NOVA/docs/CONTRIBUTING.md

Contributing to NOVA

Thank you for your interest in contributing to NOVA! This document provides guidelines for contributing.

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How to Contribute

Reporting Issues

Bug Reports:

1. Check existing issues first
2. Use the bug report template
3. Include:
   • Python version
   • OS and hardware
   • Steps to reproduce
   • Expected vs actual behavior
   • Error messages/logs

Feature Requests:

1. Check if already proposed
2. Explain the use case
3. Describe the desired behavior

Code Contributions

Setup Development Environment:

# Fork and clone
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/nova.git
cd nova

# Create venv
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

# Install dev dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
pip install -e .[dev]

Before Submitting:

1. Run Tests:

   pytest tests/ -v
   

2. Lint Code:

   ruff check .
   black --check .
   

3. Format Code:

   black nova_core/ nova_tokenizer/ nova_train/ nova_evo/ nova_chat/
   

4. Type Check (optional but recommended):

   mypy nova_core/ --ignore-missing-imports
   

Pull Request Process

1. Branch Naming:

   • feature/description for new features
   • fix/description for bug fixes
   • docs/description for documentation

2. Commit Messages:

   • Clear, descriptive messages
   • Reference issues: Fix #123: Description

3. PR Description:

   • What changed
   • Why the change
   • Testing performed
   • Screenshots (if UI changes)

4. Review Process:

   • CI must pass
   • At least one approval required
   • Address review feedback

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Development Guidelines

Code Style

Python:

• Follow PEP 8
• Use Black formatter (line length 100)
• Type hints encouraged
• Docstrings for public APIs

Example:

def example_function(param: str, optional: int = 0) -> bool:
    """
    Brief description.

    Args:
        param: Description
        optional: Description (default: 0)

    Returns:
        Description
    """
    return True

Testing

Write Tests For:

• New features
• Bug fixes
• Public APIs

Test Locations:

• tests/test_core.py - Core transformer
• tests/test_tokenizer.py - Tokenizer
• tests/test_persona.py - Persona system
• tests/test_<module>.py - Other modules

Run Tests:

# All tests
pytest

# Specific file
pytest tests/test_core.py

# With coverage
pytest --cov=nova_core

Documentation

Update Docs For:

• API changes
• New features
• Configuration options

Documentation Files:

• README.md - Main documentation
• docs/MODEL_CARD.md - Model information
• docs/PRIVACY_LOCAL.md - Privacy details
• docs/DATA_LICENSES.md - Data licensing

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Contribution Areas

High Priority

• Pre-trained Models: Training and releasing checkpoints
• Export Tools: GGUF converter, quantization improvements
• Evaluation Suite: Comprehensive benchmarks
• Dataset Downloaders: Legal dataset acquisition scripts

Medium Priority

• LoRA Support: Fine-tuning with adapters
• Multi-language: Support for non-English
• Performance: Optimization improvements
• Tests: Increase coverage

Documentation

• Tutorials: Step-by-step guides
• Examples: Real-world use cases
• API Docs: Complete API documentation
• Architecture: Deep-dive technical docs

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License

By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under Apache License 2.0.

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Code of Conduct

Our Pledge

• Be respectful and inclusive
• Welcome newcomers
• Focus on constructive feedback
• Assume good intentions

Unacceptable Behavior

• Harassment or discrimination
• Trolling or insulting comments
• Publishing others' private information
• Other unprofessional conduct

Enforcement

Violations can be reported to project maintainers. All complaints will be reviewed and investigated.

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Questions?

• Discussions: GitHub Discussions
• Issues: GitHub Issues
• General: Open an issue with the "question" label

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Recognition

Contributors will be:

• Listed in CONTRIBUTORS.md
• Mentioned in release notes
• Credited for significant features

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Thank you for contributing to NOVA! 🌟