# Contributing
Contributions are welcome. This document explains the workflow.
## Reporting bugs or requesting features
Open an [issue](https://github.com/dnacenta/recall-echo/issues). Use a clear title and include enough context to reproduce the problem or understand the request.
## Making changes
1. Fork the repo
2. Create a branch from `development` (see naming below)
3. Make your changes
4. Open a PR targeting `development`
`main` is protected. All changes go through `development` first.
## Branch naming
Branches follow this pattern:
```
<type>/<issue-number>-<short-description>
```
| `feat` | New functionality | `feat/5-add-topic-files` |
| `fix` | Bug fix | `fix/3-precompact-hook-merge` |
| `refactor` | Code restructure, no behavior change | `refactor/8-simplify-init` |
| `docs` | Documentation only | `docs/2-usage-examples` |
| `chore` | Maintenance, deps, CI | `chore/10-update-dependencies` |
If there's no issue yet, create one first so there's a number to reference.
## Commit messages
This project uses [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/) (lowercase):
```
<type>(<scope>): <description>
```
Examples:
```
fix(init): prevent overwrite of existing memory files
feat(protocol): add topic file distillation rules
docs: add installation examples
refactor(install): split bash and npx paths
```
Rules:
- Lowercase everything
- Imperative, present tense ("add" not "added")
- No period at the end
- Reference the issue in the body or footer: `Closes #7`
## Pull request titles
PR titles follow the same convention, referencing the issue number as scope:
```
fix(#3): prevent precompact hook merge failure
feat(#5): add topic file support
docs(#2): expand usage examples
```
## Code style
- Run `npm run build` before submitting — no TypeScript errors
- Keep changes focused — one issue per PR