opensense
opensense

How to contribute

Bug reports, doc fixes, hardware tests

OpenSense is not open-source today (see self-hosted), but parts of it are. This page describes how to contribute usefully.

What's open today

  • This documentation site. The markdown source is in the OpenSense docs repo (GitHub URL pending — will be linked from the footer of every page once the repo opens). PRs welcome for:
    • Typos and grammar.
    • Translations into your language.
    • Corrections of regulatory facts (cite a source).
    • New hardware compatibility entries.
    • New troubleshooting cases ("here is what I tripped over").
  • Hardware decoders and ESPHome YAML snippets. The decoders/ subfolder of the docs repo accepts LoRaWAN payload decoders, ESPHome configs, MQTT bridge configs, etc. Send a PR with one file per device, with a small README.
  • Code Connect mappings between docs pages and dashboard features. Useful once the dashboard is publicly browsable.

What is not yet open

  • The dashboard app.
  • The ingest service.
  • The rule engine.
  • The PDF rendering service.

These will open under a source-available licence in 2027 (see the roadmap).

How to file a bug

  • For a UI bug, include the URL, what you did, what you expected, what happened.
  • For a data bug, include the affected device_id / channel_id / event id. We will look up the server logs by request id.
  • For a security bug, do not file publicly. Email grande.chuvash@gmail.com with the subject prefixed SECURITY:. We will respond within 24 hours and disclose responsibly.

How to ask for a feature

  • Email or open an issue. Describe the operator situation. Do not describe the implementation; let us pick that.
  • Specifically what helps: "the auditor asked X, I had to do Y by hand". Specifically what does not: "could you add a button that does X".

How we make decisions

See principles. In short:

  • Real, repeating customer pain → on the list.
  • Edge case requested by one customer → unlikely unless it is a compliance issue.
  • Feature parity with $competitor → unlikely.
  • Speculative platform feature → unlikely.

Acknowledgements

Several people have already contributed in the pilot phase:

  • The Slovak ŠVPS inspector who walked through a mock audit with us before we shipped the HACCP report template.
  • Bratislava-based café owners who let us put sensors in their fridges and complained about every false alarm we cooked up.
  • The TTN community for hosting the LoRaWAN gateways we used to validate Efento integrations.

The product is better for the early feedback. Thank you.