Contributing

Contribution mindset

Good contributions are focused, reproducible, and easy to review. Prefer small changes with a clear problem statement over large rewrites.

Bug reports

Include OrbitTest version, Node version, operating system, browser details, steps to reproduce, expected behavior, actual behavior, and relevant report artifacts.

Pull requests

Use a topic branch, keep formatting consistent, add tests when behavior changes, and explain why the change is useful. Avoid mixing unrelated refactors with feature work.

Security issues

Do not post sensitive vulnerabilities publicly. Use a private security advisory or direct maintainer contact so details can be handled responsibly.

Practical checklist

• Keep the workflow readable enough that a QA engineer, developer, or product teammate can understand the intent without opening application source code.
• Prefer user-visible names, stable configuration, and clear evidence over hidden assumptions or brittle implementation details.
• Run the smallest useful check locally before adding it to CI, then verify that failures produce screenshots, logs, traces, or reports that explain what happened.
• Review this part of the suite regularly so outdated examples, stale setup, and obsolete workarounds do not reduce trust in the automation.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Do not add automation only to increase test count. Each page and test should protect a clear user journey, release risk, or debugging need.
• Do not hide important behavior inside helpers so deeply that the test no longer explains what the user is doing.
• Do not rely on fixed sleeps when the application can expose a meaningful ready state such as visible text, URL change, element availability, or completed evidence capture.
• Do not ignore failing artifacts. A report, screenshot, trace, or log entry should feed back into better product code, better waits, or clearer test data setup.