Contributing

Thank you for considering contributing to this project! Please follow these guidelines to help us maintain a welcoming and productive environment. When contributing to this repository, please first discuss the change you wish to make via issue, email, or any other method with the original authors of this work.

Please note we have a code of conduct, please follow it in all your interactions with the project.

Pull Request Process

1. Ensure any install or build dependencies are removed before the end of the layer when doing a build.
2. Update the README.md with details of changes to the interface, this includes new environment variables, exposed ports, useful file locations and container parameters.
3. Increase the version numbers in any examples files and the README.md to the new version that this Pull Request would represent. The versioning scheme we use is SemVer. This repository is part of a framework that includes a Python library for dApps and a fork of OpenAirInterface written in C. We do not accept major patches that break or reduce compatibility with the twin repository.
4. Submitted code must have been tested and should work with all the compatible configurations of the framework.
5. Your branch must fast-forward onto main. Keep it a linear descendant of main (rebase onto the latest main whenever main moves) with no merge commits, so the exact commits reviewed in the Pull Request are the ones that land. Merges without prior approval are not allowed.
6. Every commit must stand on its own. Each commit must build and pass tests independently, so git bisect stays usable. Fold "WIP"/"fixup" commits into coherent commits (git rebase -i) before review, and give each a descriptive message: an imperative subject line and, for non-trivial changes, a body explaining the what and why.

Development Workflow

Development happens in the open on wineslab/libe3.

For maintainers and existing collaborators

Branch from main, open the PR against wineslab/libe3, follow the templates in .github/, and let CI run.

For external contributors

Fork wineslab/libe3, push your branch, and open a PR against main. Before starting non-trivial work, please open an issue (or email a.lacava@northeastern.edu) describing what you intend to change so we can coordinate.

Merging (maintainers)

Merges into main are fast-forward only, performed by a maintainer from the command line:

git fetch origin && git checkout main && git merge --ff-only <approved-branch> && git push origin main

Do not merge through the GitHub merge button: it would rewrite or add commits and would not preserve the exact reviewed commits. GitHub requires at least one merge method to stay enabled ("Squash and merge" is left on for that reason only), so maintainers must ignore it and merge from the command line as above. main is protected, so the fast-forward push is performed by a maintainer with push (bypass) rights on the branch. The Commit policy workflow posts the ready-to-run merge command when the PR is approved.

Mandatory checks

The following are mandatory for every contribution. PRs that do not meet them will not be reviewed.

Issues

• All issues must use one of the templates in .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/ (bug_report, feature_request, question, documentation, or new_sm). Blank issues are disabled.
• Required fields in the templates must be completed; placeholder text is not acceptable.

Pull requests

• All PRs must use .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md and complete every checklist item.
• The following CI workflows must be green on the latest commit before review:
  • Unit Tests (.github/workflows/pr-tests.yml) — builds and runs ctest --output-on-failure for both Debug and Release on ubuntu-latest, plus the integration, all-encodings, and SWIG jobs.
  • Commit policy (.github/workflows/commit-trailers.yml) — validates the AI-assistant trailer policy on every commit (see AI assistants), that the branch is a linear, fast-forward-able descendant of main (no merge commits), and that every commit builds and passes tests on its own.
• Build and test workflows do not run on documentation- or CI-only PRs; a Detect code changes job gates them so they run only when a PR changes code (the trailer and linear-history checks still run on every PR).
• The following local checks must be reported in the PR description as run by the contributor (mirroring CI):
  • The branch is rebased on the latest main, git log --merges origin/main..HEAD is empty, and each commit builds and passes tests independently.
  • ./build_libe3 -c -d build -j $(nproc) -r -t passes (Release + tests).
  • ./build_libe3 -c -d build -j $(nproc) -g -t passes (Debug + tests).
  • The MPMC benchmark (./build/test_bench_mpmc_queue) shows no regression vs main.
  • VERSION bumped per SemVer when public API or ABI changes.
  • ./build_libe3 --docs renders without new Doxygen warnings if public headers under include/ were modified.
  • README.md and/or CONTRIBUTING.md updated when contributor- or user-facing behavior changes.

AI assistants

Contributions developed with the help of AI tools (LLM coding assistants, agents, and similar) are welcome, subject to the following mandatory rules, adapted from the Linux kernel and OpenAirInterface contribution guidelines.

• AI agents must not add Signed-off-by or Co-authored-by trailers. Those trailers certify human authorship and origin, which only a human contributor can provide; Co-authored-by is reserved for human collaborators.

• When an AI tool materially assisted a commit, disclose it with one Assisted-by trailer per tool. The value is free-form (any non-empty descriptor); both the compact AGENT_NAME:MODEL_VERSION form and the Linux-kernel Name <email> form are accepted, for example:

  Assisted-by: Claude:claude-opus-4-8
  Assisted-by: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
  Assisted-by: Genesis agents based on Claude:claude-opus-4-8
  

• The human submitter bears full responsibility for reviewing AI-generated code, for its correctness, and for its compatibility with this project's Apache-2.0 license (retain the SPDX identifiers already present in the sources).

These rules are enforced by the Commit policy workflow (.github/workflows/commit-trailers.yml), which fails any commit that attributes an AI agent through Co-authored-by/Signed-off-by or that carries an empty Assisted-by trailer. You can run the same check locally with python3 scripts/check_commit_trailers.py --base origin/main --head HEAD.

Service Models and twin-repo coordination

This repository is part of a framework that includes dapps (the Python dApp library) and dApp-openairinterface5g (the OAI fork). We do not accept patches that break or reduce compatibility with the twin repositories. PRs that change the public API/ABI, the E3 wire protocol, or add a new Service Model must come with a paired PR in the affected twin repo, linked from the PR description.

Code of Conduct

Our Pledge

In the interest of fostering an open and welcoming environment, we as contributors and maintainers pledge to making participation in our project and our community a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, disability, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, level of experience, nationality, personal appearance, race, religion, or sexual identity and orientation.

Our Standards

Examples of behavior that contributes to creating a positive environment include:

• Using welcoming and inclusive language
• Being respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences
• Gracefully accepting constructive criticism
• Focusing on what is best for the community
• Showing empathy towards other community members

Examples of unacceptable behavior by participants include:

• The use of sexualized language or imagery and unwelcome sexual attention or advances
• Trolling, insulting/derogatory comments, and personal or political attacks
• Public or private harassment
• Publishing others' private information, such as a physical or electronic address, without explicit permission
• Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional setting

Our Responsibilities

Project maintainers are responsible for clarifying the standards of acceptable behavior and are expected to take appropriate and fair corrective action in response to any instances of unacceptable behavior.

Project maintainers have the right and responsibility to remove, edit, or reject comments, commits, code, wiki edits, issues, and other contributions that are not aligned to this Code of Conduct, or to ban temporarily or permanently any contributor for other behaviors that they deem inappropriate, threatening, offensive, or harmful.

Scope

This Code of Conduct applies both within project spaces and in public spaces when an individual is representing the project or its community. Examples of representing a project or community include using an official project e-mail address, posting via an official social media account, or acting as an appointed representative at an online or offline event. Representation of a project may be further defined and clarified by project maintainers.

Enforcement

Instances of abusive, harassing, or otherwise unacceptable behavior may be reported by contacting the project team. All complaints will be reviewed and investigated and will result in a response that is deemed necessary and appropriate to the circumstances. The project team is obligated to maintain confidentiality with regard to the reporter of an incident. Further details of specific enforcement policies may be posted separately.

Project maintainers who do not follow or enforce the Code of Conduct in good faith may face temporary or permanent repercussions as determined by other members of the project's leadership.

Attribution

This Code of Conduct is adapted from the Contributor Covenant, version 1.4, available at http://contributor-covenant.org/version/1/4