Adapt contributing guidelines (#14401)

* Remove CLA requirement since quarto CLI is MIT now

* We have CONTRIBUTING.md in .github

* Enhance contribution guidelines and templates to clarify AI tool usage and reporting processes

Author: cderv

.claude/CLAUDE.md

@@ -163,6 +163,7 @@ The feature format matrix in `dev-docs/feature-format-matrix/` documents and tes
 Comprehensive methodology for debugging flaky tests documented in [dev-docs/debugging-flaky-tests.md](../dev-docs/debugging-flaky-tests.md).
 
 Key phases:
+
 1. Reproduce locally (outside CI)
 2. Binary search to isolate culprit test
 3. Narrow down within test file
@@ -236,8 +237,8 @@ LaTeX error pattern maintenance is documented in [dev-docs/tinytex-pattern-maint
 
 ## Documentation
 
-- Documentation is at <https://quarto.org> with a sitemap at <https://quarto.org/sitemap.xml>
-- Prerelease docs: <https://prerelease.quarto.org/> for features in dev versions
+- Documentation is at <https://quarto.org/llms.txt>
+- Prerelease docs: <https://prerelease.quarto.org/llms.txt> for features in dev versions
 - Dev documentation in `dev-docs/` includes:
   - Checklists for releases and backports
   - Dependency update procedures
@@ -246,7 +247,7 @@ LaTeX error pattern maintenance is documented in [dev-docs/tinytex-pattern-maint
 
 ## Contributing
 
-See CONTRIBUTING.md for pull request guidelines. Significant changes require a signed contributor agreement (individual or corporate).
+See [.github/CONTRIBUTING.md](../.github/CONTRIBUTING.md) for contributing and pull request guidelines.
 
 ## Maintaining Memory Files
 
@@ -258,11 +259,11 @@ This project uses Claude Code memory files for AI-assisted development. When upd
 
 **Memory file types:**
 
-| Location | When Loaded | Use For |
-|----------|-------------|---------|
-| `.claude/CLAUDE.md` | Always | Project overview, essential commands |
-| `.claude/rules/<feature>/` | When paths match | Feature-specific conventions |
-| `llm-docs/` | When explicitly read | Architectural deep dives |
+| Location                   | When Loaded          | Use For                              |
+| -------------------------- | -------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
+| `.claude/CLAUDE.md`        | Always               | Project overview, essential commands |
+| `.claude/rules/<feature>/` | When paths match     | Feature-specific conventions         |
+| `llm-docs/`                | When explicitly read | Architectural deep dives             |
 
 **Personal overrides:** Create `CLAUDE.local.md` (gitignored) for personal preferences like preferred shell syntax or workflow customizations. This file is loaded alongside the project CLAUDE.md but won't be committed.
 

.github/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md

@@ -36,8 +36,13 @@ Examples of unacceptable behavior include:
 * Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a
   professional setting
 * Providing bad information by copying output from AI assistants
-  without verifying its validity. This _specifically_ includes autonomous agents
-  from OpenClaw, etc. We consider these account-bannable on first offense.
+  without verifying its validity.
+* Submitting issues or pull requests via autonomous AI agents acting without
+  human oversight. This _specifically_ includes autonomous agents such as
+  OpenClaw. AI assistants are accepted only when a human contributor has
+  reviewed and verified the submission (see [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md)).
+  Autonomous agents deciding on their own to open issues or PRs in this
+  repository are not. We consider these account-bannable on first offense.
   You have been warned.
 
 ## Enforcement Responsibilities

.github/CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -9,6 +9,23 @@ You can contribute in many ways:
 - By submitting Pull Request (PR) to fix opened issues
 - By submitting Pull Request (PR) to suggest new features (it is considered good practice to open an issue for discussion before working on a pull request for a new feature).
 
+## Opening an issue
+
+Before opening an issue, please search [existing issues](https://github.com/quarto-dev/quarto-cli/issues) to avoid duplicates.
+
+When reporting a bug, include a minimal reproducible example. For feature requests, describe the use case and expected behavior.
+
+### Using AI tools to investigate
+
+If you are using an AI assistant to help investigate a bug or prepare an issue, point it to the Quarto codebase before asking it to analyze the problem:
+
+- **[DeepWiki](https://deepwiki.com/quarto-dev/quarto-cli)** — AI-indexed documentation for the repository. Available as a web UI for human queries and as an [MCP server](https://docs.devin.ai/work-with-devin/deepwiki-mcp) to give your AI assistant direct access. Useful for understanding architecture, finding relevant source files, and asking questions about how Quarto works internally.
+- **[Context7](https://context7.com)** — Provides up-to-date Quarto documentation and related tool docs. Available as a web UI, a [cli tool](https://context7.com/docs/clients/cli) and as an [MCP server](https://context7.com/docs/resources/all-clients) so AI assistants can fetch current docs on demand.
+- **`https://quarto.org/llms.txt`** — Machine-readable index of Quarto documentation, following the [llms.txt convention](https://llmstxt.org/). Point your AI assistant at this URL to give it a structured map of available documentation.
+- **Clone the repo** — AI tools that can run code or search files benefit from a local clone. Cloning the repository lets the AI search source files, trace code paths, and verify behavior directly rather than relying on potentially outdated training data.
+
+Grounding your AI assistant in the actual codebase leads to more accurate root cause analysis and better-quality issue reports.
+
 ## To submit a contribution using a Pull Request
 
 1.  [Fork](https://github.com/quarto-dev/quarto-cli/fork) the repository, clone it locally, and make your changes in a new branch specific to the PR. For example:
@@ -25,8 +42,6 @@ You can contribute in many ways:
     $ git checkout -b bugfix/myfix
     ```
 
-2.  For significant changes (e.g more than small bug fixes), ensure that you have signed the [individual](https://posit.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2023-03-13_TC_Indiv_contrib_agreement.pdf) or [corporate](https://posit.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2023-03-13_TC_Corp_contrib_agreement.pdf) contributor agreement as appropriate. You can send the signed copy to <[email protected]>.
-
-3.  Submit the [pull request](https://help.github.com/articles/using-pull-requests). It is ok to submit as a draft if you are still working on it but would like some feedback from us. It is always good to share in the open that you are working on it.
+2.  Submit the [pull request](https://help.github.com/articles/using-pull-requests). It is ok to submit as a draft if you are still working on it but would like some feedback from us. It is always good to share in the open that you are working on it.
 
 We'll try to be as responsive as possible in reviewing and accepting pull requests. Very much appreciate your contributions!

.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_report.yml

@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ body:
 
         Finally, so that we can get the most out of your bug report, consider reading our ["Bug Reports" guide](https://quarto.org/bug-reports.html).
 
+        **Using an AI assistant to investigate?** Point it to the codebase first — see [Using AI tools to investigate](https://github.com/quarto-dev/quarto-cli/blob/main/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md#using-ai-tools-to-investigate) in CONTRIBUTING.md.
+
         Thank you for using Quarto!
 
         ---

.github/pull_request_template.md

@@ -2,9 +2,7 @@ Welcome to the quarto GitHub repo!
 
 We are always happy to hear feedback from our users.
 
-To file a _pull request_, please follow these instructions carefully: <https://yihui.org/issue/#bug-reports>
-
-If you're a collaborator from outside `quarto-dev` making changes larger than a typo, please make sure you have filed an [individual](https://posit.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2023-03-13_TC_Indiv_contrib_agreement.pdf) or [corporate](https://posit.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2023-03-13_TC_Corp_contrib_agreement.pdf) contributor agreement. You can send the signed copy to <[email protected]>.
+To file a _pull request_, please follow these instructions : <https://github.com/quarto-dev/quarto-cli?tab=contributing-ov-file>
 
 Also, please complete and keep the checklist below.
 
@@ -22,9 +20,23 @@ print("Hello Quarto!")
 
 I have (if applicable):
 
-- [ ] filed a [contributor agreement](https://github.com/quarto-dev/quarto-cli/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md).
 - [ ] referenced the GitHub issue this PR closes
 - [ ] updated the appropriate changelog in the PR
 - [ ] ensured the present test suite passes
 - [ ] added new tests
 - [ ] created a separate documentation PR in [Quarto's website repo](https://github.com/quarto-dev/quarto-web/) and linked it to this PR
+
+<!-- If an AI assistant helped prepare this PR, uncomment and complete this section:
+
+<details>
+<summary>AI-assisted PR</summary>
+
+- **AI tool used**: e.g., Claude Code, Copilot, ChatGPT
+- **Codebase grounding**: e.g., DeepWiki MCP, Context7 MCP, local clone, llms.txt
+- **Human review**: I have reviewed, tested, and verified the AI-generated content before submitting.
+
+Note: autonomous AI agents submitting PRs without human oversight are not permitted — see the [Code of Conduct](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md).
+
+</details>
+
+-->

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -46,4 +46,4 @@ We welcome contributions of additional languages! To contribute a localization:
 
 2.  Translate the English strings therein to the target language.
 
-3.  Submit a [pull request](https://help.github.com/articles/using-pull-requests) with your new language translation. Before doing this please ensure that you have signed the [individual](https://posit.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2023-03-13_TC_Indiv_contrib_agreement.pdf) or [corporate](https://posit.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2023-03-13_TC_Corp_contrib_agreement.pdf) contributor agreement as appropriate. You can send the signed copy to [jj\@rstudio.com](mailto:[email protected]).
+3.  Submit a [pull request](https://help.github.com/articles/using-pull-requests) with your new language translation.