📄 docs: add CONTRIBUTING.md with guidelines for contributors

Author: dll-as

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+# 🤝 Contributing to `gitc`
+
+Thank you for your interest in contributing to **`gitc`** — an AI-powered CLI tool for generating commit messages from your git diffs.
+
+We welcome all types of contributions, whether you're fixing bugs, suggesting features, improving documentation, or writing tests.
+
+
+## 📌 Table of Contents
+* [Code of Conduct](#-code-of-conduct)
+* [Getting Started](#-getting-started)
+* [Development Setup](#-development-setup)
+* [Making Contributions](#-making-contributions)
+* [Commit Message Guidelines](#-commit-message-guidelines)
+* [Pull Request Process](#-pull-request-process)
+* [Feature Suggestions & Bugs](#-feature-suggestions--bugs)
+
+## 📜 Code of Conduct
+We follow a [Contributor Covenant](https://www.contributor-covenant.org/version/2/1/code_of_conduct/). Please treat everyone respectfully and kindly.
+
+## ⚙️ Getting Started
+1. **Fork** the repository.
+2. **Clone** your fork locally:
+   ```bash
+   git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/gitc.git
+   cd gitc
+   ```
+3. Create a new branch:
+   ```bash
+   git checkout -b feature/my-feature
+   ```
+
+## 🛠 Development Setup
+  Make sure you have:
+    * Go ≥ **1.18**
+    * Git
+    * (Optional) OpenAI API Key for testing
+  
+  Install dependencies:
+    ```bash
+    go mod tidy
+    ```
+
+Build the project:
+  ```bash
+  go build -o gitc ./cmd/gitc
+  ```
+
+Run the tool:
+  ```bash
+  ./gitc --help
+  ```
+
+Run tests:
+  ```bash
+  go test ./...
+  ```
+
+## ✍️ Making Contributions
+You can contribute in the following ways:
+  * 🐛 Bug Fixes
+  * 📄 Documentation Improvements
+  * 🚀 New Features
+  * ✅ Tests and Coverage
+  * 💡 Suggesting Ideas and Discussions
+
+If unsure, [open a discussion](https://github.com/rezatg/gitc/discussions) or [create an issue](https://github.com/rezatg/gitc/issues) before starting work.
+
+## 🧾 Commit Message Guidelines
+We follow [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org) to ensure readable, semantic commit history.
+
+Example:
+  ```bash
+  feat(config): add support for Gemini provider
+  fix(cli): handle missing config gracefully
+  docs(readme): update installation instructions
+  ```
+
+> You can even use `gitc` itself to generate commit messages:
+  ```bash
+  gitc -a --commit-type feat
+  ```
+
+## 🚀 Pull Request Process
+sure your PR targets the `main` branch.
+  2. Make sure all tests pass.
+  3. Write a meaningful title and description.
+  4. Link related issues (e.g., `Closes #42`).
+  5. Add relevant labels if possible.
+  6. Wait for code review and address feedback.
+
+## 💡 Feature Suggestions & Bugs
+* 💬 Found a bug? [Open an issue](https://github.com/rezatg/gitc/issues)
+* 💡 Have a feature idea? [Start a discussion](https://github.com/rezatg/gitc/discussions)
+* 🙌 Want to help but don’t know where to start? Look for [good first issues](https://github.com/rezatg/gitc/labels/good%20first%20issue)
+
+## 🫶 Thank You!
+Your time, effort, and ideas make `gitc` better. We're thrilled to have you here 🙌