Contributing

Omni is built in the open and welcomes contributions — code, translations, bug reports and docs. Here’s how to get set up and get your change merged.

Ways to contribute

Development environment

1. Install the toolchain

   Android Studio Ladybug+, JDK 17, and an API 26+ device or emulator.

2. Fork & clone

   git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USER/omni-browser.git
   cd omni-browser

3. Sync and run

   Open in Android Studio, let Gradle sync, then run :app:installUniversalDebug.

4. Branch

   Create a feature branch off main.

Code style

Follow the conventions already in the codebase. The highlights:

• Kotlin — idiomatic, prefer val, use extension functions to split large classes (see the BrowserViewModel_*.kt pattern).
• Compose — keep composables stateless where possible; hoist state into the ViewModel.
• GeckoView interop — treat GeckoSession as a live handle; never serialize it. Run engine work through the shared runtime.
• Strings — all user-facing text goes in strings.xml, never hardcoded.
• NDK — native libraries must be 16 KB page-aligned.

// Prefer: small, focused extension files by concern
// BrowserViewModel_Downloads.kt
fun BrowserViewModel.startDownload(url: String, toVault: Boolean) {
    viewModelScope.launch {
        val request = DownloadRequest(url, destination = if (toVault) Vault else Public)
        downloadRepository.enqueue(request)
    }
}

Pull request process

1. Open a PR against main

   Use the PR template. Link the issue you’re fixing.

2. CI must pass

   pr_check.yml builds and lints your branch.

3. Review

   A maintainer reviews for correctness, style and privacy impact. Privacy regressions are a hard no.

4. Merge

   Squash-merged with a conventional-commit message.

Licensing your contribution

Contributions are made under the project’s GPLv3 license. By submitting a PR you agree your code can be distributed under those terms. Remember the trademark rules if you’re building a derivative you plan to publish — see License.

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