# Contributing to Pinecone Developer MCP Server
We welcome community contributions to the Pinecone Developer MCP Server! This document provides guidelines and instructions for contributing to this project.
## Getting Started
1. Fork the repository.
2. Clone your fork: `git clone https://github.com/your-username/pinecone-mcp.git`
3. Install dependencies: `npm install`
4. Build the MCP server: `npm run build`
## Testing
Run the test suite to ensure your changes don't break existing functionality:
```bash
# Run all tests once
npm test
# Run tests in watch mode during development
npm run test:watch
```
## Code Quality
Before submitting a pull request, ensure your code passes linting and formatting checks:
```bash
# Check for linting errors
npm run lint
# Auto-fix linting errors where possible
npm run lint:fix
# Format code with Prettier
npm run format
```
## Running the MCP server
To enable database features, you will need to generate an API key in the [Pinecone console](https://app.pinecone.io). Replace `<your-api-key>` in the following instructions with the API key value.
Run the server:
```
PINECONE_API_KEY=<your-api-key> npm start
```
Using MCP Inspector:
```
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector -e PINECONE_API_KEY=<your-api-key> npm start
```
Test with an AI tool or coding assistant:
```
{
"mcpServers": {
"pinecone": {
"command": "node",
"args": [
"/path/to/pinecone-mcp/dist/index.js"
],
"env": {
"PINECONE_API_KEY": "<your-api-key>",
}
}
}
}
```
## Development process
1. Create a new branch for your changes (see [Branch naming](#branch-naming) below).
2. Make your changes.
3. Run `npm test` to ensure tests pass.
4. Test your changes with MCP Inspector or an AI tool.
5. Run `npm run format` to format your code.
6. Submit a pull request.
## Branch naming
Use descriptive branch names that include the issue number when applicable:
- `feature/add-new-tool` - for new features
- `fix/handle-empty-response` - for bug fixes
- `docs/update-readme` - for documentation changes
- `username/issue-123-description` - when working on a specific issue
## Commit messages
We follow the [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/) specification. Each commit message should be structured as:
```
<type>(<optional scope>): <description>
[optional body]
```
**Types:**
- `feat`: A new feature
- `fix`: A bug fix
- `docs`: Documentation changes
- `refactor`: Code changes that neither fix a bug nor add a feature
- `test`: Adding or updating tests
- `chore`: Maintenance tasks (dependencies, build scripts, etc.)
**Examples:**
```
feat(tools): add cascading-search tool
fix: handle empty API response gracefully
docs: add troubleshooting section to README
test: add unit tests for rerank-documents
```
## Pull request guidelines
- Follow existing code style.
- Update documentation as needed.
- Keep changes focused.
- Provide a clear description of changes.
## Reporting issues
- Use the [GitHub issue tracker](https://github.com/pinecone-io/pinecone-mcp/issues).
- Search for existing issues before creating a new one.
- Provide clear reproduction steps.
## License
By contributing to this project, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the [Apache License version 2.0](LICENSE).
