How to Contribute

Unfault’s client-side tools are open source, and we welcome contributions. Whether you’re fixing a bug, improving parsing for a language, or enhancing the VS Code extension, there’s a place for your work.

The Open Source Ecosystem

The following repositories are open source and accept contributions:

Repository	Language	What it does	License
unfault/cli	Rust	Command-line interface, orchestrates analysis	MIT
unfault/core	Rust	Parsing, semantic extraction, graph construction	MIT
unfault/vscode	TypeScript	VS Code extension with LSP	MIT

Most contributions fall into one of these areas:

Fix bugs

Found something broken? We’d love a fix. View issues

Improve parsing

Help Unfault understand more languages and frameworks. Read more

Enhance the extension

Improve the VS Code experience. View issues

Improve docs

Clarify confusing sections or add missing information. View on GitHub

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Rust 1.70+ for CLI and core work
• Node.js 18+ for VS Code extension and documentation
• Git for version control

Clone and Build

# CLI
git clone https://github.com/unfault/cli
cd cli && cargo build

# Core library
git clone https://github.com/unfault/core
cd core && cargo build

# VS Code extension
git clone https://github.com/unfault/vscode
cd vscode && npm install && npm run compile

Contribution Workflow

1. Find or create an issue describing what you want to work on
2. Fork the repository and create a branch
3. Make your changes following the code style guidelines
4. Write tests for new functionality
5. Submit a pull request with a clear description

Commit Messages

We use Conventional Commits:

feat(parser): add support for Go generics
fix(cli): handle expired tokens gracefully
docs(readme): clarify installation steps

Types: feat, fix, docs, style, refactor, test, chore

Code Review

All changes go through code review. We look for:

• Correctness: Does it work? Are edge cases handled?
• Tests: Is new functionality tested?
• Style: Does it follow project conventions?
• Documentation: Are public APIs documented?

Be patient. Maintainers review PRs as time allows. If your PR sits for a week without feedback, a gentle ping is fine.

Where to Start

Good First Issues

Look for issues labeled good first issue:

• CLI good first issues
• Core good first issues
• VS Code good first issues

Documentation

Documentation improvements are always welcome. The docs live in www/src/content/docs/ and use MDX (Markdown with components).

cd unfault/www
npm install
npm run dev
# Open http://localhost:4321

Parsing and Semantics

The core crate handles all client-side parsing and semantic extraction. If you want Unfault to better understand a language or framework:

1. Check the existing parsers in core/src/parse/
2. Check the semantic extractors in core/src/semantics/
3. Open an issue describing what’s missing
4. Submit a PR with tests

See the Architecture page for details on how parsing works.

Code of Conduct

Be kind. Be constructive. Be professional. We’re all here to build something useful.

Harassment, discrimination, and toxic behavior have no place in this project. If you experience or witness unacceptable behavior, report it to conduct@unfault.dev.

Getting Help

• GitHub Discussions: unfault/cli/discussions
• Existing Issues: Search before opening a new one
• Documentation: You’re reading it

Recognition

Contributors are recognized in release notes and the project README. Significant contributions may earn a spot in the maintainers list.

We appreciate every contribution, from typo fixes to major features. Thank you for helping make Unfault better.

Next Steps

Architecture

Understand how the client-side pieces fit together. Read more

CLI Repository

Browse the CLI source code. View on GitHub