CONTRIBUTING.md

Contributing

Thank you for contributing to the Nova R&D blueprint. Please read AGENTS.md first.

Quick Start

• Fork/clone the repo and create a branch from develop:
  • git checkout develop && git pull
  • git checkout -b feature/<short-purpose>
• Keep commits small and frequent; use Conventional Commits.
• Open a PR to develop with a clear summary and links to ADRs.

Branching Model

• main: stable, tagged releases only.
• develop: integration branch; all PRs land here first.
• feature/*: focused changes; rebase on develop as needed.
• release/*: prep releases; docs, versioning, final checks.
• hotfix/*: urgent fixes off main.

Commits & PRs

• Format: type(scope): subject (types: feat, fix, docs, chore, refactor, test).
• Body: what/why, notable tradeoffs, references to ADRs/issues, affected paths.
• PR checklist:
  • Receipts updated (13_receipts/), indices linked, templates followed
  • Evals/Metrics touched documented (08_evals/, 06_metrics/)
  • Screenshots/snippets for major doc changes

Documentation & Tracking

• Use 04_decisions/ADR-TEMPLATE.md for decisions; one per decision.
• Use 05_experiments/EXPERIMENT_TEMPLATE.md; ensure reproducibility.
• Append logs to 03_research_logs/ (timestamped). Do not rewrite.
• Validate JSON receipts against 13_receipts/SCHEMA.json when applicable.

Style

• Markdown: #/## headings, - lists, ~100‑col wrap, 2‑space indent.
• Use code fences for commands/paths.

Reviews

• Two approvals preferred; at least one reviewer with context.
• Keep PRs under ~300 lines of diff when possible; split otherwise.