> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hackutd.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Contributing

> Work on Harp itself

Want to improve Harp? Clone the repo and pick up an issue. You don't need a fork to contribute. Forks are for schools *running* their own hackathon (see [Adopting Harp](/harp/adoption/guide)); contributors work directly against `hackutd/harp`.

## Getting started

```bash theme={null}
git clone https://github.com/hackutd/harp
cd harp
task setup-hooks   # enable the repo's git hooks (once per clone)
```

Then follow [Local development](/harp/deployment/local) to get the stack running, and browse the [open issues](https://github.com/hackutd/harp/issues) for something to work on.

## Commit and PR conventions

Harp's releases are generated automatically from commit history, so commit messages follow [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org):

```
type(optional-scope): description

feat(auth): add Google OAuth login
fix: resolve pagination bug
docs: clarify scan-type setup
```

* PR titles must be Conventional Commits too. A CI check validates them, and they become the changelog entries when the release PR merges.
* `feat:` drives a minor version bump, `fix:` a patch, and a `!` or `BREAKING CHANGE:` footer a major.
* We prefer rebasing over merge commits: keep your branch rebased on `main` so history stays linear.

## The git hooks

`task setup-hooks` points git at the repo's hooks, which keep your commits clean before they reach CI:

* `pre-commit` runs `gofmt` on staged Go files and re-stages any fixes automatically. It never blocks a commit; it just keeps the CI format gate green.
* `commit-msg` rejects commit messages that aren't Conventional Commits, with a help text listing the valid types.

## What CI checks

Every PR runs two parallel jobs:

* Backend: `gofmt`, `go vet`, `staticcheck`, build, and `go test -race`
* Portal: Prettier check, ESLint, TypeScript build, and dependency audit

Run the same commands locally before pushing to predict a green run.