CONTRIBUTING.md

Contributing to CommitPilot

Thanks for checking out this project. This repository is maintained with a portfolio-quality workflow: small changes, clear commits, readable documentation, and practical review notes.

Contribution Principles

• Keep changes focused and easy to review.
• Prefer clarity over cleverness.
• Update documentation when behavior, setup, or architecture changes.
• Avoid committing secrets, generated credentials, personal tokens, or private environment files.
• Include screenshots, terminal output, or test notes for UI/behavior changes.

Recommended Workflow

# 1. Create a focused branch
git checkout -b docs/improve-project-notes

# 2. Make the change
# edit files

# 3. Review locally
git status
git diff --check

# 4. Commit with a meaningful message
git add .
git commit -m "docs: improve project documentation"

# 5. Push and open a pull request
git push origin HEAD

Commit Style

Use concise, meaningful commit messages:

• docs: update architecture notes
• feat: add transaction filter
• fix: handle empty input state
• refactor: simplify service layer
• test: add workflow coverage

Pull Request Checklist

Before opening a PR, confirm:

• The change has one clear purpose.
• README/docs were updated when needed.
• No secrets or local-only files were committed.
• Screenshots/test notes are included for visible changes.
• The project still runs or the limitation is clearly documented.

Documentation Standard

This portfolio uses a consistent documentation layer:

• README.md for first impression and high-level overview.
• docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for structure and system thinking.
• docs/CASE_STUDY.md for product story and decisions.
• docs/ROADMAP.md for future improvements.
• .github/ templates for professional issue and PR handling.