooks

# Install pre-commit hooks for code quality
uv run pre-commit install

# Run hooks on all files to verify setup
uv run pre-commit run --all-files

4. Verify Installation

# Run tests to ensure everything works
uv run pytest -n auto --cov=bindu --cov-report=term-missing

# Check that coverage is above 60%
uv run coverage report --skip-covered --fail-under=60

How to Contribute

Finding Issues to Work On

  • Check GitHub Issues for open tasks
  • Look for issues labeled good first issue or help wanted
  • Join our Discord to discuss ideas
  • Attend weekly community meetups (schedule on Discord)

Before You Start

  1. Check existing issues/PRs to avoid duplicate work
  2. Comment on the issue to let others know you're working on it
  3. For major changes, open an issue first to discuss your approach
  4. Create a branch from main with a descriptive name
# Create a feature branch
git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

# Or for bug fixes
git checkout -b fix/issue-description

Pull Request Process

1. Make Your Changes

  • Follow the coding standards
  • Write tests for new functionality
  • Update documentation as needed
  • Keep commits focused and atomic
  • Write clear commit messages

2. Test Your Changes

# Run all tests
uv run pytest -n auto

# Run tests with coverage
uv run pytest -n auto --cov=bindu --cov-report=term-missing

# Ensure coverage stays above 60%
uv run coverage report --fail-under=60

# Run pre-commit checks
uv run pre-commit run --all-files

3. Update Documentation

  • Update docstrings for new/modified functions
  • Add examples if introducing new features
  • Update README.md if needed
  • Add entry to CHANGELOG.md (if applicable)

4. Commit Your Changes

# Stage your changes
git add .

# Commit with a descriptive message
git commit -m "feat: add support for new agent framework"

# Or for bug fixes
git commit -m "fix: resolve DID resolution timeout issue"

Commit Message Format:

  • feat: New feature
  • fix: Bug fix
  • docs: Documentation changes
  • test: Adding or updating tests
  • refactor: Code refactoring
  • perf: Performance improvements
  • chore: Maintenance tasks

5. Push and Create PR

# Push to your fork
git push origin feature/your-feature-name

Then create a Pull Request on GitHub:

  1. Go to your fork on GitHub
  2. Click "Compare & pull request"
  3. Fill out the PR template with:
    • Clear description of changes
    • Related issue numbers (e.g., "Fixes #123")
    • Testing performed
    • Screenshots (if UI changes)
  4. Submit the PR

6. PR Review Process

  • Maintainers will review within 48 hours
  • Address any requested changes
  • Keep the PR updated with main branch
  • Once approved, a maintainer will merge
# Keep your branch updated
git fetch upstream
git rebase upstream/main
git push --force-with-lease origin feature/your-feature-name

Coding Standards

General Principles

  1. DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself): Avoid code duplication
  2. Type Safety: Use type hints throughout
  3. Best Practices: Follow Python and async programming best practices
  4. Minimal Code: Don't write unnecessary code

Code Style

  • Formatter: Code is automatically formatted with pre-commit hooks
  • Linting: Follow PEP 8 guidelines
  • Type Hints: Use type annotations for all functions

Async Best Practices

  • Use async/await for I/O operations
  • Avoid blocking calls in async functions
  • Use asyncio.gather() for concurrent operations
  • Properly handle async context managers

Testing Guidelines

Test Coverage Requirements

  • Maintain minimum 70% coverage (target: 80%+)
  • All new features must include tests
  • Bug fixes should include regression tests

Writing Tests

import pytest
from bindu.core import bindufy

@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_agent_initialization():
    """Test that agent initializes correctly."""
    config = {"author": "test@example.com", "name": "test_agent"}
    agent = await bindufy(my_agent, config, handler)

    assert agent.did is not None
    assert agent.name == "test_agent"

def test_did_format():
    """Test DID format generation."""
    did = generate_did("user@example.com", "my_agent", "uuid-123")

    assert did.startswith("did:bindu:")
    assert "my_agent" in did

Running Tests

# Run all tests
pytest

# Run specific test file
pytest tests/test_core.py

# Run with coverage
pytest --cov=bindu --cov-report=html

# Run in parallel
pytest -n auto

# Run with verbose output
pytest -v

Documentation Updates

  • Update README.md for user-facing changes
  • Add examples to examples/ directory
  • Update API documentation in docs/
  • Keep MAINTAINERS.md current

Community

Communication Channels

  • GitHub Issues: Bug reports and feature requests
  • GitHub Discussions: Questions and ideas
  • Discord: Real-time chat - Join here
  • Weekly Meetups: Online community meetup every week
    • Schedule announced on Discord and GitHub Discussions
    • Open to all contributors
    • Recordings shared for async participation

Getting Help

  • Check existing documentation and examples
  • Search closed issues for similar problems
  • Ask on Discord for quick questions
  • Open a GitHub Discussion for broader topics
  • Attend weekly community meetups

Recognition

We value all contributions! Contributors are:

  • Listed in release notes
  • Mentioned in project documentation
  • Invited to community events
  • Considered for maintainer roles (see MAINTAINERS.md)

First-Time Contributors

New to open source? We're here to help!

  1. Start with issues labeled good first issue
  2. Read through existing code and tests
  3. Ask questions on Discord - no question is too small
  4. Pair with a maintainer on your first PR
  5. Check out our examples directory

License

By contributing to Bindu, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the Apache License 2.0.

Questions?

If you have questions about contributing:

Thank you for contributing to Bindu and helping build the Internet of Agents! 🌻🚀✨