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CONTRIBUTING.md

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+# Contributing to Synthetic Data Engine
+
+Thanks for your interest in contributing to Synthetic Data Engine! Follow these guidelines to set up your environment and streamline your contributions.
+
+## Setup
+
+1. **Clone the repository**:
+   ```bash
+   git clone https://github.com/mostly-ai/mostlyai-engine.git
+   cd mostlyai-engine
+   ```
+   If you don’t have direct write access to `mostlyai-engine`, fork the repository first and clone your fork:
+   ```bash
+   git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/mostlyai-engine.git
+   cd mostlyai-engine
+   ```
+
+2. **Install `uv` (if not installed already)**:
+   ```bash
+   curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
+   ```
+   For alternative installation methods, visit the [uv installation guide](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/).
+
+3. **Create a virtual environment and install dependencies**:
+   ```bash
+   uv sync --frozen --extra cpu --python=3.10  # For CPU-only
+   source .venv/bin/activate
+   ```
+   If using GPU, run:
+   ```bash
+   uv sync --frozen --extra gpu --python=3.10  # For GPU support
+   source .venv/bin/activate
+   ```
+
+4. **Install pre-commit hooks**:
+   ```bash
+   pre-commit install
+   ```
+
+## Development Workflow
+
+1. **Ensure your local `main` branch is up to date**:
+   ```bash
+   git checkout main
+   git reset --hard origin/main
+   git pull origin main
+   ```
+
+2. **Create a new feature or bugfix branch**:
+   ```bash
+   git checkout -b my-feature-branch
+   ```
+
+3. **Implement your changes.**
+
+4. **Run tests and pre-commit hooks**:
+   ```bash
+   pytest
+   pre-commit run
+   ```
+
+5. **Commit your changes with a descriptive message**:
+   ```bash
+   git add .
+   git commit -m "feat: add a clear description of your feature"
+   ```
+   Follow the [Conventional Commits](https://gist.github.com/qoomon/5dfcdf8eec66a051ecd85625518cfd13) format.
+
+6. **Push your changes**:
+   ```bash
+   git push origin my-feature-branch
+   ```
+
+7. **Open a pull request on GitHub.**