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Contributing

Thank you for your interest in contributing to Dispatch!

Getting Started

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Clone your fork: 
    git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/dispatch.git
cd dispatch
  3. Set up your development environment (see Getting Started)

Development Setup

Prerequisites

Running Locally

cp .env.example .env
make keygen          # Generate keys, copy output to .env
# Configure GitHub OAuth credentials in .env
make dev             # Starts PostgreSQL + hot-reload server

Making Changes

Branch Naming

Use descriptive branch names:

  • feat/add-workflow-filters for new features
  • fix/oauth-token-refresh for bug fixes
  • docs/update-api-reference for documentation

Code Style

  • Follow standard Go conventions (gofmt, go vet)
  • Use Go stdlib patterns — this project intentionally avoids heavy frameworks
  • Keep templates in web/templates/ organized by layouts/, pages/, and partials/
  • Use htmx attributes for dynamic behavior rather than custom JavaScript

Testing

Run the test suite before submitting:

go test ./...

Add tests for new functionality, especially for:

  • Model layer changes (internal/models/)
  • GitHub API integration changes (internal/github/)

CSS

Tailwind CSS is compiled from web/static/css/input.css. After making style changes:

make css              # One-time build
make css-watch        # Watch mode during development

The compiled CSS (web/static/css/app.css) is committed to the repository so that go:embed can include it in the binary.

Submitting Changes

  1. Ensure all tests pass: go test ./...
  2. Ensure code passes vet: go vet ./...
  3. Commit your changes with a clear message
  4. Push to your fork and open a pull request against main

Pull Request Guidelines

  • Provide a clear description of the change and motivation
  • Reference any related issues
  • Keep PRs focused — one feature or fix per PR
  • Include screenshots for UI changes

Reporting Issues

  • Use GitHub Issues to report bugs or request features
  • Include steps to reproduce for bug reports
  • Check existing issues before opening a new one

License

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