Add CONTRIBUTING.md file to guide contributors #89

Description

The repository currently lacks a CONTRIBUTING.md file to guide potential contributors. Having clear contribution guidelines would help:

• Lower the barrier for new contributors
• Standardize the contribution process
• Improve code quality and consistency
• Reduce maintainer burden by clarifying expectations upfront

Proposed Solution

Add a CONTRIBUTING.md file at the repository root with the following sections:

Recommended Sections

1. Getting Started

   • Prerequisites (Node.js version, etc.)
   • Development setup instructions
   • How to run the project locally

2. How to Contribute

   • Finding issues to work on (good first issue, help wanted labels)
   • Claiming an issue
   • Forking and branching strategy

3. Development Workflow

   • Code style guidelines (linting, formatting)
   • Commit message conventions
   • Testing requirements
   • Documentation updates

4. Pull Request Process

   • PR template checklist
   • Review process
   • What to expect after submission

5. Code of Conduct

   • Link to CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md or inline expectations
   • How to report issues

6. Questions and Support

   • Where to ask questions (Discord, GitHub Discussions, Issues)
   • Community resources

Benefits

• For Contributors: Clear path to contribute, reducing confusion and duplicate efforts
• For Maintainers: Fewer questions, better quality PRs, aligned expectations
• For the Project: More contributions, healthier community, better codebase

Additional Context

This follows best practices from other open-source projects and is recommended by GitHub for public repositories. Many contributors look for this file before deciding to contribute to a project.

References

• GitHub Guide on CONTRIBUTING.md
• Example CONTRIBUTING.md files from successful OSS projects

Willing to Help

I'm happy to help draft this document if the maintainers are open to it.