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+# Contributing
+
+Thanks for contributing to parsedmarc.
+
+## Local setup
+
+Use a virtual environment for local development.
+
+```bash
+python3 -m venv .venv
+. .venv/bin/activate
+python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+pip install .[build]
+```
+
+## Before opening a pull request
+
+Run the checks that match your change:
+
+```bash
+ruff check .
+pytest --cov --cov-report=xml tests.py
+```
+
+If you changed documentation:
+
+```bash
+cd docs
+make html
+```
+
+If you changed CLI behavior or parsing logic, it is also useful to exercise the
+sample reports:
+
+```bash
+parsedmarc --debug -c ci.ini samples/aggregate/*
+parsedmarc --debug -c ci.ini samples/forensic/*
+```
+
+To skip DNS lookups during tests, set:
+
+```bash
+GITHUB_ACTIONS=true
+```
+
+## Pull request guidelines
+
+- Keep pull requests small and focused. Separate bug fixes, docs updates, and
+  repo-maintenance changes where practical.
+- Add or update tests when behavior changes.
+- Update docs when configuration or user-facing behavior changes.
+- Include a short summary, the reason for the change, and the testing you ran.
+- Link the related issue when there is one.
+
+## Branch maintenance
+
+Upstream `master` may move quickly. Before asking for review or after another PR
+lands, rebase your branch onto the current upstream branch and force-push with
+lease if needed:
+
+```bash
+git fetch upstream
+git rebase upstream/master
+git push --force-with-lease
+```
+
+## CI and coverage
+
+GitHub Actions is the source of truth for linting, docs, and test status.
+
+Codecov patch coverage is usually the most relevant signal for small PRs. Project
+coverage can be noisier when the base comparison is stale, so interpret it in
+the context of the actual diff.
+
+## Questions
+
+Use GitHub issues for bugs and feature requests. If you are not sure whether a
+change is wanted, opening an issue first is usually the safest path.