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Contributing to GitVerse Next.js

Thank you for your interest in contributing to GitVerse Next.js! GitVerse is an AI-powered repository analyzer and assistant. We want to make contributing to this project as easy and transparent as possible.

By following these guidelines, you help keep the codebase clean, stable, and maintainable for everyone.

Code of Conduct

We expect all contributors to adhere to a professional, respectful, and inclusive environment. Please be supportive, patient, and constructive in all communication and code reviews.

Branching Conventions

We use a structured branch naming convention. Before you start writing code, make sure to create a branch from the main branch named according to the type of work you are doing:

Branch Prefix Purpose Example
feature/ New features, enhancements, or additions feature/ai-chat-history
bugfix/ Fixing a bug or unexpected behavior bugfix/login-error-toast
refactor/ Code structure changes with no new features/fixes refactor/api-response-types
docs/ Updates or additions to documentation docs/contributing-guide
chore/ Maintenance tasks, library upgrades, configuration changes chore/upgrade-prisma

Local Development Setup

To set up GitVerse Next.js locally, follow these steps:

1. Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed on your system:

  • Node.js: Version 18 or newer (version 22.x recommended)
  • Git: For version control
  • PostgreSQL: Local instance or a remote database (Neon DB recommended)

2. Fork & Clone

Fork the repository on GitHub, then clone your fork or the upstream repository locally:

git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/gitverse-nextjs.git
cd gitverse-nextjs

3. Install Dependencies

Install all required package dependencies:

npm install

4. Configure Environment Variables

Create a local environment file by copying the example template:

cp .env.example .env.local

Edit .env.local and configure your credentials:

  • DATABASE_URL: Your PostgreSQL connection string.
  • JWT_SECRET: A secure, random string used for local JWT sessions.
  • GEMINI_API_KEY: Obtain this from Google MakerSuite to enable AI Assistant features.
  • NEXTAUTH_SECRET and NEXTAUTH_URL: For session authentication.

Important

Always copy .env.local to .env as well so that the Prisma CLI can read your database connection:

cp .env.local .env

5. Generate and Migrate Database

Initialize your database and generate the Prisma Client:

# Generate the type-safe Prisma client
npm run prisma:generate

# Apply migrations to your database
npm run prisma:migrate

6. Run the Application

Start the Next.js development server:

npm run dev

Open http://localhost:3000 to view the application in action.

Commit Message Guidelines

We enforce a professional commit message style based on the Conventional Commits standard. This structure makes our project git history clean, readable, and easy to parse automatically.

Format

<type>(<scope>): <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

Allowed Types

  • feat: A new feature or enhancement
  • fix: A bug fix
  • docs: Documentation changes only
  • style: Changes that do not affect the meaning of the code (white-space, formatting, missing semi-colons, etc.)
  • refactor: A code change that neither fixes a bug nor adds a feature
  • perf: A code change that improves performance
  • test: Adding missing tests or correcting existing tests
  • chore: Changes to the build process or auxiliary tools and libraries

Example Commits

  • New feature: feat(ai): add history logs to repository chatbot dashboard
  • Bugfix: fix(auth): redirect user to login on token expiration
  • Documentation: docs(readme): update environment setup instructions

Issue Auto-Labeling

Issues opened in this repository are automatically labeled from keyword matches in the issue title and body.

Current supported categories include gssoc-2026, bug, feature, documentation, ui, and infra.

To add or adjust patterns, edit .github/workflows/auto-label.yml and update the labelRules list. Keep the label names in sync with the labels used in GitHub so the workflow can apply them consistently.

Pre-submission Checklist

Before pushing your changes and opening a Pull Request, please ensure you perform the following checks locally:

1. Code Formatting

Format your code using Prettier:

npm run format

2. Linting

Verify there are no syntax or pattern warnings from ESLint:

npm run lint

3. Type Checking

Make sure your TypeScript changes compile successfully:

npm run typecheck

Submitting a Pull Request (PR)

  1. Commit and Push: Commit your changes using a Conventional Commit message, and push your branch: 
    git push origin feature/your-feature-name
  2. Open a PR: Go to the GitHub repository and click "Compare & pull request".
  3. Describe Your Changes:
    • Provide a clear explanation of what you changed and why.
    • Link any related issues using Fixes #<issue-number>.
  4. Await Review: Core maintainers will review your changes, offer feedback, and merge once all criteria are met.

Thank you again for contributing and helping make GitVerse Next.js awesome! 🚀