> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/yakushabb/mirror-ryujinx/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Contributing to Ryujinx

> Learn how to contribute to the Ryujinx emulator project

## Welcome Contributors

Ryujinx welcomes contributions through pull requests, testing, and issue reporting. This guide will help you become an effective contributor to the project.

<Note>
  Before contributing, please read this entire guide to save time for both you and the maintainers.
</Note>

## Quick Reference

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Code Style Guide" icon="paintbrush" href="/development/coding-style">
    Follow Ryujinx's C# coding conventions
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pull Request Guide" icon="git-pull-request" href="/development/pr-guide">
    Understand the PR review process
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Reporting Issues

Effective bug reports and feature requests help maintainers prioritize and fix issues faster.

### Finding Existing Issues

<Steps>
  <Step title="Search first">
    Check the [open issues](https://github.com/Ryubing/Ryujinx/issues) to avoid duplicates
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add your feedback">
    If you find an existing issue, contribute your own experience to the discussion
  </Step>

  <Step title="Upvote issues">
    Use the 👍 reaction on the original post to help prioritize popular issues
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Writing a Good Bug Report

A quality bug report should include:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="High-level description">
    Clearly explain what the problem is
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Minimal reproduction">
    Provide the smallest configuration needed to reproduce the issue:

    * A small homebrew application
    * Save file and reproduction steps for a specific game
    * Exact steps to trigger the bug
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Expected vs actual behavior">
    Describe what you expected to happen versus what actually occurred
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Environment information">
    Include system details:

    * OS/distribution
    * CPU model
    * GPU model and driver version
    * RAM capacity
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Ryujinx log file">
    Attach the log file from when the issue occurred:

    * Found in `[Executable Folder]/Logs`
    * Named chronologically
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Additional context">
    * Is this a regression from previous versions?
    * Are there any known workarounds?
    * Any other relevant information
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Warning>
  Use the [Bug Report issue template](https://github.com/Ryubing/Ryujinx/issues/new?assignees=\&labels=bug\&projects=\&template=bug_report.yml\&title=%5BBug%5D) when submitting bug reports.
</Warning>

### Writing a Good Feature Request

Before submitting a feature request:

1. Review existing feature requests for duplicates
2. Familiarize yourself with the expected format
3. Use the [Feature Request issue template](https://github.com/Ryubing/Ryujinx/issues/new?assignees=\&labels=\&projects=\&template=feature_request.yml\&title=%5BFeature+Request%5D)

## Contributing Code

Maintainers merge changes that improve the project and meet quality standards.

### DOs and DON'Ts

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="DO" icon="check" color="#00ff00">
    * Follow the [coding style](docs/coding-guidelines/coding-style.md)
    * Prioritize the existing style of files you're modifying
    * Keep discussions focused; create new issues for tangential topics
    * Clearly state when you're taking on an issue
    * Share your contributions on social media
  </Card>

  <Card title="DON'T" icon="xmark" color="#ff0000">
    * Submit PRs for style changes alone
    * Surprise maintainers with large PRs (discuss first on Discord)
    * Commit code you didn't write without discussion
    * Modify licensing-related files or headers
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Suggested Workflow

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create or find an issue">
    * Skip this for trivial changes
    * Get agreement from the team for significant changes
    * State that you're implementing it and request assignment
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fork the repository">
    Create a personal fork on GitHub if you don't have one
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a branch">
    ```bash theme={null}
    git checkout -b mybranch
    ```

    Branches isolate your changes and enable multiple PRs from one fork
  </Step>

  <Step title="Make and commit changes">
    * Follow [build instructions](https://github.com/Ryubing/Ryujinx/blob/master/COMPILING.md)
    * Write clear, actionable commit messages
  </Step>

  <Step title="Build with your changes">
    ```bash theme={null}
    dotnet build -c Release
    ```

    Ensure clean builds with no errors
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run dotnet format">
    ```bash theme={null}
    dotnet format
    ```

    Test and commit any formatting corrections
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a pull request">
    * Target the **main** branch
    * State what issue or improvement you're addressing
    * Check that all [CI checks](https://github.com/Ryubing/Ryujinx/actions) pass
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for review">
    See the [pull request guide](docs/workflow/pr-guide.md) for review details
  </Step>

  <Step title="Merge and celebrate">
    Once approved and all checks pass, your PR will be merged. Your change will be in the next official build!
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Good First Issues

New to the codebase? Start with [good first issues](https://github.com/Ryubing/Ryujinx/issues?q=is%3Aopen+is%3Aissue+label%3A%22good+first+issue%22) - these are straightforward tasks perfect for new contributors.

## Commit Message Format

Follow this format based on [A Note About Git Commit Messages](http://tbaggery.com/2008/04/19/a-note-about-git-commit-messages.html):

```
Summarize change in 50 characters or less

Provide more detail after the first line. Leave one blank line below the
summary and wrap all lines at 72 characters or less.

If the change fixes an issue, leave another blank line after the final
paragraph and indicate which issue is fixed in the specific format
below.

Fix #42
```

<Note>
  Factor commits appropriately - not too large with unrelated changes, and not too small with the same change applied multiple times.
</Note>

## CI Process

The [continuous integration system](https://github.com/Ryubing/Ryujinx/actions) automatically builds and tests all PRs.

### Common CI Failures

<Accordion title="dotnet format not run">
  Run `dotnet format` locally and commit the changes
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Compilation error">
  Fix the compiler error in your PR
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Test failure">
  Investigate the test failure in your changes
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Random workflow failure">
  A maintainer will manually restart the job
</Accordion>

## PR Feedback Process

Both team members and community members provide valuable feedback on pull requests.

<Note>
  Two Ryujinx team members must review and approve every PR before merge.
</Note>

### Understanding Review Comments

* **"LGTM, see nit"** - The PR will be merged once minor feedback is addressed
* **"LGTM"** - "Looks good to me" - approval granted

<Tip>
  Be patient with reviewers who may need clarification on your approach. Clear, explicit feedback works best.
</Tip>

## Copying Code from Other Projects

When including code from other projects, follow these rules:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Verify the license">
    The file must have a [permissive license](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permissive_free_software_licence)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Keep the license intact">
    Leave the original license text in the file
  </Step>

  <Step title="Update third-party notices">
    Add proper attribution to [THIRDPARTY.md](https://github.com/Ryubing/Ryujinx/blob/master/distribution/legal/THIRDPARTY.md)
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Do not copy code without following these requirements. If unsure, file an issue or discuss on Discord first.
</Warning>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Build Ryujinx" icon="hammer" href="/development/building">
    Set up your development environment
  </Card>

  <Card title="Coding Style" icon="code" href="/development/coding-style">
    Learn the C# conventions
  </Card>

  <Card title="Testing" icon="flask" href="/development/testing">
    Write and run tests
  </Card>
</CardGroup>