Contributing

Contributing to catnet

The Golden Rule

Do not implement scanning logic in catnet. All network operations must go through catnet-core. If you need new scanning behaviour, open an issue in catnet-core first.

Development Setup

git clone https://github.com/mendsec/catnet.git
cd catnet
go mod download
go build -o /tmp/catnet-test-bin ./cmd/catnet    # pre-requisite for integration tests
go test -race -v ./...

Running Tests

go test -race -v ./...                           # all tests
go test -run TestScanOutputJSON ./tests/         # single test
go test -bench=. -benchmem ./...                 # benchmarks

Code Style

gofmt -w .
go vet ./...

• Tabs for .go files (see .editorconfig).
• Spaces for YAML, JSON, and Markdown (2-space indent).

Commit Convention

We follow Conventional Commits:

Prefix	Description
feat	New user-visible feature
fix	Bug fix
docs	Documentation only
test	Test additions or corrections
refactor	Code restructuring, no behaviour change
chore	CI, deps, config
perf	Performance improvement

Breaking changes: append ! after the type (feat!:), and include a BREAKING CHANGE: footer in the commit body.

Pull Request Checklist

• Changes follow the golden rule (no scanning logic)
• gofmt -w . and go vet ./... pass
• All existing tests pass (go test -race -v ./...)
• New tests added for new functionality
• Documentation updated (wiki, CLI reference, or output reference as applicable)
• Commits follow the Conventional Commits convention

Issue Labels Reference

Label	Description
enhancement	New feature request
bug	Confirmed defect
testing	Test infrastructure work
documentation	Docs-only change
catnet-core-dep	Blocked on or related to catnet-core
good first issue	Suitable for new contributors
maintenance	CI, deps, housekeeping
distribution	Packaging, Homebrew, release

Versioning Policy

catnet follows SemVer, adapted for its role as a consumer:

• Minor bumps when catnet-core minor bumps or when CLI behaviour changes.
• Patch bumps for bug fixes and documentation-only changes.
• Major bumps for breaking CLI contract changes.