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+# How to contribute to SillyTavern
+
+## Setting up the dev environment
+
+1. Required software: git and node.
+2. Recommended editor: Visual Studio Code.
+3. You can also use GitHub Codespaces which sets up everything for you.
+
+## Getting the code ready
+
+1. Register a GitHub account.
+2. Fork this repository under your account. 
+3. Clone the fork onto your machine.
+4. Open the cloned repository in the code editor.
+5. Create a git branch (recommended).
+6. Make your changes and test them locally.
+7. Commit the changes and push the branch to the remote repo.
+8. Go to GitHub, and open a pull request, targeting the upstream branch.
+
+## Contribution guidelines
+
+1. Our standards are pretty low, but make sure the code is not too ugly:
+  - Run VS Code's autoformat when you're done.
+  - Check with ESLint by running `npm run lint`, then fix the errors.
+  - Use common sense and follow existing naming conventions.
+2. Create pull requests for the staging branch, 99% of contributions should go there. That way people could test your code before the next stable release.
+3. You can still send a pull request for release in the following scenarios:
+  - Updating README.
+  - Updating GitHub Actions.
+  - Hotfixing a critical bug.
+4. Project maintainers will test and can change your code before merging.
+5. Mind the license. Your contributions will be licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License. If you don't know what that implies, consult your lawyer.