Contributing Guide

Contributing Guide

See the full CONTRIBUTING.md in the repository for detailed guidelines.

Quick Start

1. Browse open issues — look for good first issue labels
2. Fork the repo and create a feature branch from main
3. Implement the fix or feature (one issue per PR)
4. Open a pull request referencing the issue number

Key Rules

• Use AppSettings, never QSettings — all persistence via AppSettings::instance()
• Match the dark theme — copy colors from existing widgets
• No feedback loops — use QSignalBlocker when updating UI from model signals
• Multi-Flex safety — filter by client_handle
• One PR per issue — keep changes focused
• Test the RX chain — discovery → connect → FFT → audio must still work

AI-Assisted Contributions

See AI-Assisted Development for how to contribute using Claude AI.

Reporting Bugs

Use the bug report template. Include:

• What happened vs. what you expected
• Radio model and firmware version
• Linux distro and Qt version
• Log file (~/.config/AetherSDR/AetherSDR/aethersdr.log)

Feature Requests

Use the feature request template or use Claude AI to generate a structured request — see CONTRIBUTING.md for the prompt.