open source contribution
Contribute
Systems craft: truth boundaries, runtime reliability, docs clarity, and operator trust. Interesting problems live where evidence, control paths, and degraded states meet.
Start here
Small steps that match how maintainers review work.
- Read CONTRIBUTING.md and AGENTS.md for repo contract and verification expectations.
- Browse docs/community/ and Why contribute for contributor-oriented entrypoints.
- Map the tree: ARCHITECTURE_MAP.md and Architecture on this site.
- Open a focused issue or pick one: GitHub issues.
Clone and verify locally
git clone https://github.com/Hardonian/MEL-MeshEdgeLayer.git cd MEL-MeshEdgeLayer
Default verification before you claim behavior: make lint, make test, make build, make smoke. Broader stack signal: make verify-stack (same as make check).
When semantics or capability wording changes: make premerge-verify. Node 24.x for frontend/ and site/; Go 1.24+ for the binary.
Why contribute here
MEL rewards disciplined engineering. Useful work improves operator clarity, strengthens deterministic behavior, and reduces ambiguity in incidents and control paths — hard to copy from UI polish alone.
Lanes we want
- Go/runtime correctness and transport reliability hardening.
- Operator UX (embedded console) that improves truth visibility and degraded-state clarity.
- This public site (
site/) when it helps orientation without overclaiming. - Docs, runbooks, quickstart accuracy, and troubleshooting depth.
- Tests, fixtures, and regression verification.
- Reproducible bug reports and field validation write-ups.
What a good PR includes
- Bounded claim language that matches implementation truth.
- Verification commands and outcomes (`make lint`, `make test`, `make build`, `make smoke` minimum).
- Explicit degraded/unknown-state behavior when applicable.
- Residual risk and caveats instead of hidden assumptions.
Contribution doctrine
No theatre
No fake transport support, no fake live state, no overclaiming UI language.
Operator truth first
If implementation and wording conflict, tighten wording or strengthen implementation.
Evidence over claims
Verification output, tests, and runtime artifacts beat speculative confidence.
Local-first and privacy respect
Do not widen telemetry or trust boundaries silently.
Where to open work
- Repository: https://github.com/Hardonian/MEL-MeshEdgeLayer
- Issues: https://github.com/Hardonian/MEL-MeshEdgeLayer/issues
- Discussions: use issue templates for scoped proposals and field reports.
- Contributor guide: CONTRIBUTING.md