# Contributing
This project is currently a protocol extraction and tooling prototype.
## Change Policy
- Keep protocol decisions in `decisions/`.
- Put reusable agent skills in `skills/`.
- Put config and helper tooling in `tools/`.
- Put example outputs in `examples/`.
- Do not edit accepted ADR history casually. Add an addendum ADR when a decision changes materially.
## Review Expectations
For protocol changes:
- State which ADRs are affected.
- Keep examples transport-aware, not herdr-only unless the file is explicitly herdr-specific.
- Preserve operator-gate language when workflow decisions require human authority.
For helper tooling:
- Keep dependencies minimal.
- Add usage examples.
- Verify generated messages against `tools/message-profile.yaml`.
- Prefer small, auditable helpers before larger abstractions.