Add shared CONTRIBUTING.md surfaced across all PolicyEngine repos#3
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Add shared CONTRIBUTING.md surfaced across all PolicyEngine repos#3
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GitHub automatically surfaces `CONTRIBUTING.md` from the org's `.github` repo to any repo that doesn't have its own. Per-repo `CONTRIBUTING.md` (which all active repos still have) takes precedence, so this file is the fallback + source of truth for the common bits that were previously duplicated in each repo: - towncrier `changelog.d/<branch>.<type>.md` fragments + fragment-type table - `uv run` requirement for Python commands - branch-naming conventions, default-branch resolution - anti-patterns (no `changelog_entry.yaml`, no `_v2` suffixes, no fork PRs when secrets are required, no hardcoded test-passing values) - peer-review rules, PR-description structure, test-plan expectations Individual repos can reference this file and focus their per-repo CONTRIBUTING.md on install commands, country-specific conventions, and repo-level anti-patterns. Written with AI coding agents in mind as well as human contributors: copy-pasteable commands, explicit "don't do this" list, and a single unambiguous changelog-fragment procedure. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
This was referenced Apr 17, 2026
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….md at shared guide This repo was partway through the yaml-changelog → towncrier migration already: `pr.yaml` ran `towncrier check`, `.github/bump_version.py` inferred version bumps from `changelog.d/` fragment types, and `pyproject.toml` carried `[tool.towncrier]` config. The stale bits that remained: - Unused dep `yaml-changelog>=0.1.7` in `pyproject.toml` - Unused `.github/workflows/reusable_changelog_check.yaml` (not wired into any call-graph) - Zero-byte `changelog_entry.yaml` at the repo root - 601-line `changelog.yaml` whose entire contents are already compiled into `CHANGELOG.md` - A CONTRIBUTING.md that described the old yaml-changelog flow and told contributors to edit `changelog_entry.yaml` This PR drops all of the above and rewrites CONTRIBUTING.md to point at the new shared PolicyEngine guide (https://github.com/PolicyEngine/.github/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md, proposed in PolicyEngine/.github#3) plus a repo-specific section on commands, test placement, dataset-versioning rules, and anti-patterns. After this lands the repo matches the rest of the org (uk-data, core, uk, us, microdf, policyengine.py) on a single towncrier flow. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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….md at shared guide This repo was partway through the yaml-changelog → towncrier migration already: `pr.yaml` ran `towncrier check`, `.github/bump_version.py` inferred version bumps from `changelog.d/` fragment types, and `pyproject.toml` carried `[tool.towncrier]` config. The stale bits that remained: - Unused dep `yaml-changelog>=0.1.7` in `pyproject.toml` - Unused `.github/workflows/reusable_changelog_check.yaml` (not wired into any call-graph) - Zero-byte `changelog_entry.yaml` at the repo root - 601-line `changelog.yaml` whose entire contents are already compiled into `CHANGELOG.md` - A CONTRIBUTING.md that described the old yaml-changelog flow and told contributors to edit `changelog_entry.yaml` This PR drops all of the above and rewrites CONTRIBUTING.md to point at the new shared PolicyEngine guide (https://github.com/PolicyEngine/.github/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md, proposed in PolicyEngine/.github#3) plus a repo-specific section on commands, test placement, dataset-versioning rules, and anti-patterns. After this lands the repo matches the rest of the org (uk-data, core, uk, us, microdf, policyengine.py) on a single towncrier flow. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
MaxGhenis
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* Finish migration from yaml-changelog to towncrier; point CONTRIBUTING.md at shared guide This repo was partway through the yaml-changelog → towncrier migration already: `pr.yaml` ran `towncrier check`, `.github/bump_version.py` inferred version bumps from `changelog.d/` fragment types, and `pyproject.toml` carried `[tool.towncrier]` config. The stale bits that remained: - Unused dep `yaml-changelog>=0.1.7` in `pyproject.toml` - Unused `.github/workflows/reusable_changelog_check.yaml` (not wired into any call-graph) - Zero-byte `changelog_entry.yaml` at the repo root - 601-line `changelog.yaml` whose entire contents are already compiled into `CHANGELOG.md` - A CONTRIBUTING.md that described the old yaml-changelog flow and told contributors to edit `changelog_entry.yaml` This PR drops all of the above and rewrites CONTRIBUTING.md to point at the new shared PolicyEngine guide (https://github.com/PolicyEngine/.github/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md, proposed in PolicyEngine/.github#3) plus a repo-specific section on commands, test placement, dataset-versioning rules, and anti-patterns. After this lands the repo matches the rest of the org (uk-data, core, uk, us, microdf, policyengine.py) on a single towncrier flow. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com> * Update uv.lock after removing yaml-changelog Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com> --------- Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Summary
Adds a shared
CONTRIBUTING.mdtoPolicyEngine/.githubthat GitHub automatically surfaces on any repo without its own. Per-repoCONTRIBUTING.md(which all active repos still have) takes precedence, so this file is the fallback and the authoritative source for the cross-repo conventions that were previously duplicated (and drifting) in each repo:changelog.d/<branch>.<type>.mdfragments + fragment-type tableuv runrequirement for Python commandschangelog_entry.yaml, no_v2suffixes, no fork PRs when secrets are required, no hardcoded test-passing values)Per-repo
CONTRIBUTING.mdwill be rewritten in companion PRs to focus on install commands, country-specific conventions, and repo-level anti-patterns, with a pointer back to this shared file.Motivation
Currently the same changelog / formatting / PR-etiquette guidance is repeated (inconsistently) across
policyengine-core,policyengine-uk,policyengine-us,policyengine-uk-data,policyengine-us-data,policyengine.py, and several app repos. When the changelog format migrated fromchangelog_entry.yamlto towncrier, most per-repo CONTRIBUTING files kept pointing at the old format, breaking both human contributors and AI coding agents. A single shared guide removes that drift for the cross-repo bits while leaving country-specific guidance where it belongs.Written for agents too
AI coding agents (Claude, Copilot, Codex, etc.) contribute a substantial share of PolicyEngine PRs. This file is deliberately structured with copy-pasteable commands and an explicit "don't do this" list so agents can read it cold and produce PRs that pass CI on the first try.
Test plan