diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 8eb1c924..f82258c0 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -2,6 +2,12 @@
 
 Thanks for your interest in contributing to Bashkit!
 
+## How to Contribute
+
+The easiest and most valuable way to contribute is to [create an issue](https://github.com/everruns/bashkit/issues). Bug reports, feature requests, compatibility gaps, and questions all help us prioritize and improve bashkit. A well-described issue is often more impactful than a pull request.
+
+If you'd like to contribute code, read on.
+
 ## Setup
 
 ```bash
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c495c1a1..4caa1aba 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -440,6 +440,10 @@ Bashkit is an independent implementation that draws design inspiration from seve
 
 No code was copied from any of these projects. See [NOTICE](NOTICE) for full details.
 
+## Contributing
+
+The best way to contribute is to [open an issue](https://github.com/everruns/bashkit/issues) — bug reports, feature requests, and questions all help improve bashkit. If you'd like to contribute code, see [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for setup and workflow details.
+
 ## Ecosystem
 
 Bashkit is part of the [Everruns](https://everruns.com) ecosystem.