Contributing

The CLA#

Contributors sign a CLA (Contributor License Agreement). Read it in CLA.md in the repository. It was introduced in pull request #10.

Ground rules#

• Small, focused pull requests. One concern per PR. A PR that ports a platform, adds a feature and refactors will be asked to split. For big changes, open an issue first and agree on the approach.
• Match the altitude. Murage is deliberately small and direct: plain Node on the server, no server frameworks, one store, one event bus. Don't add a dependency where thirty lines of code will do. New runtime dependencies need a reason in the PR description.
• Keep it green. pnpm typecheck && pnpm test must pass. Server changes need tests.
• UI changes need screenshots. Before and after images in the PR, and a video for anything animated. Match the existing palette and tone.

Before you open the pull request#

• pnpm typecheck and pnpm test pass.
• Translation changes pass pnpm i18n:check and have been reviewed by a speaker.
• pnpm check:electron passes for desktop-shell changes.
• Ubuntu packaging changes pass pnpm package:linux and node scripts/verify-linux-package.mjs.
• New server behavior has a test; driver changes keep the contract tests green.
• No changes in dist-server/, and no lockfile changes beyond your actual dependency change.
• macOS-only code is platform-gated, and nothing breaks the packaged app.
• UI changes include before and after screenshots.

Platform rules#

• The server (server/) stays portable Node. Anything macOS-only belongs in electron/ behind a process.platform === "darwin" check.
• The app should use the desktop capability contract rather than guess what's supported from Electron or the user agent.
• Test Ubuntu claims on a real GNOME session. A virtual display proves packaging, not real desktop behavior.
• Linux screen control stays limited to GNOME on Xorg after explicit opt-in, and stays off on Wayland until it passes its input checks.
• Never build command strings for a shell, and give POSIX-only calls a real Windows equivalent.

Secrets

API keys are write-only. They're saved, and the API reports only whether each one is configured. Never log keys, echo them in responses or events, or put them in command-line arguments where another local process could read them.

Tool schemas

Tool input schemas pass through every engine's own lossy conversion. Never use oneOf, anyOf, allOf, const or format in a tool inputSchema. Use one flat object, put per-variant rules in descriptions, accept inputs with one obvious meaning, and make refusals teach with a copyable example.

Adding a language

The app's text lives in JSON files in src/locales/, with English (en.json) as the source of truth.

1. Copy src/locales/en.json to src/locales/<code>.json, using a lowercase language tag such as de.json or pt-br.json. Keys you leave out fall back to English.
2. Register it in src/locales/index.ts.
3. Run pnpm i18n:check, then pick the language in SettingsGeneral.

Only part of the interface is translated so far. Move strings into the catalog as you touch components, not in big sweeps.

Verifying a change

Before claiming a server or conversation change works, use the isolated verification flow in docs/verification/README.md in the repository. Never point test tools at your real ~/.murage.

Ways to help that aren't code

• Report bugs with diagnostics: Collecting a bug report.
• Propose skills and teams for the library: Writing a skill or team for the library.
• Review translations.

Code of conduct and security

The repository has a CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md. Report security problems privately, not in public issues, by following the repository's security policy.

See also: Build from source and Open-source license.