contributing
The quality bar and workflow for landing changes in this repo. Follow this before every
commit and PR. It combines CONTRIBUTING.md, README.md, and the repo's enforced hooks.
Branching
master - code for the next release.develop - current development.latest-4.x / release branches - already-released versions (the default PR base here
is latest-4.x).
Confirm the intended base branch before opening a PR; don't assume master.
Commit requirements
- DCO sign-off is mandatory. Every commit must have a
Signed-off-by: line whose
email matches the author. Use git commit -s. A probot check enforces this on PRs.
- Keep the Apache 2.0 copyright header on every source file - the
lint-copyright-banner
linter fails new files that lack it. Copy the header from a sibling file.
The pre-PR checklist
Run these in order before opening a PR (an installed pre-commit git hook also runs
make code-dev on every commit):
- Quality gate -
make code-dev (tidy, fmt, vet, all linters). See [[code-quality]].
- Secret scan -
make audit (detect-secrets). See [[code-quality]].
- Regenerate if the API changed - if you edited
api/ or controllers/ markers,
run make bundle and commit the generated CRDs, RBAC, and bundle manifests with
your source change. See [[generate-manifests]].
- Tests -
make unit-test for controller/API changes. See [[unit-test]].
- Build check -
make build to confirm it compiles. See [[build-and-deploy]].
What "good quality" means here
- Generated files are part of the change. Never hand-edit
zz_generated.deepcopy.go,
config/crd/bases/*, or bundle/manifests/* - regenerate them and commit the result.
- Match the surrounding code. Follow existing controller structure, error-handling,
and logging patterns rather than introducing new idioms.
- No secrets in code. Use Kubernetes Secrets or env vars;
make audit must be clean.
- Keep
temp/ out of commits - it holds intermediate build files and is gitignored.
- Don't bump
CSV_VERSION casually. Version bumps use
common/scripts/next_csv.sh <current> <new> <old> (e.g. ... 4.2.20 4.2.21 4.2.19),
which updates the CSV, skipRange, and related metadata consistently.
Contributing a patch (from CONTRIBUTING.md)
- Open an issue describing the proposed change.
- Fork, develop, and test.
- Commit with DCO (
-s).
- Open a PR against the correct base branch.
Environment expectations
- go 1.26+,
GO111MODULE=on, GOROOT pointing at the 1.26 toolchain.
- All tools installed locally via
make install-all-tools (see [[setup-tools]]).
macOS git-hook tip
If IDE commits fail because the pre-commit hook can't find tools, extend PATH
inside common/scripts/.githooks/pre-commit with the output of echo $PATH from a
working terminal (keep this change local - don't push it).
Related skills
- [[code-quality]], [[unit-test]], [[generate-manifests]], [[build-and-deploy]],
[[setup-tools]], [[operator-sdk-guide]].
1---2name: contributing3description: How to contribute high-quality changes to the ibm-licensing-operator repo - the end-to-end workflow, DCO sign-off, the pre-PR quality checklist, when generated files must be committed, copyright headers, branching, and version bumps. Use when preparing a change, a commit, or a pull request, or when unsure what the repo expects before pushing.4---56# contributing78The quality bar and workflow for landing changes in this repo. Follow this before every9commit and PR. It combines `CONTRIBUTING.md`, `README.md`, and the repo's enforced hooks.1011## Branching1213- `master` - code for the **next** release.14- `develop` - current development.15- `latest-4.x` / release branches - already-released versions (the default PR base here16 is `latest-4.x`).1718Confirm the intended base branch before opening a PR; don't assume `master`.1920## Commit requirements2122- **DCO sign-off is mandatory.** Every commit must have a `Signed-off-by:` line whose23 email matches the author. Use `git commit -s`. A probot check enforces this on PRs.24- Keep the Apache 2.0 copyright header on every source file - the `lint-copyright-banner`25 linter fails new files that lack it. Copy the header from a sibling file.2627## The pre-PR checklist2829Run these in order before opening a PR (an installed pre-commit git hook also runs30`make code-dev` on every commit):31321. **Quality gate** - `make code-dev` (tidy, fmt, vet, all linters). See [[code-quality]].332. **Secret scan** - `make audit` (detect-secrets). See [[code-quality]].343. **Regenerate if the API changed** - if you edited `api/` or `controllers/` markers,35 run `make bundle` and **commit the generated CRDs, RBAC, and bundle manifests** with36 your source change. See [[generate-manifests]].374. **Tests** - `make unit-test` for controller/API changes. See [[unit-test]].385. **Build check** - `make build` to confirm it compiles. See [[build-and-deploy]].3940## What "good quality" means here4142- **Generated files are part of the change.** Never hand-edit `zz_generated.deepcopy.go`,43 `config/crd/bases/*`, or `bundle/manifests/*` - regenerate them and commit the result.44- **Match the surrounding code.** Follow existing controller structure, error-handling,45 and logging patterns rather than introducing new idioms.46- **No secrets in code.** Use Kubernetes Secrets or env vars; `make audit` must be clean.47- **Keep `temp/` out of commits** - it holds intermediate build files and is gitignored.48- **Don't bump `CSV_VERSION` casually.** Version bumps use49 `common/scripts/next_csv.sh <current> <new> <old>` (e.g. `... 4.2.20 4.2.21 4.2.19`),50 which updates the CSV, skipRange, and related metadata consistently.5152## Contributing a patch (from CONTRIBUTING.md)53541. Open an issue describing the proposed change.552. Fork, develop, and test.563. Commit with DCO (`-s`).574. Open a PR against the correct base branch.5859## Environment expectations6061- go **1.26+**, `GO111MODULE=on`, `GOROOT` pointing at the 1.26 toolchain.62- All tools installed locally via `make install-all-tools` (see [[setup-tools]]).6364## macOS git-hook tip6566If IDE commits fail because the pre-commit hook can't find tools, extend `PATH`67inside `common/scripts/.githooks/pre-commit` with the output of `echo $PATH` from a68working terminal (keep this change local - don't push it).6970## Related skills7172- [[code-quality]], [[unit-test]], [[generate-manifests]], [[build-and-deploy]],73 [[setup-tools]], [[operator-sdk-guide]].
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