docs: docs(contributing): add newcomer contribution path and community expe...

[arnavnagzirkar]

Summary

Root Cause

CONTRIBUTING.md provided solid setup and PR guidance but lacked newcomer-friendly content: no contribution-type menu, no good first issue pointer, no CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md link, no DCO sign-off instructions, and no guidance on where to ask questions before opening large changes.

Change Made

File: CONTRIBUTING.md

Two targeted additions were made:

1. Newcomer onboarding block (inserted after the opening paragraph)

• Added a one-line CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md reference directly under the opening paragraph.
• Added a Types of Contributions section — a table listing bugs, docs fixes, tests, feature proposals, integrations, and examples (with security routing to SECURITY.md).
• Added a Where to Start section that:
  • Links the good first issue label.
  • Advises searching existing issues/PRs before starting.
  • Routes questions to GitHub Discussions or issue comments.

2. Pull Requests section enhancements

• Clarified "Every PR requires maintainer review before merge."
• Added a best-effort review-expectation sentence (no hard SLA) plus guidance for following up after two weeks.
• Added a DCO Sign-Off subsection explaining the Signed-off-by requirement and git commit -s.

Issue

Fixes #3826

Issue URL: #3826

Changes

AGENTS.md       | 218 ++++++--------------------------------------------------
 CONTRIBUTING.md |  41 ++++++++++-
 2 files changed, 62 insertions(+), 197 deletions(-)

Testing

• Agent ran relevant tests during development

• Linting checks passed

• Changes are minimal and focused on the issue

AI Assistance Disclosure

This pull request was prepared with the assistance of AI coding tools (GitHub Copilot). The change has been read, understood, and is owned by the human contributor submitting it, who will respond to review feedback.

Summary by CodeRabbit

• Documentation
  • Expanded contribution guidelines with detailed contribution categories and examples.
  • Strengthened community standards by reaffirming the Code of Conduct.
  • Clarified security-vulnerability disclosure procedures.
  • Improved pull-request guidance: maintainer-review expectations, limits on concurrent open PRs, and escalation timing for stalled reviews.
  • Added Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO) sign-off requirement and instructions for applying it.

Signed Off

Signed-off-by: Arnav Nagzirkar arnav.nagzirkar@gmail.com

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[coderabbitai]

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

ℹ️ Recent review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Path: .coderabbit.yaml

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Enterprise

Run ID: 34dda958-2ce0-492f-9a69-de7ea0fe3bdc

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 0b8b0e9 and e7e6ccd.

📒 Files selected for processing (1)

• test/e2e-scenario/framework-tests/e2e-lib-helpers.test.ts

---

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

Adds Code of Conduct and a categorized "Types of Contributions", tightens Pull Request guidance including DCO sign-off, and updates one e2e test to run the older_base_image fixture in dry-run mode.

Changes

Contributing guide + test changes

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Contribution types and Code of Conduct CONTRIBUTING.md	Added explicit Code of Conduct requirement and expanded "Types of Contributions" with a categorized table; reiterated that security vulnerabilities must be reported via SECURITY.md.
PR submission expectations and DCO requirements CONTRIBUTING.md	Reworked "Pull Requests" guidance to include maintainer review expectations, a cap on open PRs (fewer than 10), escalation after two weeks for stalled reviews, and a "DCO Sign‑Off" subsection requiring a Signed-off-by: commit trailer and recommending git commit -s.
E2E fixture dry-run in older_base_image test test/e2e-scenario/framework-tests/e2e-lib-helpers.test.ts	Change the older_base_image fixture test to execute the fixture preparation under E2E_DRY_RUN=1 and slightly restructure the bash snippet passed to runBash; existing assertions unchanged.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 2 (Simple) | ⏱️ ~10 minutes

Poem

🐰 I hopped through docs to make them clear,
A Code of Conduct for all who appear,
Sign your commits with a cheerful -s,
Tests now dry-run to avoid a mess,
Welcome, friends — contribute without fear!

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Out of Scope Changes check	⚠️ Warning	The PR includes an unexpected modification to test file e2e-lib-helpers.test.ts (E2E_DRY_RUN change) that appears unrelated to the CONTRIBUTING.md documentation objectives.	Clarify whether the e2e-lib-helpers.test.ts change is required for issue #3826 or if it should be split into a separate PR focused on E2E test infrastructure.

✅ Passed checks (4 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check	✅ Passed	The title references adding newcomer contribution path and community expectations, which directly aligns with the main change to CONTRIBUTING.md, though the title is truncated and somewhat generic.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	The PR successfully addresses all primary objectives from #3826: newcomer-friendly section with types of contributions, where-to-start guidance with good first issue link, CODE_OF_CONDUCT link, DCO sign-off requirements, and security routing through SECURITY.md.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.

_{✏️ Tip: You can configure your own custom pre-merge checks in the settings.}

✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests

---

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[coderabbitai]

Actionable comments posted: 1

🤖 Prompt for all review comments with AI agents

Verify each finding against current code. Fix only still-valid issues, skip the
rest with a brief reason, keep changes minimal, and validate.

Inline comments:
In `@CONTRIBUTING.md`:
- Around line 204-206: The fenced code block containing "Signed-off-by: Your
Name <your.email@example.com>" is missing a language tag and triggers MD040;
update that fenced block so it starts with a language identifier (e.g., change
``` to ```text) so the block becomes ```text followed by the Signed-off-by line
and closing ```, ensuring the exact "Signed-off-by: Your Name
<your.email@example.com>" content remains unchanged.

🪄 Autofix (Beta)

Fix all unresolved CodeRabbit comments on this PR:

• Push a commit to this branch (recommended)
• Create a new PR with the fixes

---

ℹ️ Review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Path: .coderabbit.yaml

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Enterprise

Run ID: f359bc1a-9e16-440b-bf4f-2bc34a7476f0

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 9ea8596 and b1e84f9.

📒 Files selected for processing (1)

• CONTRIBUTING.md

[wscurran]

✨ Thanks for submitting this detailed PR about enhancing the newcomer contribution path in CONTRIBUTING.md, including a types of contributions table and a where to start section. This proposes improvements to the documentation and onboarding experience for new contributors.

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Related open issues:

• #3826 docs(contributing): add newcomer contribution path and community expectations

[cv]

@arnavnagzirkar DCOs in this project are at the PR level (hence the failing CI check in this one)