Contributing to Kilo Code

Kilo Code is an open-source project that welcomes contributions from developers of all skill levels. This guide will help you get started with contributing to Kilo Code, whether you're fixing bugs, adding features, improving documentation, or sharing custom modes.

Ways to Contribute

There are many ways to contribute to Kilo Code:

1. Code Contributions: Implement new features or fix bugs
2. Documentation: Improve existing docs or create new guides
3. Marketplace Contributions: Create and share custom modes, skills, and MCP servers via the Kilo Marketplace
4. Bug Reports: Report issues you encounter
5. Feature Requests: Suggest new features or improvements
6. Community Support: Help other users in the community

Setting Up the Development Environment

Setting Up the Development Environment is described in details on the Development Environment page.

Understanding the Architecture

Before diving into the code, we recommend reviewing the Architecture Overview to understand how the different components of Kilo Code fit together.

Development Workflow

Branching Strategy

• Create a new branch for each feature or bugfix
• Use descriptive branch names (e.g., feature/new-tool-support or fix/browser-action-bug)

git checkout -b your-branch-name

Coding Standards

• Follow the existing code style and patterns
• Use TypeScript for new code
• Include appropriate tests for new features
• Update documentation for any user-facing changes

Commit Guidelines

• Write clear, concise commit messages
• Reference issue numbers when applicable
• Keep commits focused on a single change

Testing Your Changes

• Run the test suite:

  npm test

• Manually test your changes in the development extension

Creating a Pull Request

1. Push your changes to your fork:

   git push origin your-branch-name

2. Go to the Kilo Code repository

3. Click "New Pull Request" and select "compare across forks"

4. Select your fork and branch

5. Fill out the PR template with:

   • A clear description of the changes
   • Any related issues
   • Testing steps
   • Screenshots (if applicable)

Contributing to the Kilo Marketplace

The Kilo Marketplace is a community-driven repository of agent tooling that extends Kilo Code's capabilities. You can contribute:

• Skills: Modular workflows and domain expertise that teach agents how to perform specific tasks
• MCP Servers: Standardized integrations that connect agents to external tools and services
• Modes: Custom agent personalities and behaviors with tailored tool access

To contribute:

1. Follow the documentation for Custom Modes, Skills, or MCP Servers to create your resource

2. Test your contribution thoroughly

3. Submit a pull request to the Kilo Marketplace repository

Engineering Specs

For larger features, we write engineering specs to align on requirements before implementation. Check out the Architecture section to see planned features and learn how to contribute specs.

Documentation Contributions

Documentation improvements are highly valued contributions:

1. Follow the documentation style guide:

   • Use clear, concise language
   • Include examples where appropriate
   • Use absolute paths starting from /docs/ for internal links
   • Don't include .md extensions in links

2. Test your documentation changes by running the docs site locally:

   cd apps/kilocode-docs
   pnpm install
   pnpm start

3. Submit a PR with your documentation changes

Community Guidelines

When participating in the Kilo Code community:

• Be respectful and inclusive
• Provide constructive feedback
• Help newcomers get started
• Follow the Code of Conduct

Getting Help

If you need help with your contribution:

• Join our Discord community for real-time support
• Ask questions on GitHub Discussions
• Visit our Reddit community

Recognition

All contributors are valued members of the Kilo Code community. Contributors are recognized in:

• Release notes
• The project's README
• The contributors list on GitHub

Thank you for contributing to Kilo Code and helping make AI-powered coding assistance better for everyone!