LifeStack / docs /CONTRIBUTING.md
Soham Banerjee
deploy: pure lifestack with partitioned wisdom pool
77da5ce
# Contributing to LifeStack
This document defines the **documentation rule** for the project.
**Nothing ships without its matching doc entry.**
---
## The Rule: Doc-First Development
Every change that adds, removes, or significantly modifies a feature must include
**all three** of the following before the commit is made:
| # | Action | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | **Create or update a doc file** | `docs/<topic>.md` |
| 2 | **Update README.md** | File Structure table + relevant section |
| 3 | **Update `docs/INDEX.md`** | Add a one-line entry for the new doc |
> [!IMPORTANT]
> A pull request / commit that adds a new script, module, or feature **without**
> updating `docs/INDEX.md` and `README.md` is considered incomplete and should
> not be merged.
---
## What Counts as "a Feature"
| Change type | Doc required? |
|---|---|
| New Python module (`core/`, `agent/`, `intake/`) | βœ… Yes β€” `docs/<module>.md` |
| New script (`scripts/*.py`) | βœ… Yes β€” entry in `docs/scripts.md` |
| New Gradio tab in `app.py` | βœ… Yes β€” entry in `docs/app.md` |
| New CLI argument to an existing script | βœ… Yes β€” update relevant doc |
| Bug fix with no API surface change | ❌ No (but update changelog if breaking) |
| Refactor with no API surface change | ❌ No |
| New environment variable / secret | βœ… Yes β€” update `docs/configuration.md` |
| New dependency in `requirements.txt` | βœ… Yes β€” note in relevant doc + README |
---
## Doc File Conventions
- All docs live in `docs/`. No `.md` files at repo root except `README.md` and this file.
- File names are lowercase with underscores: `docs/lifestack_env.md`, `docs/eval.md`.
- Each doc starts with a `# Title` h1 and a one-line summary.
- Use `## Overview`, `## Usage`, `## API / Parameters`, `## Examples` sections.
- Code blocks must have a language tag (` ```python `, ` ```bash `).
---
## Checklist (copy into every PR / commit message)
```
Docs checklist:
[ ] docs/<topic>.md created or updated
[ ] docs/INDEX.md updated with new entry
[ ] README.md File Structure table updated
[ ] README.md Quickstart / relevant section updated (if CLI changed)
```
---
## Docs Folder Structure
```
docs/
β”œβ”€β”€ INDEX.md ← Master index of all docs (ALWAYS update this)
β”œβ”€β”€ CONTRIBUTING.md ← This file β€” the rule
β”œβ”€β”€ lifestack_env.md ← core/lifestack_env.py reference
β”œβ”€β”€ reward.md ← core/reward.py reference
β”œβ”€β”€ task.md ← core/task.py schema reference
β”œβ”€β”€ memory.md ← agent/memory.py reference
β”œβ”€β”€ conflict_generator.md ← agent/conflict_generator.py reference
β”œβ”€β”€ app.md ← app.py Gradio interface reference
β”œβ”€β”€ eval.md ← scripts/eval.py reference
β”œβ”€β”€ train_trl.md ← scripts/train_trl.md reference
β”œβ”€β”€ scripts.md ← All other scripts reference
└── configuration.md ← Env vars, secrets, openenv.yaml
```
---
## Commit Message Format
```
<type>: <short description>
- <file changed>: <what changed>
- docs/<doc>.md: <created|updated>
- docs/INDEX.md: <added entry for X>
- README.md: <updated section Y>
Docs checklist: βœ… all three updated
```
Types: `feat` | `fix` | `refactor` | `docs` | `test` | `chore`