openengineer/CONTRIBUTING.md

Contributing to Open Engineer

Current Phase: The Bedrock Phase

Contributions follow a strict workflow. All editorial rules are defined in reference/editorial-principles.md. This document does not duplicate them.

How to Contribute

1. Read the Dependency Tree

The specification is linear (OE-0000 through OE-0011). Do not skip ahead. Do not jump between documents without understanding the dependency chain. See ROADMAP.md for the full tree.

2. Follow the Editorial Gate

All proposed additions must pass the four-question framework and, for refinements, the five-question Refinement Gate. See reference/editorial-principles.md for the complete rules.

3. Apply the Enduring Concept Test

Every new term must pass the test defined in reference/editorial-principles.md (Section 5) and Law 5 (laws/engineering-laws.md).

4. Check for Duplication

Before proposing anything, verify it does not already exist under a different name in OE-0002 (Core Vocabulary) or elsewhere in the specification.

Workflow

Observe -> Draft -> Review -> Accept -> Freeze (RC) -> Reference

See OE-0000 for the document status lifecycle and OE-0011 for the full change workflow.

Key Constraints

• Do not redefine earlier layers in the dependency tree — only extend them.
• Do not duplicate editorial rules — reference reference/editorial-principles.md.
• Do not introduce technology-anchored terms — use enduring concepts (Law 5).