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Contributing to Discord.py Bot Template

Thanks for your interest in contributing!

This project aims to help beginners learn Discord bot development, so contributions that make the template more accessible and useful are especially welcome.

How to Contribute

Reporting Bugs

  • Check if the bug has already been reported in Issues
  • If not, create a new issue with:
    • A clear title and description
    • Steps to reproduce the bug
    • Expected vs actual behavior
    • Your Python and discord.py versions

Suggesting Features

  • Open an issue with the enhancement label
  • Describe the feature and why it would be useful
  • If possible, provide examples of how it would work

Submitting Code

  1. Fork the repository

  2. Create a branch (see Branch Naming Convention below)

    git checkout -b feat/your-feature-name

  3. Make your changes

    • Write clean, readable code
    • Follow existing code style and structure
    • Add comments for complex logic
    • Keep it beginner-friendly!

  4. Test your changes

    • Make sure the bot runs without errors
    • Test your new features/commands

  5. Commit your changes (see Commit Message Convention below)

    git commit -m "feat: add user authentication command"

  6. Push to your fork

    git push origin feat/your-feature-name

  7. Open a Pull Request

    • Describe what you changed and why
    • Reference any related issues

What We're Looking For

Good Contributions:

  • New example commands that demonstrate Discord.py features
  • Bug fixes and improvements
  • Better error handling
  • Documentation improvements
  • Code simplification for beginners

Please Avoid:

  • Breaking changes without discussion
  • Overly complex code that's hard for beginners to understand
  • Dependencies that aren't necessary
  • Removing existing functionality

Code Style

  • Use clear, descriptive variable names
  • Add comments explaining what code does (remember, beginners will read this!)
  • Follow PEP 8 style guidelines
  • Keep functions simple and focused

Commit Message Convention

This project follows the Conventional Commits specification.

Format

<type>[optional scope]: <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

Types

Type Description
feat A new feature
fix A bug fix
docs Documentation only changes
style Changes that don't affect code meaning (formatting, whitespace)
refactor Code change that neither fixes a bug nor adds a feature
perf Performance improvement
test Adding or correcting tests
build Changes to build system or dependencies
ci Changes to CI configuration files and scripts
chore Other changes that don't modify src or test files

Examples

feat: add new /ban command
fix: resolve memory leak in event handler
docs: update README with setup instructions
feat(commands): add user profile lookup
fix!: change API response format

Breaking Changes

Indicate breaking changes by:

  • Adding ! after the type/scope: feat!: change command prefix
  • Adding a BREAKING CHANGE: footer in the commit body

Branch Naming Convention

This project follows the Conventional Branch naming convention.

Format

<type>/<description>

Branch Types

Prefix Purpose Example
feat/ New features feat/add-moderation-commands
fix/ Bug fixes fix/reaction-handler-crash
hotfix/ Urgent production fixes hotfix/security-vulnerability
docs/ Documentation updates docs/update-readme
refactor/ Code refactoring refactor/simplify-event-handlers
test/ Test additions/changes test/add-command-tests
chore/ Maintenance tasks chore/update-dependencies
release/ Release preparation release/v1.2.0

Naming Rules

  • Use lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens only
  • Use hyphens to separate words: feat/add-new-command
  • Keep descriptions concise but descriptive
  • Include issue numbers when applicable: feat/issue-123-add-logging
  • No consecutive, leading, or trailing hyphens

Examples

git checkout -b feat/add-music-player
git checkout -b fix/command-cooldown-bug
git checkout -b docs/api-documentation
git checkout -b chore/upgrade-discord-py

Questions?

Feel free to open an issue if you have questions about contributing!

By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the MIT License.