Contributing to the Nexus

Every PR: net ≤ 10 added lines. Not a guideline — a hard limit. Add 40, remove 30. Can't remove? You're homebrewing. Import instead.

Why

Import over invent. Plug in the research. No builder trap. Removal is a first-class contribution. Baseline: 4,462 lines (2026-03-25). Goes down.

PR Checklist

Net diff ≤ 10 (+12 -8 = net +4 ✅ / +200 -0 = net +200 ❌)
Manual test plan — specific steps, not "it works"
Automated test output — paste it, or write a test (counts toward your 10)

Applies to every contributor: human, Timmy, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Kimi, Grok. Exception: initial dependency config files (requirements.txt, package.json). No other exceptions. Too big? Break it up.

Reviewer Policy

Every PR must have a reviewer assigned before merge. See docs/pr-reviewer-policy.md.

Contribution Guidelines

Branch Protection Policy

All repositories follow these mandatory rules for the main branch:

Required for All Merges

Pull Request must exist for all changes
At least 1 approval from reviewer
CI checks must pass (where applicable)
No force pushes allowed
No direct pushes to main
No branch deletion

Review Requirements

@perplexity must be assigned as reviewer
@Timmy must review all changes to hermes-agent/
No self-approvals allowed

CI/CD Enforcement

CI must be configured for all new features
Failing CI blocks merge
CI status displayed in PR header

Abandoned PR Policy

PRs inactive >7 days get "needs attention" label
PRs inactive >21 days are archived
PRs inactive >90 days are closed
At least 1 approval from reviewer
CI checks must pass (where available)
No force pushes allowed
No direct pushes to main
No branch deletion

Review Requirements by Repository

hermes-agent:
  required_owners:
    - perplexity
    - Timmy

the-nexus:
  required_owners:
    - perplexity

timmy-home:
  required_owners:
    - perplexity

timmy-config:
  required_owners:
    - perplexity

CI Status

- hermes-agent: ✅ Active
- the-nexus: ⚠️ CI runner disabled (see #915)
- timmy-home: - (No CI)
- timmy-config: - (Limited CI)

Branch Protection Status

All repositories now enforce:

Require PR for merge
1+ approvals required
CI/CD must pass (where applicable)
Force push and branch deletion blocked
hermes-agent: ✅ Active
the-nexus: ⚠️ CI runner disabled (see #915)
timmy-home: - (No CI)
timmy-config: - (Limited CI)


## Workflow
1. Create feature branch
2. Open PR against main
3. Get 1+ approvals
4. Ensure CI passes
5. Merge via UI

## Enforcement
These rules are enforced by Gitea branch protection settings. Direct pushes to main will be blocked.

## Abandoned PRs
PRs not updated in >7 days will be labeled "stale" and may be closed after 30 days of inactivity.
# Contributing to the Nexus

**Every PR: net ≤ 10 added lines.** Not a guideline — a hard limit.
Add 40, remove 30. Can't remove? You're homebrewing. Import instead.

## Branch Protection Policy

All repositories enforce:
- ✅ Require Pull Request for merge
- ✅ Require 1 approval
- ⚠<> Require CI to pass (CI runner pending)
- ✅ Dismiss stale approvals on new commits
- ✅ Block force pushes
- ✅ Block branch deletion

## Review Requirements

- Mandatory reviewer: `@perplexity` for all repos
- Mandatory reviewer: `@Timmy` for `hermes-agent/`
- Optional: Add repo-specific owners for specialized areas

## Implementation Status

- ✅ hermes-agent: All protections enabled
- ✅ the-nexus: PR + 1 approval enforced
- ✅ timmy-home: PR + 1 approval enforced
- ✅ timmy-config: PR + 1 approval enforced

> CI enforcement pending runner restoration (#915)

## What gets preserved from legacy Matrix

High-value candidates include:
- visitor movement / embodiment
- chat, bark, and presence systems
- transcript logging
- ambient / visual atmosphere systems
- economy / satflow visualizations
- smoke and browser validation discipline

Those

README.md

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