Contributing

The Nano Collective is a volunteer community. Contributions of every shape and skill level are welcome: code, docs, design, triage, advocacy. This page is for people who want to get involved with an existing project under the collective.

If instead you want to propose a new project, see How a Project Comes to Life.

Who can contribute

Anyone. There is no application process and no prerequisite. If you have time, an interest, and you want to help, you are welcome here. First-time open source contributors are particularly welcome; the projects in the collective are explicitly designed to be approachable.

Finding something to work on

Three ways to find work that matches what you can offer.

Pick a project that interests you

Every NC project lives at github.com/Nano-Collective . The active projects are:

Nanocoder : a coding agent in your terminal that runs on any model you choose.
Nanotune : fine-tuning small models on Apple Silicon.
get-md : HTML to Markdown converter.
json-up : JSON migration tool.

Pick the one closest to what you actually use or care about.

Look for `good first issue` and `help wanted`

Every project tags issues for newcomers. Filter the issues tab by:

good first issue: scoped, well-defined, low context required.
help wanted: the maintainers would love help with this one.

Comment on an issue to claim it before you start working, so two people don’t end up writing the same patch.

Open a new issue

If you have hit a bug or have an idea for an improvement, open an issue on the relevant project’s repository. Even if you do not have time to fix it yourself, a clear bug report with reproduction steps is a real contribution.

Modes of contribution

Before you write the patch, pick the mode that fits.

Just open the PR

If your contribution is small, self-contained, and does not change the project’s scope or public surface, just open the PR. No need to ask first. This includes:

Bug fixes.
Typo and documentation corrections.
Dependency updates.
Small, self-contained improvements (a clearer error message, a better default, a missing edge case).
Refactors that do not change behaviour.

A maintainer will review, suggest changes if needed, and merge.

Propose first

If your contribution is larger or has implications beyond a single PR, raise it before you start. This includes:

New features or substantial enhancements.
Changes to public APIs, CLI surface, or configuration.
Architectural or structural changes.
Anything affecting the project’s branding, voice, or alignment with the collective.
Any piece of work likely to take more than a few hours of focused effort.

The lightweight way to propose is a GitHub issue describing what you want to do and why. The even-lighter way is a message in Discord before opening the issue, especially if you are not sure whether the work is in scope.

Maintainers would rather have an early conversation than reject a finished PR.

What makes a good PR

These are not hard rules; they are what reviewers find easiest to engage with.

Small and focused. One change per PR. If you have multiple unrelated improvements, split them.
Tested. Add or update tests when you change behaviour. Run the project’s full test gate locally before opening the PR (every NC project documents the single command for this in its CONTRIBUTING.md).
Documented. If your change affects user-visible behaviour, update the docs in the same PR.
Clear commit messages. Follow the project’s commit convention (most NC projects use a light version of Conventional Commits; see the project’s CONTRIBUTING.md).
Honest about what you have not done. If you have skipped tests, left a TODO, or worked around something, say so in the PR description.

Reading the project’s CONTRIBUTING.md

Every NC project has a CONTRIBUTING.md in its root. It contains:

Development setup (prerequisites, install, build, run).
Testing and linting commands.
Coding standards specific to the project.
The release process (contributors do not bump versions; that is a maintainer responsibility).

Read it before you start. The conventions there override the generic guidance on this page when they differ.

What review looks like

When you open a PR:

A maintainer responds, usually within a week. If you do not hear back in two weeks, ping the issue or message in Discord .
Review can include requested changes. Address them, push more commits, and re-request review. No one is being graded.
Once the PR is approved and CI is green, a maintainer merges it.
The next release picks up your change.

Ways to contribute beyond code

Code is one of many ways. The collective values, equally:

Documentation. Tutorials, examples, references, fixes to existing docs.
Design. UI/UX, brand assets, visual identity.
Triage and review. Answering questions, reviewing PRs, helping new contributors.
Advocacy. Writing blog posts, talks, sharing the work, organising events.
Translation. Where applicable, translating content for international audiences.
Testing. Trying early builds and reporting issues.

If you are not sure which fits, message in Discord and someone will help you find something.

Paid contribution

The collective has a community fund mechanism for bounties, plus designated donations and (forthcoming) sponsor-provided resources. Most contribution is volunteer, and the volume of paid work is constrained by what is currently in the fund.

If you are taking on a substantial piece of work and want to discuss whether support is available, see Contributor Resources for the full catalogue of what is available today and how to ask. Or email hello@nanocollective.org.

The terms are clear, in writing, in the Economics Charter: nothing open-ended, nothing retrospective, scope agreed before any money changes hands.

Code of conduct

Be respectful and inclusive. Focus on constructive feedback. Help create a welcoming environment for every contributor, regardless of experience.

If something goes wrong (you experience or witness behaviour that falls short of this), reach out to a maintainer on Discord or email hello@nanocollective.org. We take this seriously.

The full text is on the Community page.

After your first contribution

If you contribute and want recognition on the website’s contributors page , add yourself by opening a PR against the website repo . Instructions are on the contributors page itself.

If you contribute consistently over time, maintainership for the project you work on may be offered. See Governance for how that works.

Questions

Discord is the fastest path. For anything more formal or non-public, email hello@nanocollective.org.