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+# Contributing to Celeste
+
+## TL;DR
+
+- **Open an issue first** for non-trivial changes.
+- Base PRs on `main`.
+- Run `make ci` before pushing.
+- **Template-first**: new providers/modalities must start by copying from `templates/`.
+
+## Setup
+
+**Prerequisites:** Python 3.12+, [uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/)
+
+```bash
+uv sync --group dev
+uv run pre-commit install
+uv run pre-commit install --hook-type pre-push
+```
+
+> Pre-commit runs linting, formatting, type checking, and security scans.
+> Pre-push additionally runs the full unit test suite with coverage.
+
+## Local checks
+
+```bash
+make ci          # Full pipeline: format, lint, typecheck, security, tests
+make test        # Unit tests only
+make lint        # Ruff linting
+make format      # Ruff formatting
+make typecheck   # mypy
+make security    # Bandit scan
+```
+
+**Integration tests** hit real provider APIs (costs money, requires keys):
+
+```bash
+cp .env.example .env   # Fill in your API keys
+make integration-test
+```
+
+## Before you start
+
+Small fixes (typos, tests, minor bugfixes) — go ahead and open a PR directly.
+
+For new providers, new modalities, new parameters, new models, constraint updates, or dependency additions — **open an issue first**.
+
+Changes to parsing, streaming, or typing semantics **require explicit maintainer approval** before any work begins. These are core primitives that affect every provider and modality.
+
+## Adding a provider
+
+Always start by copying from the templates. Replace `{provider_slug}`, `{api_slug}` placeholders and strip the `.template` extension.
+
+**Provider API layer** — copy from `templates/providers/`, place in `src/celeste/providers/<provider>/`:
+
+1. Add the provider to the `Provider` enum in `src/celeste/core.py` (if new).
+2. Register auth via `register_auth()` in `src/celeste/providers/<provider>/__init__.py`.
+3. Export the provider in `src/celeste/providers/__init__.py`.
+4. Fill in the scaffolded files: `config.py` (endpoints), `client.py` (HTTP + parsing), `parameters.py` (mappers), `streaming.py` (SSE).
+5. The template contract is enforced by `tests/unit_tests/test_provider_api_templates.py` — `make test` will catch missing or mismatched methods.
+
+**Modality wiring** — copy from `templates/modalities/`, place in `src/celeste/modalities/<modality>/providers/<provider>/`:
+
+6. Define models in `models.py` (model IDs, operations, parameter constraints).
+7. Create parameter mappers in `parameters.py` (inherit from provider API mappers, set modality-specific `name`).
+8. Create the modality client + stream class in `client.py`.
+9. Register models in `src/celeste/modalities/<modality>/models.py`.
+10. Register the client in the `PROVIDERS` dict in `src/celeste/modalities/<modality>/providers/__init__.py`.
+11. Add the provider's official API docs link to `src/celeste/providers/api_references.md`.
+
+## Pull requests
+
+Include:
+- A short summary (what and why).
+- A test plan (`make ci` output, plus any integration tests you ran).
+- If you touched provider behavior: provider, model ID, and endpoints tested.
+
+## Issues
+
+- **Bug reports**: Celeste version, Python version, provider/model/operation, minimal repro, expected vs actual.
+- **Provider requests**: official API docs link, auth method, required endpoints, streaming format, usage/finish semantics.
+
+## Security
+
+Do not open public issues for vulnerabilities. Email `kamil@withceleste.ai` or use GitHub's private vulnerability reporting.
+
+## Community
+
+Be kind, constructive, and respectful. Contact `kamil@withceleste.ai` for any concerns.
+
+## License
+
+By contributing, you agree your contributions are licensed under the MIT license (see [LICENSE](LICENSE)).