CONTRIBUTING.md

# Contributing to No-Code Architects Toolkit

Thanks for your interest in contributing! ❤️

This project exists to help **non-technical creators build smarter systems** — so every contribution should align with these core principles:

✅ Simple
✅ Useful
✅ Low-maintenance

This repository is focused on new contributions and feature development. Please ensure all pull requests contain complete, debugged code that is ready for review. We do not accept submissions that require significant cleanup, completion work, or debugging by maintainers.

> If you like the project but don't know how to code, you can still support us in other ways:
>
> * ⭐ Star the project
> * 📣 Share it on social media
> * 🌲 Refer it to a friend or your community
> * 💸 [Sponsor the project](#)

If you need help or have questions, check out the GitHub [discussions](https://github.com/stephengpope/no-code-architects-toolkit/discussions) or join the [community](https://www.skool.com/no-code-architects/about?ref=2f302c52a77541efa2dd5e8b27f3f8c9).

---

## Table of Contents

* [What We Accept](#what-we-accept-)
* [What We Reject](#what-we-reject-)
* [Feature Evaluation Framework](#feature-evaluation-framework)
* [Technical Guidelines](#technical-guidelines)
* [Contribution Types](#contribution-types)
* [Branch Naming Conventions](#branch-naming-conventions)
* [Final Thoughts](#final-thoughts-%EF%B8%8F)

---

## What We Accept ✅

* Solves **common no-code challenges**
* **Reduces cost** or replaces paid APIs/tools
* Requires minimal input (has defaults)
* Is understandable by **non-technical users**
* Works out-of-the-box, no setup required
* One-time integrations — **no constant maintenance needed**
* Uses **existing input/output naming conventions**
* Follows our directory and structure conventions

---

## What We Reject ❌

* Features built for one person or edge-case
* Inconsistent input/output field names
* Requires polling, retries, or callback logic
* Needs babysitting or breaks frequently
* Lacks error handling or code comments
* Includes unused code, requirements, or bloat
* Adds huge packages that inflate Docker image size
* Leaves us with more work to do

---

## Feature Evaluation Framework

| Category              | Ask This...                                    | ✅ Accept if...                                 | ❌ Reject if...                             |
| --------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| **Mission Fit**       | Does this reduce cost or unify tools?          | Replaces APIs, reduces costs or complexity     | Adds noise or solves narrow edge cases     |
| **Input Familiarity** | Are inputs familiar (`file_url`, `text`, etc)? | Uses standard names/types already in use       | Introduces new terms for same ideas        |
| **Input Clarity**     | Would a non-tech user know what to enter?      | Inputs like "Enter URL", "Choose format"       | Needs tech explanation or experimentation  |
| **Output Usefulness** | Can this plug straight into Make/Zapier?       | Returns clean files, text, URLs                | Returns raw data or deep nested structures |
| **Reliability**       | Will it just work?                             | API is stable, no retries, consistent behavior | Depends on flaky APIs or fragile setup     |
| **Maintenance Cost**  | Will we have to maintain this?                 | One-and-done, doesn't change often             | Vendor changes often, breaks silently      |
| **Value vs. Effort**  | Is it worth it?                                | High impact, frequently requested              | Niche, low ROI                             |

---

## Technical Guidelines

> These guidelines help maintain a clean and production-ready project.

### 🧠 Code Style

* Use **clear, descriptive names** (e.g., `convertImageToText`, not `imgTxt`)
* Comment your logic if it's not obvious
* Handle errors — don't let code crash silently
* Follow consistent formatting


### 🧼 Clean Contributions

* Don't change files unrelated to your feature
* Don't leave behind unused requirements or code
* Don't introduce huge dependencies (we check image size)
* Use `git status` to review your working tree before you commit
---

## Branch Naming Conventions

All contributions should follow this process:

1. Fork the [main repository](https://github.com/stephengpope/no-code-architects-toolkit)
2. Clone your fork:
   ```bash
   git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/no-code-architects-toolkit.git
   cd no-code-architects-toolkit
   ```
3. Add the upstream repository:
   ```bash
   git remote add upstream https://github.com/stephengpope/no-code-architects-toolkit.git
   ```
4. Fetch and checkout the upstream build branch:
   ```bash
   git fetch upstream
   git checkout -b your-feature-branch upstream/build
   ```
5. Name your feature branch following these patterns:
   * For bug fixes: `fix/descriptive-bug-name`
   * For new features: `feature/descriptive-feature-name`
   * For documentation: `docs/descriptive-change`

Example:
```bash
# For a new feature
git fetch upstream
git checkout -b feature/pdf-to-text-converter upstream/build

# For a bug fix
git fetch upstream
git checkout -b fix/webp-upload-crash upstream/build
```

6. After making your changes, push to your fork and create a pull request:
   ```bash
   git push origin your-feature-branch
   ```
   Then visit your fork on GitHub and create a pull request targeting the `build` branch of the main repository.

---

## Contribution Types

| Type        | Good Example                                                           |
| ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 🐞 Bug Fix  | "Fixes crash when uploading WebP files"                                |
| ⚡ Feature   | "Adds endpoint to replace an expensive api" |
|   📚 Docs | "Improves deployment documentation (e.g., how to host on Netlify, AWS, Vercel, etc.)" |


---

## Final Thoughts 🧘‍♂️

* If it's not ready, don't submit it.
* Contributions should be helpful, obvious, and low-maintenance.
* The goal: **make complex tasks simple for no-code users**.

We're excited to see your contributions! 🎉

Let's build something useful, together.