A great open-source project thrives on contributions—but to attract contributors, you first need to guide them. The best way? A clear, welcoming README.

What Contributors Look For

Before contributing, developers usually check:

Project purpose

Setup instructions

How to run tests

Contribution guidelines

Code of Conduct

If any of these are missing, it’s a red flag.

Example Structure for a Contributor-Friendly README

Project Name

Overview

Short, clear summary.

Installation

Step-by-step setup.

Usage

Code examples or CLI commands.

Contributing

How to fork, branch, and submit PRs.

License

MIT? Apache? Be clear.

Maintainers

Who to contact.

Bonus Tip: Use Badges

Badges like build: passing, license, or open to PRs help communicate the status of your repo instantly.

Let ReadmeBuddy Help

Writing this from scratch takes time. ReadmeBuddy can help generate a starter README that you can then tailor for your community.