---
title: "Contribute to these docs"
description: "This site is open source. Fix a page from the page itself, or fork the repository and open a merge request."
url: "https://support.outpostplatform.com/contribute/"
product: "platform"
type: "how-to"
status: "draft"
ai_summary: "How to contribute to the Outpost documentation. The site is built from a public GitLab repository. Small fixes go through the Edit this page link; larger changes are a fork, a branch named docs/<topic>, one of five templates, and a merge request. Content is CC BY 4.0, code is MIT, and there is no contributor licence agreement."
source: "https://gitlab.com/outpostplatform/docs/-/edit/main/src/content/docs/contribute/index.md"
license: "CC BY 4.0"
---

# Contribute to these docs

Every page on this site is written in Markdown in a public repository, and a
correction from somebody who hit the problem is worth more than a page written
by somebody who did not. There is nothing to sign and no account to request
beyond a GitLab one.

## Fix one page

Scroll to the bottom of the page that is wrong and use **Edit this page**.
GitLab forks the repository for you, commits the change and opens the merge
request. For a typo, a stale command or a broken external link, that is the
whole process.

## Write something larger

```bash
git clone https://gitlab.com/outpostplatform/docs.git
cd docs
nvm use
npm ci
npm run dev
```

The site runs at `http://localhost:4321` with a mock of the support API next to
it, so search and the feedback widget work without the Go server. Pages reload
as you save them.

Then:

1. Branch from `main` as `docs/<topic>`.
2. Pick the template that matches what you are writing.
3. Check it with `npm run lint` and `npm run build`.
4. Open a merge request titled `area: change`.

The full version of that, including the front matter every page needs, is in
[CONTRIBUTING.md](https://gitlab.com/outpostplatform/docs/-/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md).

## The rules the linter enforces

[STYLE.md](https://gitlab.com/outpostplatform/docs/-/blob/main/STYLE.md) is the
style guide. The parts that catch people out:

- Second person, present tense, and the outcome before the instruction.
- No em dashes and no en dashes, in the body or the front matter.
- Sentence case headings, the title as the only H1, and the body starting at
  H2.
- Every code fence names its language.
- Internal links are root relative and end with a slash.
- Placeholders look like `<depot-host>`, and example hosts are under
  `example.com`.

## The templates

| Shape | Use it for | File |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Concept | What something is and why it exists | [concept.md](https://gitlab.com/outpostplatform/docs/-/blob/main/templates/concept.md) |
| How-to | One task, start to finish | [how-to.md](https://gitlab.com/outpostplatform/docs/-/blob/main/templates/how-to.md) |
| Reference | A list somebody looks one row up in | [reference.md](https://gitlab.com/outpostplatform/docs/-/blob/main/templates/reference.md) |
| Troubleshooting | One symptom and its causes | [troubleshooting.md](https://gitlab.com/outpostplatform/docs/-/blob/main/templates/troubleshooting.md) |
| Release note | What changed in one version | [release-note.md](https://gitlab.com/outpostplatform/docs/-/blob/main/templates/release-note.md) |

## Stubs

A page with a **Stub** badge is an outline nobody has written yet. Its
front matter and its list of intended sections are already there, so picking
one up is filling in a shape rather than starting from nothing. They are the
best place to start.

## Licensing

By opening a merge request you license your contribution under
[CC BY 4.0](https://gitlab.com/outpostplatform/docs/-/blob/main/LICENSE-CONTENT)
for content and
[MIT](https://gitlab.com/outpostplatform/docs/-/blob/main/LICENSE) for code. You
keep the copyright in what you write. Outpost trademarks are not licensed by
either.

## Reporting instead of fixing

- Something wrong, missing, or a broken link: open an issue and pick the
  matching template.
- A security problem: do not open an issue. See
  [reporting a vulnerability](/security/reporting-a-vulnerability/).