πŸš€ Live WeeklyDeploy Enterprise AI in weeks - Workshop Thursday, Oct 9th at 11am PTRegister Free β†’
Skip to main content

Contributing to AnswerAgentAI

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

πŸš€ 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

πŸ“‹ 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:

  • βœ… Run tests and linting
  • πŸ€– Provide AI-suggested improvements
  • πŸ“Š Check code coverage
  • πŸ” 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

πŸ† Recognition System​

Credit Earning Tiers​

πŸ₯‰ Bronze Contributors

  • First merged PR
  • Community recognition
  • Alpha sprint certificate

πŸ₯ˆ Silver Contributors

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

πŸ₯‡ 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

πŸ› οΈ 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

πŸŽ‰ After Your PR is Merged​

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

πŸ’¬ 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

Remember: We're not just building softwareβ€”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!