CONTRIBUTING.md

Contributing to Mithridatium

Thank you for checking out Mithridatium! We are excited to have you here. This project is focused on building a framework to verify the integrity of pretrained AI models by detecting backdoors and data poisoning. If you are interested in contributing, below are some guidelines to help us make the most out of your contribution.

Contribution Scope

⚠️ Note:

• Issues labeled internal team are reserved for the project’s assigned developers and will not be accepted from outside contributors.
• good first issue and help wanted indicate tasks that are open to the community.

We encourage you to watch this repository if you’d like to stay updated!

Issue Labels

We use labels to organize contributions:

• internal team – restricted to the internal project developers.
• bug, enhancement, documentation – for categorizing tasks.
• In the future: good first issue and help wanted will indicate tasks that are open to the community.

Getting Started

How to Contribute

1. Fork the Repository

• Navigate to the Mithridatium repository on GitHub
• Click the "Fork" button on the top right of the repository page to create your own copy.

2. Clone Your Fork

• Clone the repository to your local machine:

  git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/mithridatium
  cd mithridatium
  

3. Create a New Branch

• Create a new branch for your contribution:

  git checkout -b feature-branch
  

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Contribution Workflow

1.Choose an Issue

• Choose an open issue from the GitHub project board and carefully read the details and acceptance criteria before starting to work on it.

2. Make Your Changes

• Work on your branch locally. Implement your changes and test them thoroughly to ensure they work correctly.
• For any CLI or defense module changes, please include examples of expected input/output in the pull request.

3. Commit Your Changes

• Commit messages should be clear and concise. Follow the format:

  git commit -m "Add feature X to improve performance"
  

• Make sure your commit is properly documented and explains the why and what of the changes.

4. Push Your Changes

• Push your branch to GitHub:

  git push origin feature-branch
  

5. Submit a Pull Request (PR)

• Navigate to your fork on GitHub and click the Pull Request button.
• Ensure your PR:
  • References the related issue number (e.g., Fixes #123).
  • Provides a clear description of what was changed and why.
  • Includes relevant tests or screenshots where applicable.
  • follow the Pull Request template.

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Code Guidelines

• Keep your code readable, maintainable, and well-documented.

1. Documentation

• Update documentation as necessary. If your change impacts functionality, be sure to update the corresponding documentation in the Help or README files.

1. Structure

• New defenses should be added inside the defenses/ folder with their own module.
• Tests for new features should be placed in the tests/ folder.

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Issue Reporting

1. Suggesting Enhancements

• If you have ideas for new features, improvements, or optimizations, submit them through a GitHub issue and tag it with enhancement.

2. Reporting Bugs

• IFile a GitHub issue labeled bug and describe how to reproduce the problem, expected vs. actual behavior, and environment details.

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Community

• If you have any questions or need guidance, feel free to reach out through GitHub issues or via email pelumi.oluwategbe@slu.edu

Thank you for your contributions!