First Contribution Guide

What it does

When your agent uses it

• The user asks about first contribution guide
• Related techniques
• Needs guidance in this domain
• The request is outside the scope of first contribution guide

Example prompts

• “/first-contribution-guide”

Requirements

• Node.js
• Docker

Workflow steps

8 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

1. 1Claim the issue first - Comment on the issue before starting work
2. 2Keep PRs focused - One issue per PR, avoid scope creep
3. 3Explain your reasoning - Not just what changed, but why
4. 4Be responsive - Reply to review feedback within 48 hours
5. 5Accept feedback gracefully - Maintainers know the codebase best
6. 6Do not argue style - Follow the project conventions even if you disagree
7. 7Squash noise commits - Clean history before requesting review
8. 8Test before submitting - Run the full test suite locally

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 4c030c7. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

• Tool permissions

  Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

  From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

• Runs code

  Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

  • git
  • npx

  From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

• Network

  No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use git and npx, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.

  From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

• Credentials

  Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

  From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

First Contribution Guide loads about 2.9k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 101 tokens; SKILL.md has 878 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it

~101

When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches

~2.9k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from FerroxLabs/wayland at commit 4c030c7, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© FerroxLabs). 878 words, ~2,887 tokens.

name

first-contribution-guide

description

Navigate your first open source contribution from finding issues through submitting pull requests with proper etiquette and workflow Use when the user asks about first contribution guide, related techniques, best practices, or needs guidance in this domain. Do NOT use when the request is outside the scope of first contribution guide or requires a different specialized skill.

license

Apache-2.0

metadata.author

foundry-skills

metadata.version

1.0.0

metadata.tags

best-practices checklist template guide step-by-step beginner-friendly api-design testing

metadata.category

software-engineering

metadata.subcategory

developer-tools

metadata.disclaimer

none

metadata.difficulty

intermediate

# 1. Fork the repository via the GitHub UI, then clone your fork
git clone [GitHub repository]
cd project-name

# 2. Add the original repository as upstream remote
git remote add upstream [GitHub repository]

# 3. Verify remotes
git remote -v
# origin    [GitHub repository] (pull)
# upstream  [GitHub repository] (pull)

# 4. Create a feature branch from the latest upstream
git pull upstream main --rebase
git checkout -b fix/issue-123-typo-in-readme upstream/main

# 5. Make your changes, then commit
git add README.md
git commit -m "fix: correct typo in installation instructions (#123)"

# 6. Push to your fork
git push origin fix/issue-123-typo-in-readme

fix/issue-42-null-pointer       # Bug fixes
feat/issue-88-add-dark-mode     # New features
docs/issue-15-update-api-ref    # Documentation
chore/issue-60-update-deps      # Maintenance
test/issue-33-add-unit-tests    # Test coverage

# Before starting new work, always sync
git checkout main
git pull upstream main
# (pulls and merges latest upstream changes)
git push origin main

# Rebase your feature branch if upstream changed
git checkout fix/issue-123-typo-in-readme
git rebase upstream/main
# Resolve any conflicts, then force-push your branch
git push origin fix/issue-123-typo-in-readme --force-with-lease

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

<optional body explaining why, not what>

<optional footer with references>

fix(parser): handle empty input without crashing (#42)

Previously the parser threw an unhandled exception when receiving
an empty string. This adds a guard clause that returns an empty
result set instead.

Closes #42

---

docs(readme): add Docker setup instructions

New contributors were confused by the local setup process.
Added a Docker-based alternative that requires fewer prerequisites.

---

feat(api): add pagination to /users endpoint (#88)

Implements cursor-based pagination with configurable page size.
Default page size is 50, maximum is 200.

Closes #88

## What does this PR do?

Brief description of the change and its purpose.

## Related Issue

Closes #123

## Changes Made

- Changed X to fix Y
- Added test for Z scenario
- Updated documentation for the new behavior

## How to Test

1. Check out this branch
2. Run `npm test` to verify all tests pass
3. Manual verification: navigate to /settings and confirm the toggle works

## Screenshots (if applicable)

Before: [image]
After: [image]

## Checklist

- [ ] Tests added or updated
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] Follows project coding style
- [ ] Commits are squashed/clean
- [ ] Branch is up to date with main

# When pushing updates after review:
1. Address ALL comments, not just some
2. Reply to each comment thread with what you changed
3. Re-request review after pushing updates
4. Mark resolved conversations only if the reviewer agrees

# If you disagree with feedback:
- Explain your reasoning calmly with evidence
- Ask clarifying questions rather than defending
- Defer to the maintainer if it is a matter of preference
- Suggest alternatives rather than just saying "no"

# Find untested code paths
npx jest --coverage
# Look for files with low coverage percentages
# Write tests for uncovered branches

1. Documentation fixes          → Learn the codebase and process
2. Test improvements            → Understand the code deeply
3. Small bug fixes              → Gain trust with maintainers
4. Feature contributions        → Become a recognized contributor
5. Issue triage and reviews     → Move toward maintainer role
6. Sustained contributions      → Potential core team invitation

## First Contribution Guide Analysis

### Assessment
[Key findings and observations]

### Recommendations
1. [Primary recommendation]
2. [Secondary recommendation]
3. [Additional suggestions]

### Action Items
- [ ] [First action step]
- [ ] [Second action step]
- [ ] [Follow-up task]

© FerroxLabs, Apache-2.0. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in src/process/resources/skills-library/bodies/skills/software-engineering/first-contribution-guide of FerroxLabs/wayland.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 4c030c7