tighten up contribute/index.md

Author: leemthompo

contribute-docs/contribute/_snippets/docs-intro.md

@@ -2,41 +2,33 @@
 navigation_title: Contribute to main docs
 ---
 
-# Elastic Docs contribution guide
+# Contribute to current Elastic docs
 
-Welcome, **contributor**!
+In April 2025, Elastic migrated to a new documentation system, publishing docs at [elastic.co/docs](https://www.elastic.co/docs). This new system uses Markdown and a modern toolchain called [Docs V3](https://elastic.github.io/docs-builder/).
 
-Whether you're a technical writer or you've only edited Elastic docs once or twice, you're a valued contributor. Every word matters!
+Docs for {{stack}} 9.x, {{ece}} 4.x, and {{eck}} 3.x can all be found on this site, as well as all unversioned products, such as {{ech}} and {{serverless-full}}.
 
-## Contribute to the docs [#contribute]
+This documentation is **cumulative**. This means that a new set of docs is not published for every minor release. Instead, each page stays valid over time and incorporates version-specific changes directly within the content.
 
-In April 2025, we released our new documentation site. This site includes documentation for our latest product versions, including {{stack}} 9.0+ and {{serverless-full}}.
+[Learn how to write cumulative documentation](how-to/cumulative-docs/index.md).
 
-:::{include} _snippets/two-systems.md
-:::
+## How to contribute
 
-### Contribute elastic.co/docs
+- For **simple bug fixes and enhancements**: [Contribute on the web](on-the-web.md)
+- For **complex or multi-page updates**: [Contribute locally](locally.md)
 
-:::{include} _snippets/docs-intro.md
-:::
-
-* For **simple bug fixes and enhancements**: [Contribute on the web](on-the-web.md)
-* For **complex or multi-page updates**: [Contribute locally](locally.md)
-
-#### Branches in V3
-
-In Docs V3, a single branch is published per repository. This branch is set to `main` by default, but it is possible to instead publish a different branch by changing your repository's deployment model. You might want to change your deployment model so you can have more control over when content added for a specific release is published.
-
-### Contribute to elastic.co/guide
+## Report a bug
 
-For contributing to elastic.co/guide (legacy documentation), see [Contribute to legacy documentation](legacy-docs.md).
+- For **documentation** problems: [Open a docs issue](https://github.com/elastic/docs-content/issues/new?template=internal-request.yaml) *or* [Fix it myself](locally.md).
+  - Elastic employees can open internal-only issues in our [internal repo](https://github.com/elastic/docs-content-internal/issues/new/choose).
+- For **build tool (docs-builder)** problems: [Open a bug report](https://github.com/elastic/docs-builder/issues/new?template=bug-report.yaml)
 
-## Report a bug
+## Request an enhancement or docs for a new feature
 
-* For **documentation** problems: [Open a docs issue](https://github.com/elastic/docs-content/issues/new?template=internal-request.yaml) *or* [Fix it myself](locally.md). You can open sensitive issues in our [internal repo](https://github.com/elastic/docs-content-internal/issues/new/choose).
-* For **build tool (docs-builder)** problems: [Open a bug report](https://github.com/elastic/docs-builder/issues/new?template=bug-report.yaml)
+- Make the **documentation** better: [Open a docs issue](https://github.com/elastic/docs-content/issues/new?template=internal-request.yaml).
+  - Elastic employees can open internal-only issues in our [internal repo](https://github.com/elastic/docs-content-internal/issues/new/choose).
+- Make our **build tool (docs-builder)** better: [Start a docs-builder discussion](https://github.com/elastic/docs-builder/discussions)
 
-## Request an enhancement or documentation for a new feature
+## Contribute to legacy docs
 
-* Make the **documentation** better: [Open a docs issue](https://github.com/elastic/docs-content/issues/new?template=internal-request.yaml). Elastic employees can open sensitive issues in our [internal repo](https://github.com/elastic/docs-content-internal/issues/new/choose).
-* Make our **build tool (docs-builder)** better: [Start a docs-builder discussion](https://github.com/elastic/docs-builder/discussions)
+To contribute to [elastic.co/guide](https://www.elastic.co/guide) (legacy documentation), refer to [Contribute to legacy documentation](legacy-docs.md).