docs: contributing

Author: rluders

CONTRIBUTING.md

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+# Contributing to Berth
+
+Welcome, and thanks for your interest in contributing to **Berth**! 🎉  
+We appreciate contributions of all kinds — code, documentation, bug reports, and ideas.
+
+## 🛠 Project Setup
+
+### Requirements
+
+- Go `1.24+` installed and in your `PATH`
+- [`make`](https://www.gnu.org/software/make/) installed
+- [`golangci-lint`](https://golangci-lint.run/) installed (optional for local linting)
+
+### Setup
+
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/rluders/berth.git
+cd berth
+go mod tidy
+````
+
+## 🧪 Running Tests
+
+```bash
+make test
+```
+
+Runs all unit tests in the project using `go test ./...`.
+
+## ⚙️ Building
+
+```bash
+make build
+```
+
+Compiles the binary into the `bin/` directory.
+
+## 🧼 Linting
+
+Berth uses [golangci-lint](https://golangci-lint.run/) in CI. You can run it locally with:
+
+```bash
+golangci-lint run
+```
+
+To install:
+
+```bash
+go install github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/cmd/golangci-lint@latest
+```
+
+## 🔄 Making a Pull Request
+
+1. Fork the repository and create a branch from `main`
+2. Make your changes
+3. Run tests and linters locally
+4. Push your branch and open a pull request
+
+Please ensure that:
+
+* Code is well-commented
+* You’ve run `go mod tidy` to keep dependencies clean
+* Lint passes: `golangci-lint run`
+* Tests pass: `make test`
+
+## 🚀 Releasing a New Version
+
+Releases are automated using [GoReleaser](https://goreleaser.com) and GitHub Actions.
+
+### Steps:
+
+1. Make sure all changes are merged into `main`
+2. Bump the version using [semantic versioning](https://semver.org/), e.g.:
+
+```bash
+git tag v1.0.0
+git push origin v1.0.0
+```
+
+3. GitHub Actions will:
+
+    * Build the binaries for multiple platforms
+    * Generate checksums
+    * Create a GitHub Release with attached binaries
+
+You can view release results in the **Actions** tab and under **Releases** in GitHub.
+
+## 💬 Need Help?
+
+Open an issue or start a discussion. We’re happy to help!
+