From 89ad25b624e05640f166216c117dc9ab76ce28dc Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Abhimanyu Saharan <desk.abhimanyu@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2026 10:04:34 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] docs: add root CONTRIBUTING.md

---
 CONTRIBUTING.md | 63 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 63 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 CONTRIBUTING.md

diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
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+# Contributing to OpenClaw Mission Control
+
+Thanks for your interest in improving Mission Control.
+
+This repo welcomes contributions in three broad categories:
+
+- **Issues**: bug reports, feature requests, and design discussions
+- **Documentation**: improvements to clarity, correctness, onboarding, and runbooks
+- **Code**: fixes, features, tests, and refactors
+
+## Where to start
+
+- Docs landing page: [`docs/README.md`](./docs/README.md)
+- Development workflow: [`docs/03-development.md`](./docs/03-development.md)
+- Testing guide: [`docs/testing/README.md`](./docs/testing/README.md)
+
+## Filing issues
+
+When opening an issue, please include:
+
+- What you expected vs what happened
+- Steps to reproduce (commands, env vars, links)
+- Logs and screenshots where helpful
+- Your environment (OS, Docker version, Node/Python versions)
+
+## Pull requests
+
+### Expectations
+
+- Keep PRs **small and focused** when possible.
+- Include a clear description of the change and why it’s needed.
+- Add/adjust tests when behavior changes.
+- Update docs when contributor-facing or operator-facing behavior changes.
+
+### Local checks
+
+From repo root, the closest “CI parity” command is:
+
+```bash
+make check
+```
+
+If you’re iterating on a specific area, the Makefile also provides targeted commands (lint, typecheck, unit tests, etc.). See `make help`.
+
+## Docs contribution guidelines
+
+- The numbered pages under `docs/` are **entrypoints**. Prefer linking to deeper pages instead of duplicating large blocks of content.
+- Use concise language and concrete examples.
+- When documenting operational behavior, call out risk areas (secrets, data loss, migrations).
+
+## Security and vulnerability reporting
+
+If you believe you’ve found a security vulnerability:
+
+- **Do not** open a public issue.
+- Prefer GitHub’s private reporting flow:
+  - https://github.com/abhi1693/openclaw-mission-control/security/advisories/new
+
+If that’s not available in your environment, contact the maintainers privately.
+
+## Code of conduct
+
+If this repository adopts a Code of Conduct, we will link it here.