Commit 613fdb29bfb for woocommerce
commit 613fdb29bfb51abcdbc3e32c4894d4fb97c65120
Author: Brian Coords <bacoords@gmail.com>
Date: Fri May 15 14:03:21 2026 -0700
[Documentation] Add community contributions guidelines to contributor docs (#65098)
* Add community contributions guidelines to contributor docs
- Add new community-contributions.md page with guidelines for external contributors
- Update README.md to link to the new community contributions page
- Fix heading IDs in troubleshooting.md to use standard markdown format
- Update cross-references in schedule.md and troubleshooting.md
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
* fix sentance case on headings
* Apply suggestions from code review
Co-authored-by: Darren Ethier <darren@roughsmootheng.in>
* Update docs/contribution/contributing/community-contributions.md
Co-authored-by: coderabbitai[bot] <136622811+coderabbitai[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
---------
Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Co-authored-by: Darren Ethier <darren@roughsmootheng.in>
Co-authored-by: coderabbitai[bot] <136622811+coderabbitai[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
diff --git a/docs/contribution/contributing/README.md b/docs/contribution/contributing/README.md
index b7dae42f365..520cb5bd0fe 100644
--- a/docs/contribution/contributing/README.md
+++ b/docs/contribution/contributing/README.md
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ Our [contributor guidelines](https://github.com/woocommerce/woocommerce/blob/tru
- [Prerequisites and developer tools to get started](https://github.com/woocommerce/woocommerce/blob/trunk/README.md#getting-started)
- [PNPM commands, plugin development environment packages, and troubleshooting](https://github.com/woocommerce/woocommerce/blob/trunk/DEVELOPMENT.md)
- [Coding standards, E2E testing links](https://github.com/woocommerce/woocommerce/blob/trunk/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md)
+- [Community contributions](/docs/contribution/contributing/community-contributions/)
## Templates, Bug Reports, and Feature Requests
diff --git a/docs/contribution/contributing/community-contributions.md b/docs/contribution/contributing/community-contributions.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2c5990965cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/contribution/contributing/community-contributions.md
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+---
+sidebar_label: Community contributions
+category_slug: contributing
+post_title: Community contributions
+---
+
+# Community contributions
+
+WooCommerce is open-source software that welcomes community contributions. To help us review your contribution quickly, please follow these guidelines.
+
+## Before you submit
+
+1. **Link to a related issue** - If one exists, reference it in your PR. If you're proposing a new feature or significant change, [open an issue](https://github.com/woocommerce/woocommerce/issues/new/choose) first to discuss it.
+
+2. **Run tests locally** - Som of the CI workflows are not automatically triggered for community contributions, so please verify your changes pass relevant tests and linting locally before submitting.
+
+3. **Consolidate related changes** - If you have multiple similar fixes (e.g., typos, documentation updates), combine them into a single PR when appropriate.
+
+## PR requirements
+
+When you open a PR, you'll receive an immediate review from our AI code reviewer. Before a maintainer reviews your PR, please:
+
+1. **Fill out the entire PR template** - Include a clear description of your changes and test steps.
+2. **Respond to all AI review feedback** - Review automated feedback and either address it, or explain why it does not apply.
+3. **Confirm tests pass** - Note in your PR that you've run the test suite locally.
+
+## AI-assisted contributions
+
+We welcome AI-assisted contributions, but the same quality standards apply whether code is written by hand or with AI tools. As the contributor, you are responsible for:
+
+- Understanding the code you submit
+- Verifying the changes work as intended
+- Following all contribution guidelines
+
+## What happens next
+
+After you submit a PR that meets these requirements:
+
+1. A maintainer will triage your PR
+2. You may receive additional feedback or change requests
+3. Once approved, your PR will be merged into an upcoming release
+
+If your PR needs changes, we'll add a `needs: author feedback` label. Please respond to feedback promptly to keep your contribution moving forward, as stale PRs with that label are automatically closed after a period of time.
+
+## Getting help
+
+- [WooCommerce Community Slack](https://woocommerce.com/community-slack/)
+- [Developer Documentation](https://developer.woocommerce.com/docs/)
+- [Open an Issue](https://github.com/woocommerce/woocommerce/issues/new/choose)
diff --git a/docs/contribution/releases/schedule.md b/docs/contribution/releases/schedule.md
index 20f61496d7d..fc880e5e01f 100644
--- a/docs/contribution/releases/schedule.md
+++ b/docs/contribution/releases/schedule.md
@@ -72,4 +72,4 @@ Due to business needs or any critical bugs discovered during testing, the releas
We do not take this decision lightly and only do so to guarantee the stability of a release. When this happens, we will always communicate the situation ([example](https://developer.woocommerce.com/2025/06/02/woocommerce-9-9-release-is-delayed/)) and update the release calendar.
-For details on how a delay is managed, refer to the [release troubleshooting guide](/docs/contribution/releases/troubleshooting#release-delay).
+For details on how a delay is managed, refer to the [release troubleshooting guide](/docs/contribution/releases/troubleshooting/#the-release-needs-to-be-delayed-what-should-we-do).
diff --git a/docs/contribution/releases/troubleshooting.md b/docs/contribution/releases/troubleshooting.md
index 0a3b10c12db..2afc8da26bc 100644
--- a/docs/contribution/releases/troubleshooting.md
+++ b/docs/contribution/releases/troubleshooting.md
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ For RC and stable releases, deploying to our staging environment and monitoring
3. **Update the tracking issue** to reflect that the release is blocked, including details about the bug.
4. **Do not publish** any of the draft GitHub releases that were created, but also **do not delete** them. They will be published later along with the version that passes validation.
5. **Coordinate with the relevant engineering team(s)** to develop a fix.
-6. **Involve Developer Advocacy** if the release schedule needs to be adjusted or communicated publicly ([read more on delays below](#release-delay)).
+6. **Involve Developer Advocacy** if the release schedule needs to be adjusted or communicated publicly ([read more on delays below](#the-release-needs-to-be-delayed-what-should-we-do)).
#### How to proceed once the bug fix is merged into the release branch?
@@ -73,15 +73,15 @@ If a severe regression or bug is discovered (e.g., checkout failure or unrecover
- Use the [`Release: Update stable tag`](https://github.com/woocommerce/woocommerce/actions/workflows/release-update-stable-tag.yml) workflow, making sure to check the _Revert_ option to allow downgrading.
- Merge any auto-generated PRs right away.
-<h3 id="release-delay">The release needs to be delayed. What should we do?</h3>
+### The release needs to be delayed. What should we do?
1. Create an internal Slack thread to communicate with the engineering teams as well as Dev Advocacy. This also provides an opportunity for teams to share any additional context and verify or challenge schedule changes.
2. Ask Dev Advocacy to communicate the delay publicly.
3. If there's a clear ETA on the patch release with a fix, [update the release calendar](https://developer.woocommerce.com/release-calendar/) with the new dates.
-Remember to not plan the patch release [too close to the weekend](#release-delay-weekend-id).
+Remember to not plan the patch release [too close to the weekend](#the-release-was-delayed-can-we-still-release-after-tuesday).
-<h3 id="release-delay-weekend-id">The release was delayed. Can we still release after Tuesday?</h3>
+### The release was delayed. Can we still release after Tuesday?
In general, avoid releasing after Tuesday, especially close to a weekend.