# Contributing

Sovrium is built in the open and welcomes contributions. Whether you are fixing a typo, improving the documentation, reporting a bug, or proposing a feature, this page explains how to get started.

## Ways to contribute

- **Report a bug or request a feature** — open an issue on [GitHub](https://github.com/sovrium/sovrium/issues) with a clear description and, where possible, a minimal reproduction.
- **Improve the documentation** — these docs are part of the repository; corrections and clarifications are always welcome.
- **Submit a pull request** — implement a fix or feature and open a PR for review (requires certification — see below).

## Becoming a certified contributor

Opening issues and reporting bugs is open to everyone. **Submitting code, however, requires becoming a certified contributor.** To get certified, contact us at **contribute@sovrium.com** and we will guide you through the process.

We introduced this step deliberately. The volume of unsolicited, AI-generated pull requests has made open contribution unsustainable for many projects — maintainers end up spending more time triaging low-effort, machine-written patches than building. Certification lets us:

- **Keep review capacity for real work** — we are not overwhelmed by a flood of automated, drive-by PRs.
- **Guarantee a high-quality contributor community** — certified contributors understand the codebase, the architecture, and the standards before they ship.

Certification is not a paywall and not a popularity contest — it is a short conversation to confirm you are a person who will contribute thoughtfully. Once certified, your pull requests are reviewed and merged like any other.

## Before you start

- Search existing [issues](https://github.com/sovrium/sovrium/issues) and pull requests to avoid duplicating work.
- For anything non-trivial, open an issue first to discuss the approach before writing code — it saves everyone time.
- By contributing, you agree that your contribution is licensed under the project's [Business Source License 1.1](/en/docs/license).

## Development setup

Sovrium runs on [Bun](https://bun.sh) (1.3+). Clone the repository and install dependencies:

```bash
git clone https://github.com/sovrium/sovrium
cd sovrium
bun install
```

Run the app from source:

```bash
bun run start path/to/your/app.ts
```

Validate a configuration file against the schema:

```bash
bun run src/cli/index.ts validate path/to/your/app.ts
```

## Coding standards

- **TypeScript** throughout, written for the Bun runtime.
- **Conventional commits** — prefix messages with `feat:`, `fix:`, `docs:`, `refactor:`, `chore:`, etc.
- Keep changes focused — one logical change per pull request makes review faster.
- Match the surrounding code style; the repository's formatter and linter define the conventions.

## Submitting a pull request

1. Fork the repository and create a topic branch.
2. Make your change with a clear, conventional commit message.
3. Open a pull request describing **what** changed and **why**.
4. Respond to review feedback — maintainers will help shepherd the change to merge.

## Trademark note

Contributing code does not grant any right to the **Sovrium** name or logo. See the [Trademark](/en/docs/trademark) page for how the brand may be used.

## See also

- [License](/en/docs/license) — the BSL 1.1 terms
- [Trademark](/en/docs/trademark) — brand usage guidelines