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Contributing to AnswerAI

Welcome to the AnswerAI Alpha Sprint! This guide will help you contribute effectively to our mission of building privacy-first AI tools.

🚀 Getting Started​

1. Choose Your Repository​

Visit our organization repositories and pick a project:

2. Find Your First Issue​

Look for issues tagged with:

  • beginner - Perfect for first-time contributors
  • good first issue - Well-documented starter tasks
  • help wanted - Community assistance needed
  • alpha-sprint - High-priority for July 21st deadline

📋 PR Process​

Before You Start​

  1. Fork the repository you want to contribute to
  2. Clone your fork locally
  3. Create a new branch for your feature/fix
  4. Read the existing code to understand patterns

Development Workflow​

# Clone your fork
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/REPO_NAME.git
cd REPO_NAME

# Create feature branch
git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

# Install dependencies
npm install
# or
pnpm install

# Start development server
npm run dev

Making Changes​

  1. Follow existing code style - We use ESLint and Prettier
  2. Write descriptive commit messages
  3. Test your changes thoroughly
  4. Update documentation if needed

Commit Message Format​

Use conventional commit format:

type: brief description

feat: add new chat sidekick for data analysis
fix: resolve extension popup sizing issue
docs: update API documentation for agents
style: format code according to prettier rules
refactor: improve database query performance
test: add unit tests for chat history

Pull Request Guidelines​

1. Create a Quality PR​

  • Title: Clear, descriptive summary
  • Description: Explain what you built and why
  • Screenshots: For UI changes
  • Testing: How you verified it works

2. PR Template​

## What I Built

Brief description of your contribution

## Problem It Solves

Explain the specific issue or enhancement

## How It Serves the Mission

Connect to our privacy-first, developer-friendly goals

## Testing Done

-   [ ] Local testing completed
-   [ ] Edge cases considered
-   [ ] Documentation updated

## Screenshots/Video

[Include visual proof of your work]

## Additional Notes

Any special considerations or future improvements

3. Automated Review Process​

Our system will automatically:

  • ✅ Run tests and linting
  • 🤖 Provide AI-suggested improvements
  • 📊 Check code coverage
  • 🔍 Security vulnerability scan

4. Video Requirement​

Every merged PR requires a 1-3 minute video explaining:

  1. What you built/fixed
  2. Problem it solves
  3. How it serves our mission
  4. Demo of functionality

Video Guidelines​

  • Length: 1-3 minutes maximum
  • Format: MP4, MOV, or YouTube link
  • Quality: Clear audio, visible screen
  • Content: Focus on your contribution's impact

🎯 Contribution Types​

Code Contributions​

  • Bug fixes - Resolve existing issues
  • New features - Enhance platform capabilities
  • Performance - Optimize speed and efficiency
  • Security - Strengthen privacy and safety

Non-Code Contributions​

  • Documentation - Improve guides and examples
  • Testing - Write and improve test coverage
  • Design - UI/UX improvements
  • Community - Help other contributors

🏆 Recognition System​

Credit Earning Tiers​

🥉 Bronze Contributors

  • First merged PR
  • Community recognition
  • Alpha sprint certificate

🥈 Silver Contributors

  • 5+ merged PRs
  • Technical mentor status
  • Early access to new features

🥇 Gold Contributors

  • 10+ merged PRs
  • Architecture decision input
  • Revenue sharing opportunities

⚡ Alpha Sprint Priorities​

High-Priority Areas​

  1. Chrome Extension Polish

    • Performance optimizations
    • Bug fixes
    • New tool integrations

  2. Web Application Features

    • Chat improvements
    • Agent management
    • Studio enhancements

  3. Foundation Work

    • Desktop app architecture
    • API improvements
    • Documentation

Special Recognition​

Alpha Sprint Heroes get:

  • Direct access to core team
  • Influence on roadmap decisions
  • First access to revenue sharing
  • Speaking opportunities at events

🛠️ Development Environment​

Required Tools​

  • Node.js (18.15.0+ or 20+)
  • pnpm (recommended) or npm
  • Git with SSH keys configured
  • VS Code (recommended) with extensions:
    • ESLint
    • Prettier
    • TypeScript Hero

Environment Setup​

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Copy environment template
cp .env.example .env

# Start development servers
pnpm dev

Testing​

# Run all tests
pnpm test

# Run specific test suite
pnpm test:unit
pnpm test:e2e

# Watch mode for development
pnpm test:watch

🤝 Code Review Process​

What We Look For​

  1. Code Quality

    • Clean, readable code
    • Proper error handling
    • Performance considerations

  2. Alignment with Mission

    • Privacy-first approach
    • User empowerment
    • Developer-friendly design

  3. Community Impact

    • Solves real problems
    • Enhances user experience
    • Moves sprint goals forward

Review Timeline​

  • Initial response: Within 24 hours
  • Full review: Within 48 hours
  • Merge decision: Within 72 hours

🎉 After Your PR is Merged​

  1. Record your video (if not done already)
  2. Share on social media with #AnswerAIAlphaSprint
  3. Find your next issue to continue contributing
  4. Help other contributors in discussions

💬 Getting Help​

Community Support​

Direct Support​

  • Stuck on setup? Tag @core-team in discussions
  • Architecture questions? Create detailed GitHub issue
  • Urgent blockers? Message in #alpha-sprint Discord channel

📅 Sprint Timeline​

Now - July 21st, 2025

  • Core development phase
  • Daily progress updates
  • Weekly community calls

July 21st

  • Alpha release celebration
  • Contributor recognition event
  • Roadmap for post-alpha development

Remember: We're not just building software—we're proving that committed developers can create better tools than billion-dollar corporations. Every contribution matters in showing the world what privacy-first, developer-owned AI looks like.

Ready to start building? Browse our repositories and find your first issue!