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Contributing to Opensource Contribution Leaderboard

Thank you for your interest in contributing! This project tracks open source contributions across a GitHub organization and we welcome help of all kinds: bug fixes, features, documentation, and testing.

This project embraces AI-assisted development — we built parts of it with AI tools and encourage contributors to use them responsibly.

Ways to Contribute

  • Bug reports — Open an issue describing the problem, steps to reproduce, and expected behavior.
  • Feature requests — Open an issue to discuss before implementing.
  • Code — Fix bugs or implement features. See the workflow below.
  • Documentation — Improve the README, AGENTS.md, GEMINI.md, or inline comments.
  • Testing — Try deploying it, report what breaks, suggest improvements.

For substantial new features, please open an issue first to discuss the approach. This prevents wasted effort.

Getting Started

  1. Fork the repository on GitHub.
  2. Clone your fork locally: 
    git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/Opensource-Contribution-Leaderboard.git
cd Opensource-Contribution-Leaderboard
  3. Add the upstream remote: 
    git remote add upstream https://github.com/RocketChat/Opensource-Contribution-Leaderboard.git

Development Setup

# Install all dependencies (root + server + admin)
npm run add

# Terminal 1 — frontend with hot reload
NODE_OPTIONS=--openssl-legacy-provider npm start

# Terminal 2 — backend server
npm run serve

Frontend at http://localhost:8080.

For production build:

NODE_OPTIONS=--openssl-legacy-provider npm run build
cd dist/server
node app.js

See README.md for full config setup.

Making Changes

Branching

Always branch off main and target main in your PR:

git checkout main
git pull upstream main
git checkout -b your-feature-branch

Use descriptive branch names: fix/dark-mode-flash, feat/new-api-endpoint, docs/update-readme.

Commits

  • Write clear, concise commit messages in English.
  • Use the imperative mood: "Add dark mode" not "Added dark mode".
  • Reference related issues when relevant: Fix table rendering (#42).
  • Keep commits focused — one logical change per commit.

Keeping Up to Date

Rebase your branch onto upstream main before opening a PR:

git fetch upstream
git rebase upstream/main

Design Decisions You Must Respect

  1. Hidden rank column — The rank column and some stats are intentionally invisible. Admins can select-all and copy the table for one-stroke data capture. Do not "fix" this visibility.
  2. Keep it simple — Avoid over-engineering. no unnecessary abstractions.

AI-Assisted Contributions

We fully embrace AI-assisted development (Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude, etc.). The project includes context files specifically for AI agents:

Disclosure

When opening a PR with AI-assisted code, please note the level of AI involvement:

Level Meaning
Fully AI-generated AI wrote the code; you reviewed and validated it
Mostly AI-generated AI produced the draft; you made significant modifications
AI-assisted You led the work; AI provided suggestions or completions
Human-written No AI involvement

There is no stigma attached to any level — what matters is the quality of the contribution.

You Are Responsible for What You Submit

Using AI to generate code does not reduce your responsibility as the contributor. Before opening a PR with AI-generated code:

  • Read and understand every line of the generated code.
  • Test it locally — run npm start + npm run serve and verify your changes work.
  • Check for security issues — AI models can generate subtly insecure code. Review carefully.
  • Verify correctness — AI-generated logic can be plausible-sounding but wrong. Validate behavior, not just syntax.
  • Respect the design decisions above — AI agents love to "improve" things that are intentional.

PRs where it is clear the contributor has not read or tested the AI-generated code will be closed without review.

AI-Generated Code Quality Standards

AI-generated contributions are held to the same quality bar as human-written code:

  • It must work. Test it locally before submitting.
  • It must be consistent with the existing codebase style.
  • It must not introduce unnecessary abstractions, dead code, or over-engineering.
  • It must respect the project's design decisions (hidden rank column, no database, no containers).

Pull Request Process

  1. Before opening a PR: Test your changes locally (npm start + npm run serve).
  2. Keep PRs focused — one logical change per PR. Don't bundle unrelated changes.
  3. Prefer small PRs — 200 lines across 5 files is much easier to review than 2000 lines across 30 files.
  4. Fill in the PR description — explain what the change does and why.
  5. Note AI involvement — use the disclosure levels above.
  6. Link related issues if applicable.

Code Review

For Contributors

  • Respond to review comments within a reasonable time.
  • When you update a PR in response to feedback, note what changed.
  • If you disagree with feedback, engage respectfully and explain your reasoning.

For Reviewers

Review for:

  1. Correctness — Does the code do what it claims?
  2. Security — Especially for AI-generated code.
  3. Simplicity — Is there a simpler solution? Does this add unnecessary complexity?
  4. Consistency — Does it match the existing codebase style?
  5. Design decisions — Does it respect the hidden rank column, no-database, and no-container rules?

Communication

  • GitHub Issues — Bug reports, feature requests, design discussions.
  • Pull Request comments — Code-specific feedback.
  • Rocket.Chat open server — General discussion.

When in doubt, open an issue before writing code.

License

By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the project's MIT License.