# Contributing to OpenClaw

Welcome to the lobster tank! 🦞

## Quick Links

- **GitHub:** https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
- **Vision:** [`VISION.md`](VISION.md)
- **Discord:** https://discord.gg/qkhbAGHRBT
- **X/Twitter:** [@steipete](https://x.com/steipete) / [@openclaw](https://x.com/openclaw)

## Maintainers

- **Peter Steinberger** - Benevolent Dictator
  - GitHub: [@steipete](https://github.com/steipete) · X: [@steipete](https://x.com/steipete)

- **Shadow** - Discord subsystem, Discord admin, Clawhub, all community moderation
  - GitHub: [@thewilloftheshadow](https://github.com/thewilloftheshadow) · X: [@4shadowed](https://x.com/4shadowed)

- **Vignesh** - Memory (QMD), formal modeling, TUI, IRC, and Lobster
  - GitHub: [@vignesh07](https://github.com/vignesh07) · X: [@\_vgnsh](https://x.com/_vgnsh)

- **Jos** - Telegram, API, Nix mode
  - GitHub: [@joshp123](https://github.com/joshp123) · X: [@jjpcodes](https://x.com/jjpcodes)

- **Ayaan Zaidi** - Telegram subsystem, iOS app
  - GitHub: [@obviyus](https://github.com/obviyus) · X: [@0bviyus](https://x.com/0bviyus)

- **Tyler Yust** - Agents/subagents, cron, BlueBubbles, macOS app
  - GitHub: [@tyler6204](https://github.com/tyler6204) · X: [@tyleryust](https://x.com/tyleryust)

- **Mariano Belinky** - iOS app, Security
  - GitHub: [@mbelinky](https://github.com/mbelinky) · X: [@belimad](https://x.com/belimad)

- **Nimrod Gutman** - iOS app, macOS app and crustacean features
  - GitHub: [@ngutman](https://github.com/ngutman) · X: [@theguti](https://x.com/theguti)

- **Vincent Koc** - Agents, Telemetry, Hooks, Security
  - GitHub: [@vincentkoc](https://github.com/vincentkoc) · X: [@vincent_koc](https://x.com/vincent_koc)

- **Val Alexander** - UI/UX, Docs, and Agent DevX
  - GitHub: [@BunsDev](https://github.com/BunsDev) · X: [@BunsDev](https://x.com/BunsDev)

- **Seb Slight** - Docs, Agent Reliability, Runtime Hardening
  - GitHub: [@sebslight](https://github.com/sebslight) · X: [@sebslig](https://x.com/sebslig)

- **Christoph Nakazawa** - JS Infra
  - GitHub: [@cpojer](https://github.com/cpojer) · X: [@cnakazawa](https://x.com/cnakazawa)

- **Gustavo Madeira Santana** - Multi-agents, CLI, web UI
  - GitHub: [@gumadeiras](https://github.com/gumadeiras) · X: [@gumadeiras](https://x.com/gumadeiras)

- **Onur Solmaz** - Agents, dev workflows, ACP integrations, MS Teams
  - GitHub: [@onutc](https://github.com/onutc), [@osolmaz](https://github.com/osolmaz) · X: [@onusoz](https://x.com/onusoz)

- **Josh Avant** - Core, CLI, Gateway, Security, Agents
  - GitHub: [@joshavant](https://github.com/joshavant) · X: [@joshavant](https://x.com/joshavant)

- **Jonathan Taylor** - ACP subsystem, Gateway features/bugs, Gog/Mog/Sog CLI's, SEDMAT
  - GitHub [@visionik](https://github.com/visionik) · X: [@visionik](https://x.com/visionik)
- **Josh Lehman** - Compaction, Tlon/Urbit subsystem
  - GitHub [@jalehman](https://github.com/jalehman) · X: [@jlehman\_](https://x.com/jlehman_)

- **Radek Sienkiewicz** - Control UI + WebChat correctness
  - GitHub [@velvet-shark](https://github.com/velvet-shark) · X: [@velvet_shark](https://twitter.com/velvet_shark)

- **Muhammed Mukhthar** - Mattermost, CLI
  - GitHub [@mukhtharcm](https://github.com/mukhtharcm) · X: [@mukhtharcm](https://x.com/mukhtharcm)

- **Altay** - Agents, CLI, error handling
  - GitHub [@altaywtf](https://github.com/altaywtf) · X: [@altaywtf](https://x.com/altaywtf)

- **Robin Waslander** - Security, PR triage, bug fixes
  - GitHub: [@hydro13](https://github.com/hydro13) · X: [@Robin_waslander](https://x.com/Robin_waslander)

- **Tengji (George) Zhang** - Chinese model APIs, cloud, pi
  - GitHub: [@odysseus0](https://github.com/odysseus0) · X: [@odysseus0z](https://x.com/odysseus0z)

## How to Contribute

1. **Bugs & small fixes** → Open a PR!
2. **New features / architecture** → Start a [GitHub Discussion](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/discussions) or ask in Discord first
3. **Questions** → Discord [#help](https://discord.com/channels/1456350064065904867/1459642797895319552) / [#users-helping-users](https://discord.com/channels/1456350064065904867/1459007081603403828)

## Before You PR

- Test locally with your OpenClaw instance
- Run tests: `pnpm build && pnpm check && pnpm test`
- If you have access to Codex, run `codex review --base origin/main` locally before opening or updating your PR. Treat this as the current highest standard of AI review, even if GitHub Codex review also runs.
- Ensure CI checks pass
- Keep PRs focused (one thing per PR; do not mix unrelated concerns)
- Describe what & why
- Reply to or resolve bot review conversations you addressed before asking for review again
- **Include screenshots** — one showing the problem/before, one showing the fix/after (for UI or visual changes)
- Use American English spelling and grammar in code, comments, docs, and UI strings

## Review Conversations Are Author-Owned

If a review bot leaves review conversations on your PR, you are expected to handle the follow-through:

- Resolve the conversation yourself once the code or explanation fully addresses the bot's concern
- Reply and leave it open only when you need maintainer or reviewer judgment
- Do not leave "fixed" bot review conversations for maintainers to clean up for you
- If Codex leaves comments, address every relevant one or resolve it with a short explanation when it is not applicable to your change
- If GitHub Codex review does not trigger for some reason, run `codex review --base origin/main` locally anyway and treat that output as required review work

This applies to both human-authored and AI-assisted PRs.

## Control UI Decorators

The Control UI uses Lit with **legacy** decorators (current Rollup parsing does not support
`accessor` fields required for standard decorators). When adding reactive fields, keep the
legacy style:

```ts
@state() foo = "bar";
@property({ type: Number }) count = 0;
```

The root `tsconfig.json` is configured for legacy decorators (`experimentalDecorators: true`)
with `useDefineForClassFields: false`. Avoid flipping these unless you are also updating the UI
build tooling to support standard decorators.

## AI/Vibe-Coded PRs Welcome! 🤖

Built with Codex, Claude, or other AI tools? **Awesome - just mark it!**

Please include in your PR:

- [ ] Mark as AI-assisted in the PR title or description
- [ ] Note the degree of testing (untested / lightly tested / fully tested)
- [ ] Include prompts or session logs if possible (super helpful!)
- [ ] Confirm you understand what the code does
- [ ] If you have access to Codex, run `codex review --base origin/main` locally and address the findings before asking for review
- [ ] Resolve or reply to bot review conversations after you address them

AI PRs are first-class citizens here. We just want transparency so reviewers know what to look for. If you are using an LLM coding agent, instruct it to resolve bot review conversations it has addressed instead of leaving them for maintainers.

## Current Focus & Roadmap 🗺

We are currently prioritizing:

- **Stability**: Fixing edge cases in channel connections (WhatsApp/Telegram).
- **UX**: Improving the onboarding wizard and error messages.
- **Skills**: For skill contributions, head to [ClawHub](https://clawhub.ai/) — the community hub for OpenClaw skills.
- **Performance**: Optimizing token usage and compaction logic.

Check the [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues) for "good first issue" labels!

## Maintainers

We're selectively expanding the maintainer team.
If you're an experienced contributor who wants to help shape OpenClaw's direction — whether through code, docs, or community — we'd like to hear from you.

Being a maintainer is a responsibility, not an honorary title. We expect active, consistent involvement — triaging issues, reviewing PRs, and helping move the project forward.

Still interested? Email contributing@openclaw.ai with:

- Links to your PRs on OpenClaw (if you don't have any, start there first)
- Links to open source projects you maintain or actively contribute to
- Your GitHub, Discord, and X/Twitter handles
- A brief intro: background, experience, and areas of interest
- Languages you speak and where you're based
- How much time you can realistically commit

We welcome people across all skill sets — engineering, documentation, community management, and more.
We review every human-only-written application carefully and add maintainers slowly and deliberately.
Please allow a few weeks for a response.

## Report a Vulnerability

We take security reports seriously. Report vulnerabilities directly to the repository where the issue lives:

- **Core CLI and gateway** — [openclaw/openclaw](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw)
- **macOS desktop app** — [openclaw/openclaw](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw) (apps/macos)
- **iOS app** — [openclaw/openclaw](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw) (apps/ios)
- **Android app** — [openclaw/openclaw](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw) (apps/android)
- **ClawHub** — [openclaw/clawhub](https://github.com/openclaw/clawhub)
- **Trust and threat model** — [openclaw/trust](https://github.com/openclaw/trust)

For issues that don't fit a specific repo, or if you're unsure, email **security@openclaw.ai** and we'll route it.

### Required in Reports

1. **Title**
2. **Severity Assessment**
3. **Impact**
4. **Affected Component**
5. **Technical Reproduction**
6. **Demonstrated Impact**
7. **Environment**
8. **Remediation Advice**

Reports without reproduction steps, demonstrated impact, and remediation advice will be deprioritized. Given the volume of AI-generated scanner findings, we must ensure we're receiving vetted reports from researchers who understand the issues.
