CONTRIBUTING_GUIDE.md

Contributing Guide

Thank you for your interest in contributing to this project! Please follow the guidelines below to ensure a smooth contribution process.

🔒 Security Requirements

This repository has security checks in place to prevent accidental commits of private keys and sensitive information.

Required Setup

Before making any commits, you must install pre-commit hooks:

# Install pre-commit
pip install pre-commit

# Install the hooks for this repository
pre-commit install

What happens if you don't?

• Your commits will be blocked locally if they contain private keys
• PRs with private keys will fail CI checks and cannot be merged
• This protects everyone from accidentally exposing sensitive information

🚀 Getting Started

1. Fork the repository

2. Clone your fork

   git clone https://github.com/<YOUR-USERNAME>/cookbook.git
   cd cookbook

3. Set up pre-commit hooks (required!)

   pip install pre-commit
   pre-commit install

4. Create a new branch

   git checkout -b <YOUR BRANCH NAME>

5. Make your changes

6. Test your changes

   # Run security check manually (optional)
   pre-commit run detect-private-key --all-files

7. Commit and push

   git add .
   git commit -m "Your commit message"
   git push origin <YOUR BRANCH NAME>

8. Create a Pull Request

⚠️ Common Issues

"Private key detected" error

If you see this error when committing:

detect-private-key...........................................................Failed

• Remove any private keys, API keys, or sensitive information from your files
• Check files like .env, config files, or any files containing credentials
• Use environment variables or secure vaults for sensitive data instead

Best Practices

• Never commit private keys, API keys, passwords, or other sensitive information
• Use environment variables for configuration
• Keep sensitive data in .env files and add them to .gitignore
• Test your changes locally before creating a PR