Contributing to Overture

February 21, 2026 · View on GitHub

First off, thank you for considering contributing to Overture! It's people like you that make Overture such a great tool for the developer community.

Table of Contents

Code of Conduct

This project and everyone participating in it is governed by our Code of Conduct. By participating, you are expected to uphold this code. Please report unacceptable behavior to support@trysixth.com.

Getting Started

Overture is a monorepo containing two main packages:

  • packages/mcp-server — The MCP server that communicates with AI agents
  • packages/ui — The React-based visual canvas interface

Prerequisites

  • Node.js >= 18.0.0
  • npm >= 9.0.0
  • Git

Development Setup

  1. Fork the repository

    Click the "Fork" button at the top right of the Overture repository.

  2. Clone your fork

    git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/Overture.git
cd Overture

  3. Install dependencies

    npm install

  4. Start the development servers

    In one terminal, start the UI dev server:

    cd packages/ui
npm run dev

    In another terminal, start the MCP server:

    cd packages/mcp-server
npm run dev

  5. Open the UI

    Navigate to http://localhost:5173 in your browser.

Project Structure

overture/
├── packages/
│   ├── mcp-server/          # MCP server package
│   │   ├── src/
│   │   │   ├── index.ts     # MCP server entry point
│   │   │   ├── cli.ts       # CLI entry point
│   │   │   ├── tools/       # MCP tool handlers
│   │   │   ├── websocket/   # WebSocket server
│   │   │   ├── store/       # Plan state management
│   │   │   └── types.ts     # TypeScript types
│   │   ├── prompts/         # Agent instruction files
│   │   └── ui-dist/         # Built UI (copied from ui/dist)
│   │
│   └── ui/                  # React UI package
│       ├── src/
│       │   ├── components/  # React components
│       │   ├── stores/      # Zustand stores
│       │   ├── hooks/       # Custom React hooks
│       │   └── utils/       # Utility functions
│       └── public/          # Static assets
│
├── prompts/                 # Agent-specific documentation
├── assets/                  # Images, logos, etc.
└── docs/                    # Additional documentation

How to Contribute

Reporting Bugs

Before creating a bug report, please check existing issues to avoid duplicates.

When creating a bug report, include:

  • Clear title describing the issue
  • Steps to reproduce the behavior
  • Expected behavior vs actual behavior
  • Screenshots if applicable
  • Environment details (OS, Node version, agent used)

Suggesting Features

We love feature suggestions! When suggesting a feature:

  • Check existing issues to avoid duplicates
  • Describe the problem you're trying to solve
  • Describe your proposed solution
  • Consider alternatives you've thought about

Contributing Code

  1. Find an issue to work on, or create one first
  2. Comment on the issue to let others know you're working on it
  3. Create a branch from main: 
    git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
# or
git checkout -b fix/your-bug-fix
  4. Make your changes following our style guidelines
  5. Test your changes thoroughly
  6. Commit your changes with a clear message
  7. Push to your fork and create a Pull Request

Good First Issues

Looking for a place to start? Check out issues labeled good first issue — these are specifically curated for new contributors.

Pull Request Process

  1. Update documentation if you're changing functionality
  2. Add tests for new features when applicable
  3. Ensure all tests pass before submitting
  4. Fill out the PR template completely
  5. Request a review from maintainers
  6. Address feedback promptly and respectfully

PR Title Convention

Use conventional commit format for PR titles:

  • feat: add parallel execution support
  • fix: resolve node status not updating
  • docs: update installation instructions
  • refactor: simplify WebSocket message handling
  • style: improve canvas animations
  • chore: update dependencies

Review Process

  • PRs require at least one approval from a maintainer
  • We aim to review PRs within 48 hours
  • Be patient — maintainers are often volunteers with other commitments

Style Guidelines

TypeScript

  • Use TypeScript for all new code
  • Enable strict mode
  • Prefer interface over type for object shapes
  • Use meaningful variable and function names
  • Add JSDoc comments for public APIs

React (UI Package)

  • Use functional components with hooks
  • Prefer Zustand for state management
  • Use Tailwind CSS for styling
  • Keep components small and focused
  • Co-locate related files

Code Formatting

We use ESLint and Prettier. Before committing:

npm run lint

Commit Messages

  • Use present tense ("Add feature" not "Added feature")
  • Use imperative mood ("Move cursor to..." not "Moves cursor to...")
  • Keep the first line under 72 characters
  • Reference issues when applicable (Fixes #123)

Community

Getting Help

  • GitHub Discussions — For questions and general discussion
  • GitHub Issues — For bugs and feature requests
  • Discord — Coming soon!

Recognition

Contributors are recognized in several ways:

  • Listed in our Contributors page
  • Mentioned in release notes for significant contributions
  • Special recognition for consistent contributors

Thank You!

Your contributions make Overture better for everyone. Whether it's fixing a typo, reporting a bug, or building a major feature — every contribution matters.

Happy coding! 🎉