Contributing to git-flow-next

February 20, 2026 · View on GitHub

Thank you for your interest in contributing to git-flow-next! This document provides guidelines and instructions for contributing.

Quick Start for Contributors

This project is developed primarily with AI-assisted coding tools (such as Claude Code). The repository includes committed skills, guidelines, and workflow automation designed around this approach. You don't have to use AI tooling to contribute, but the project structure is optimized for it.

AI-Assisted Workflow

The end-to-end development process is described in DEV_WORKFLOW.md. It covers the full lifecycle from issue analysis through planning, implementation, and PR creation — each stage driven by dedicated skills in .claude/skills/:

Skill	Purpose
`/analyze-issue`	Analyze a GitHub issue and produce a structured analysis
`/create-plan`	Generate an implementation plan from analysis or concept
`/validate-tests`	Validate and improve the test approach in a plan
`/implement`	Execute an implementation plan
`/code-review`	Review changes or PRs against project guidelines
`/pr-summary`	Generate a PR summary
`/commit`	Create a commit following project conventions
`/gh-issue`	Create a GitHub issue following project guidelines

Key Documentation

Document	What it covers
DEV_WORKFLOW.md	Full development lifecycle and skill usage
CODING_GUIDELINES.md	Code conventions, patterns, and architecture
TESTING_GUIDELINES.md	Test methodology, structure, and best practices
COMMIT_GUIDELINES.md	Commit message format and standards
ARCHITECTURE.md	Design concepts and technical overview
CODE_REFERENCE.md	Codebase navigation and implementation details
CONFIGURATION.md	Configuration reference and examples

Code of Conduct

By participating in this project, you agree to:

Be respectful and inclusive of differing viewpoints and experiences
Use welcoming and inclusive language
Accept constructive criticism gracefully
Focus on what is best for the community
Show empathy towards other community members

How to Contribute

Reporting Bugs

Check Existing Issues - Search the issue tracker to avoid duplicates
Create a Clear Report Including:
- A clear, descriptive title
- Detailed steps to reproduce the bug
- Expected behavior
- Actual behavior
- Your environment (OS, git version, etc.)
- Any relevant logs or error messages

Suggesting Enhancements

Check Existing Suggestions - Search issues and discussions
Provide Context - Explain why this enhancement would be useful
Consider Scope - Is it generally useful or specific to your use case?
Describe Implementation - If possible, outline how it might be implemented

Pull Requests

Fork the Repository

Create a Branch

git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
# or
git checkout -b fix/your-bug-fix

Commit Guidelines

Follow the commit message format defined in COMMIT_GUIDELINES.md. Key points:
- Use a <type>: prefix (feat, fix, refactor, test, docs, etc.)
- Imperative mood ("Add feature" not "Added feature")
- Subject line ≤50 characters
- Reference issues in the footer (Resolves #123)
Example:
```
feat: Add support for custom merge strategies

Implements configurable merge strategies per branch type.

Resolves #123
```
Code Style
- Follow existing code style and formatting
- Add comments for complex logic
- Update documentation for API changes
- Include tests for new functionality
- Ensure all tests pass
Submit Pull Request
- Provide a clear title and description
- Link related issues
- Include any necessary documentation updates
- Add notes about testing performed

Development Setup

Prerequisites
- Go 1.19 or later
- Git 2.25 or later

Local Development

# Clone your fork
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/git-flow-next.git
cd git-flow-next

# Add upstream remote
git remote add upstream https://github.com/gittower/git-flow-next.git

# Create branch
git checkout -b your-feature

# Build
go build -o git-flow

# Run tests
go test ./...

Testing

Unit Tests
- Add tests for new functionality
- Update tests for modified code
- Ensure all tests pass locally
Integration Tests
- Test your changes with different Git workflows
- Verify behavior with merge conflicts
- Test with different branch configurations

License and Copyright

All contributions must be licensed under the BSD 2-Clause license
You retain copyright on your contributions
By submitting a pull request, you agree to license your contributions under the same BSD 2-Clause license

Additional Guidelines

Documentation

Code Comments
- Add comments for complex logic
- Update function documentation
- Include examples for new features
User Documentation
- Update README.md for user-facing changes
- Add or update command documentation
- Include examples for new functionality

Quality Standards

Code Quality
- Follow Go best practices
- Use meaningful variable and function names
- Keep functions focused and concise
- Handle errors appropriately
Testing Requirements
- Minimum 80% test coverage for new code
- Include both positive and negative test cases
- Test edge cases and error conditions
Performance Considerations
- Consider impact on large repositories
- Avoid unnecessary Git operations
- Profile code for potential bottlenecks

Create an issue for questions
Join our community discussions
Read our documentation
Contact maintainers for guidance

Recognition

Contributors will be:

Listed in CONTRIBUTORS.md
Mentioned in release notes for significant contributions
Recognized in project documentation where appropriate

Thank you for contributing to git-flow-next!