get a github account

if you don't have one, sign up at github.com. free forever. takes 30 seconds.

→ skip this if you already have one.

fork the repo

make sure you're logged in to github first. find the FORK button at the top-right of the repo page — it sits between Watch and Star (see diagram below). click it. on the next screen, leave everything as default and click the green CREATE FORK button. wait 2-3 seconds while github copies the repo to your account.

→ you'll know it worked when the url becomes github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/aiandcoffee and you see "forked from solahidris/aiandcoffee" in small text under the repo name.

clone your fork

open a terminal. paste this — replace YOUR-USERNAME with yours.

git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/aiandcoffee.git
cd aiandcoffee

install and run it

you need node.js installed first. then run these two commands.

npm install
npm run dev

→ open http://localhost:3000 in your browser. the site is now running on your laptop.

create a new branch

never touch main. always branch. name it whatever describes your change.

git checkout -b fix-typo-on-about-page

make your changes

edit code. save the file. the browser auto-refreshes. break things. fix things. repeat.

commit your work

save your progress with git. message can be anything — just say what you did.

git add .
git commit -m "fixed typo on about page"

push to your fork

your commits only live on your laptop until you push. this sends them up to your fork on github.

git push origin fix-typo-on-about-page

→ watch the terminal output — github prints a clickable link to open a PR directly. cmd-click (mac) or ctrl-click (windows) it and skip step 09.

find the pull request banner

open your fork at github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/aiandcoffee. a yellow banner appears near the top mentioning your branch, with a green COMPARE & PULL REQUEST button on the right (see diagram below). click the green button.

→ didn't see the banner? it disappears after a few minutes. fallback: click the PULL REQUESTS tab, then the green NEW PULL REQUEST button.

submit the pull request

you'll land on a form with two fields. write a short title (one line — what you changed). for the description, copy the template below and fill in the blanks. then click the green CREATE PULL REQUEST button at the bottom. nobody reads novels — short is better.

adds: <what you added>
why: <one line, if relevant>
notes: <anything reviewer should know, or "none">

→ that's it. you're a contributor. your name shows up on the repo forever.