israel-law-mcp/CONTRIBUTING.md

Contributing Guide

Thank you for your interest in contributing to this MCP server!

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• npm 9+
• Git

Development Setup

1. Fork and clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/Israel-law-mcp.git
   cd Israel-law-mcp
   

2. Install dependencies

   npm install
   

3. Build the project

   npm run build
   

4. Run tests

   npm test
   

Development Workflow

Making Changes

1. Create a branch for your changes:

   git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
   

2. Make your changes

3. Run tests:

   npm test
   

4. Build to check for TypeScript errors:

   npm run build
   

5. Commit your changes:

   git commit -m "Description of changes"
   

6. Push and create a pull request

Testing with MCP Inspector

To test your changes interactively:

npx @anthropic/mcp-inspector node dist/index.js

This opens a web UI where you can call tools and see responses.

Code Style

TypeScript

• Use TypeScript strict mode
• Define interfaces for all function inputs/outputs
• Use async/await for all database operations
• Use null for "not found", throw for invalid input

Naming

• Files: kebab-case.ts
• Interfaces: PascalCase
• Functions: camelCase
• MCP tools: snake_case
• Database tables/columns: snake_case

Documentation

• Add JSDoc comments to all exported functions
• Include @param and @returns tags
• Add usage examples in comments

Adding a New Tool

1. Create a new file in src/tools/:

   // src/tools/my-tool.ts
   export interface MyToolInput { ... }
   export interface MyToolResult { ... }
   export async function myTool(db: Database, input: MyToolInput): Promise<MyToolResult> { ... }
   

2. Add tests in tests/tools/my-tool.test.ts

3. Register the tool in src/index.ts:

   • Add to TOOLS array
   • Add case in CallToolRequestSchema handler

4. Update README.md with tool documentation

Adding New Data

Adding a New Source

1. Create a seed file in data/seed/:

   {
     "id": "SOURCE_ID",
     "full_name": "Full Name",
     "items": [ ... ],
     "definitions": [ ... ]
   }
   

2. Rebuild the database:

   npm run build:db
   

3. Add tests for the new data

4. Update COVERAGE.md

Updating Existing Data

1. Run the ingestion script:

   npm run ingest -- <identifier> data/seed/source.json
   

2. Rebuild the database:

   npm run build:db
   

3. Run tests to verify nothing broke:

   npm test
   

Pull Request Guidelines

Before Submitting

• Tests pass (npm test)
• Build succeeds (npm run build)
• No TypeScript errors
• Documentation updated if needed

PR Description

Include:

• What changes were made
• Why the changes were needed
• How to test the changes

Review Process

1. Automated checks must pass
2. At least one maintainer review required
3. Address feedback promptly

Reporting Issues

Bug Reports

Include:

• Steps to reproduce
• Expected behavior
• Actual behavior
• Environment (Node version, OS)

Feature Requests

Include:

• Use case description
• Proposed solution (if any)
• Alternatives considered

Questions?

Open a discussion on GitHub or reach out to the maintainers.

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Thank you for contributing!