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+# Contributing
+
+ForgeFlow changes must preserve exact-commit provenance, update integrity and safe deployment boundaries.
+
+Before opening a pull request:
+
+- do not commit tokens, SSH credentials, signing private keys, deployment secrets or local repository state;
+- keep update manifests/checksums/signatures deterministic and reviewable;
+- add regression tests for repository synchronization, dirty-file handling, update and deployment changes;
+- keep real deployment targets configurable rather than embedding private infrastructure;
+- run `npm run quality` and the managed validation workflow where supported.
+
+Release metadata should distinguish an unreleased package version from the latest published Gitea Release; do not advance public release claims until the corresponding release exists.