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+# Contribution guidelines
+
+Thanks for taking the time to contribute to the [collectd
+project](https://collectd.org/)! This document tries to give some guidance to
+make the process of contributing to *collectd* as pleasant as possible.
+
+## Bug reports
+
+Please report bugs as [GitHub
+Issues](https://github.com/collectd/collectd/issues). Try to answer the
+following questions:
+
+*   Which version of *collectd* are you using?
+*   Which operating system (distribution) are you using at which version?
+*   What is the expected behavior / output?
+*   What is the actual (observed) behavior / output?
+*   How can we reproduce the problem you're having?
+*   If *collectd* crashes, try to get a
+    [stack trace](https://collectd.org/wiki/index.php/Core_file).
+
+Please monitor your issue for a couple of days and reply to questions. To keep
+the project manageable, we have to do some housekeeping; meaning we will close
+issues that have become stale.
+
+## Code contributions
+
+Please open a [GitHub Pull Request](https://github.com/collectd/collectd/pulls)
+(PR) to contribute bug fixes, features, cleanups, new plugins, … Patches sent to
+the mailing list have a tendency to fall through the cracks.
+
+*   *Focus:* Fix *one thing* in your PR. The smaller your change, the faster it
+    will be reviewed and merged.
+*   *Coding style:* Please run `clang-format -style=file -i $FILE` after editing
+    `.c`, `.h` and `.proto` files. If you don't want to install *clang-format*
+    locally or your version produces a different result than the formatting
+    check on Github, use `contrib/format.sh` to format files using the same web
+    service used by our check.
+*   *Documentation:* New config options need to be documented in two places: the
+    manpage (`src/collectd.conf.pod`) and the example config
+    (`src/collectd.conf.in`). New plugins need to be added to the `README` file.
+*   *Continuous integration:* Once your PR is created, our continuous
+    integration environment will try to build it on a number of platforms. If
+    this reports a failure, please investigate and fix the problem. We will at
+    best do a very casual review for failing PRs.
+*   *Don't rebase:* Rebasing your branch destroys the review history. If a
+    review takes a long time, we may ask you to rebase on a more recent
+    *master*, but please don't do that without being asked.
+*   *types.db:* One of the most common mistakes made by new contributors is the
+    addition of (many) new *types* in the file `src/types.db`. The majority of
+    usecases can be met with one of the existing entries. If you plan to add new
+    entries to `src/types.db`, you should talk to us early in the design
+    process.
+
+### ChangeLog
+
+PRs need to have a one-line summary in the *PR description*. This information
+is used to automatically generate release notes. If you got here after creating
+the PR, you need to go to the *PR description* (shown as the first "comment" on
+the PR, made by yourself) and *edit* that description. Editing a PR will
+trigger the "ChangeLog" status to be updated.
+
+For the summary itself, follow this style:
+
+```
+ChangeLog: Foo plugin: A specific issue people had has been fixed.
+```
+
+The summary must be on a line of its own, with a "ChangeLog:" prefix at the
+beginning of the line. The test should start with "Foo plugin" to give the
+reader context for the information. Other common contexts are "collectd" for
+the core daemon, "Build system", and "Documentation". Use past tense and
+passive voice the for remainder, e.g. "a bug has been fixed", "a feature has
+been added".
+
+Some PRs should be excluded from the release notes, e.g. changes to project
+internal documentation (such as this file). Those changes are not interesting
+for external users of the project and would reduce the value of the release
+notes. Maintainers may use the `Unlisted Change` label to mark those PRs.
+
+## Other resources
+
+*   [Mailing list](http://mailman.verplant.org/listinfo/collectd)
+*   [#collectd IRC channel](https://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=#collectd)
+    on *freenode*.
+*   [Old patch submission guideline](https://collectd.org/wiki/index.php/Submitting_patches)