> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://ai-novel-writing-assistant.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Contributing

> Reporting issues, submitting code, development conventions, and community links for Biz Novel Studio

Welcome to contributing to Biz Novel Studio. This page is for anyone who wants to report issues, submit code, or extend the app.

## Issue Report Template

When submitting an issue to [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/ExplosiveCoderflome/AI-Novel-Writing-Assistant/issues), please use the following template to help maintainers reproduce and locate the problem quickly.

```markdown theme={null}
## Version & Environment
- App version: (top bar version number, e.g., v0.8.1)
- Operating system: (Windows / macOS / Linux, and version)
- Model provider: (OpenAI / Claude / custom, etc.)

## Reproduction Steps
1. Which entry point (e.g., Auto Director (自动导演), Outline Workbench (大纲工作台))
2. What actions were taken (what was clicked, what was entered)
3. The specific node where the issue was triggered

## Expected Result
(Describe how you expected the app to respond)

## Actual Result
(Describe the actual anomaly, such as pause, error, or unexpected content)

## Logs or Screenshots
- Desktop log bundle: save and upload from "Version & Update" (版本与更新)
- Error text or screenshots (paste after redacting sensitive info)
```

> [!NOTE]
>
> The repository has a PR template configured; it loads automatically when you submit code. Issues do not have a mandatory template yet, but following the structure above significantly shortens the feedback cycle.

For a more complete feedback checklist, see [FAQ](https://ai-novel-writing-assistant.mintlify.site/en/faq.md).

## Good First Contributions

If you are new to the project, the following contributions do not require deep code knowledge:

* **Documentation fixes and additions**: typos, outdated steps, or screenshots that no longer match the interface
* **Reproducible bug reports**: use the template above to submit step-by-step issues in Issues, helping maintainers build a reproduction list
* **Prompt tuning suggestions**: if you find that a certain prompt in modules like Auto Director (自动导演) or Style Engine (写法引擎) produces unstable output on a specific model, include the model version, input example, and expected output format in the issue
* **Translation and terminology consistency**: when UI copy, docs, or prompts use inconsistent terms, propose a unification

These contributions are also recorded in the repository's contributor list. When you are ready to dive into the code, read the development conventions and submission guidelines below.

## Before Submitting a PR

### License & CLA

* This project is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0-only) by default
* Before contributing, please read [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/ExplosiveCoderflome/AI-Novel-Writing-Assistant/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) and [CLA.md](https://github.com/ExplosiveCoderflome/AI-Novel-Writing-Assistant/blob/main/CLA.md)
* Third-party code, assets, and data must include source, license, and necessary attribution, and be added to the NOTICE file
* Maintainers may incorporate contributions into a separately licensed commercial distribution

### Development Conventions Summary

The following rules are excerpted from the repository's [AGENTS.md](https://github.com/ExplosiveCoderflome/AI-Novel-Writing-Assistant/blob/main/AGENTS.md). They help contributors keep code quality and product consistency:

* **Data protection first.** Before any destructive data operation, complete a backup and verify the backup file exists.
* **AI-first, no keyword hard-matching.** Core behavior is implemented by AI structured understanding; do not add keyword fallback branches for AI mistakes.
* **Single file limit of about 1,200 lines.** Files exceeding 1,300 lines must be split into modules with clear responsibilities; do not simply spread them into unowned helper / utils files.
* **Run History (运行记录 / 任务中心) is read-only.** Do not place continue, resume, or cancel actions in the task center; place them in the originating workbench.
* **UI copy from the user's perspective.** Do not write change narratives like "now / no longer / already upgraded." Describe with "what you can do" and "what's next."
* **Low-border visuals.** Ordinary content grouping relies on layout, spacing, and background color, not multi-layer bordered cards.
* **Maintain the development Wiki.** Changes involving core chains such as the director, chapter production, Prompt Schema, or task recovery should be synced to the corresponding page under `docs/wiki/`.

### Pre-Submission Checklist

```bash theme={null}
pnpm typecheck
pnpm lint
pnpm test
```

If your change involves the director or Prisma, make sure `pnpm test` passes locally after large changes before submitting.

## Priority Focus Areas

The project README lists the following priority focus areas:

* Continuous generation and recovery
* New-user book-starting experience
* Long-form consistency
* Traceable model usage

If you plan to open a PR in these directions, describe your approach in an Issue first to reduce rework.

## Community Links

* [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/ExplosiveCoderflome/AI-Novel-Writing-Assistant/issues): bug reports and feature discussions
* [LINUX DO Community Thread](https://linux.do/t/topic/2738271): Chinese community exchange

> [card] [Architecture & Source Code](https://ai-novel-writing-assistant.mintlify.site/en/developers/architecture.md)
>
> Tech stack, directory structure, and common commands

> [card] [Environment Variables](https://ai-novel-writing-assistant.mintlify.site/en/developers/environment-variables.md)
>
> Server and frontend configuration reference

> [card] [FAQ](https://ai-novel-writing-assistant.mintlify.site/en/faq.md)
>
> Self-checklist before reporting issues


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.