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Contributing to CRAFT (Alpha)

Status: Early Alpha • Sole maintainer with 0–2 hrs/week • Org-wide policy for CRAFTFramework
TL;DR: We’re keeping the contribution surface very small for now so we can focus on building. More avenues will open as we move from Alpha → Beta → GA.

Why contributions are limited right now

CRAFT is a brand-new framework with evolving foundations (four-file model, comment system, cookbook, etc.). With limited weekly time (generally Mondays) I need to prioritize shipping core functionality and docs. To keep maintenance overhead near zero, I’m opening only the lowest-touch channels at this stage.

At-a-glance: What’s open in Alpha

Area Alpha policy Notes
GitHub Discussions ✅ Open Use for Q&A, ideas, and roadmap input.
Issues (Bug Reports) ✅ Open via Issue Form Must use the Bug form (see required fields below).
Pull Requests (code/features) ❌ Closed to unsolicited PRs PRs require pre-approval on a linked Issue/Discussion.
PRs (tiny docs typos ≤ 5 lines) ✅ Allowed No prior approval required; may be merged at maintainer discretion.
Security reports ✅ Email only Send to rich.ketelsen@bestbuy.com. Public security issues will be closed.

Triage cadence: Best-effort; we typically review on Mondays.

How to help today

1) Start or join a Discussion

  • Ask questions, propose ideas, or discuss patterns/workflows you’d like to see.
  • Please search first to avoid duplicates.

2) File a Bug Report (Issue Form)

Use the Bug issue form. The following fields are required so I can reproduce quickly:

  • Steps to reproduce
  • Which four CRAFT files & versions you used (Project file, AI-CHAT-HISTORY file, Framework Spec, Core Cookbook)
  • Expected vs actual behavior
  • Minimal reproduction (link to a gist or paste the exact prompts/sections you used)
  • Environment (chat model and date of run)

Feature requests should go to Discussions (Ideas) for now—not Issues.

3) Submit a tiny docs typo PR (≤ 5 changed lines)

  • Fixes for wording/typos are welcome without pre-approval.
  • For larger docs changes, please open a Discussion first.

What is not open yet

  • Unsolicited code/feature PRs (will be closed with a friendly note to discuss first).
  • New example projects via PR (will open in Beta; for now, please suggest ideas in Discussions).
  • Expansive docs rewrites (please discuss first).

If you believe your change is small, self-contained, and time-saving for maintainers, open a Discussion describing scope; I may tag it approved-for-pr before you open a PR.

Security policy (summary)

  • Please email all security or responsible disclosure reports to rich.ketelsen@bestbuy.com.
  • For confidentiality, do not open public Issues or Discussions about security.
  • Public security reports will be closed with a note to email.

Maintainer bandwidth & acknowledgement

  • I maintain this project part-time and typically review activity on Mondays.
  • I’m a beginner to GitHub and will be learning (with AI assistance) as the project evolves.
  • If replies are slow, it’s because I’m prioritizing core stability so we can welcome broader contributions sooner.

Roadmap for opening contributions

Alpha (now)

  • Discussions open; Bug Issues via form; tiny docs typo PRs allowed.
  • No unsolicited code PRs.

Beta (later)

  • Open small Docs/Examples PRs (style & structure guidelines provided).
  • Publish good first issues for docs/examples.
  • Light review SLA (e.g., weekly).

GA (later)

  • Open code PRs with tests/examples, review checklist, and CI requirements.
  • Clear maintainer review & merge policy, broader labels, and contributor recognition.

Low-touch templates & guardrails (either enabled now or planned)

To keep overhead near 0–2 hrs/week, we use (or plan to use) the following:

  • Issue Forms: Bug (required fields listed above) and Docs Typo.
  • PR Template: Politely explains our Alpha policy and asks for prior approval via linked Discussion/Issue.
  • CODEOWNERS: Assigns review to the maintainer by default.
  • Branch Protection: Requires at least one approval for merges.
  • Stale bot (planned): Inactive issues auto-closed after 30 days with a friendly reminder.

If any of the above isn’t enabled yet, it’s on the near-term checklist; the policy still applies.

How to request pre-approval for a PR

  1. Open a Discussion titled Proposal: <short name>.
  2. Include scope, why it’s needed now, and (if bug fix) a link to the Bug Issue.
  3. I’ll label it approved-for-pr if it’s ready; otherwise we’ll clarify next steps.

Code of Conduct & License

  • Code of Conduct: This project follows an org-wide CoC. Please read and abide by it.
  • License: Unless noted otherwise, contributions land under the repository’s Business Source License 1.1 (BSL) with the stated future change date (Apache 2.0 on conversion). See LICENSE at the repo root.

Thank you

Even simple acts—asking a good question, filing a high-quality bug, fixing a typo—help move CRAFT forward. Thanks for understanding the constraints during Alpha and for helping us build toward a welcoming, full-featured contribution process. 🙏

Quick reference

  • Discussions: Q&A, ideas, proposals
  • Issues: Bug reports only (form required)
  • PRs: Tiny docs typos only (≤ 5 lines) • All others need pre-approval
  • Security: Email rich.ketelsen@bestbuy.com
  • Acknowledgement: Best-effort; typically Mondays
  • Org-wide: Applies to all repos under CRAFTFramework unless overridden locally