docs: add CONTRIBUTING.md with contributor guidelines

CONTRIBUTING.md

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+# Contributing to Hermes Agent
+
+Thank you for your interest in contributing to Hermes Agent! This document provides guidelines and information for contributors.
+
+## Getting Started
+
+### Prerequisites
+
+- Python 3.10 or higher
+- uv (recommended) or pip for package management
+- Git
+
+### Development Setup
+
+1. Fork the repository and clone your fork:
+   ```bash
+   git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/hermes-agent.git
+   cd hermes-agent
+   ```
+
+2. Create a virtual environment and install dependencies:
+   ```bash
+   python -m venv venv
+   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
+   pip install -e .
+   ```
+
+3. Set up your API keys in `~/.hermes/.env`:
+   ```bash
+   OPENROUTER_API_KEY=your_key_here
+   # or other provider keys
+   ```
+
+## Making Contributions
+
+### Types of Contributions
+
+We welcome:
+
+- **Bug fixes** - Fix issues reported in GitHub Issues
+- **Documentation** - Improve README, docstrings, or add examples
+- **Tests** - Add or improve test coverage
+- **Features** - Implement features from TODO.md or Issues
+- **Tools** - Add new tools or improve existing ones
+- **Skills** - Create new skills for the skills registry
+
+### Contribution Workflow
+
+1. **Check existing issues** - Look for open issues before starting work
+2. **Create an issue** - For significant changes, open an issue first to discuss
+3. **Fork and branch** - Create a feature branch from `main`:
+   ```bash
+   git checkout -b fix/issue-description
+   # or
+   git checkout -b feat/feature-description
+   ```
+4. **Make changes** - Follow the code style guidelines below
+5. **Test** - Ensure your changes work and don't break existing functionality
+6. **Commit** - Use conventional commit messages (see below)
+7. **Push and PR** - Push your branch and open a pull request
+
+### Commit Message Format
+
+We use conventional commits:
+
+```
+type(scope): description
+
+[optional body]
+
+[optional footer]
+```
+
+Types:
+- `feat` - New feature
+- `fix` - Bug fix
+- `docs` - Documentation only
+- `style` - Code style (formatting, semicolons, etc.)
+- `refactor` - Code refactoring
+- `test` - Adding or updating tests
+- `chore` - Maintenance tasks
+
+Examples:
+```
+feat(cli): add /verbose command for detailed output
+fix(gateway): resolve hooks initialization order
+docs: update installation instructions
+```
+
+### Code Style
+
+- Follow PEP 8 for Python code
+- Use type hints where practical
+- Add docstrings to public functions and classes
+- Keep functions focused and reasonably sized
+- Prefer readability over cleverness
+
+### Testing
+
+Before submitting:
+
+1. Verify Python syntax:
+   ```bash
+   python -m py_compile your_file.py
+   ```
+
+2. Run existing tests:
+   ```bash
+   python -m pytest tests/
+   ```
+
+3. Test your changes manually in the CLI or gateway
+
+## Project Structure
+
+```
+hermes-agent/
+├── cli.py              # Main CLI interface
+├── run_agent.py        # Agent runtime
+├── gateway/            # Messaging platform adapters
+│   ├── run.py          # Gateway runner
+│   ├── adapters/       # Platform-specific adapters
+│   └── hooks.py        # Event hook system
+├── tools/              # Tool implementations
+├── skills/             # Built-in skills
+├── hermes_cli/         # CLI utilities
+└── tests/              # Test suite
+```
+
+## Adding New Tools
+
+1. Create a new file in `tools/` or add to an existing toolset
+2. Define the tool function with proper docstring
+3. Create the JSON schema for parameters
+4. Register in `tools/__init__.py`
+5. Add to appropriate toolset in `toolsets.py`
+
+Example:
+```python
+def my_tool(param1: str, param2: int = 10) -> str:
+    """One-line description.
+
+    Detailed description of what the tool does.
+
+    Args:
+        param1: Description of param1
+        param2: Description of param2
+
+    Returns:
+        Description of return value
+    """
+    # Implementation
+    return result
+
+MY_TOOL_SCHEMA = {
+    "name": "my_tool",
+    "description": "One-line description.",
+    "parameters": {
+        "type": "object",
+        "properties": {
+            "param1": {"type": "string", "description": "..."},
+            "param2": {"type": "integer", "description": "...", "default": 10}
+        },
+        "required": ["param1"]
+    }
+}
+```
+
+## Adding New Skills
+
+Skills live in `~/.hermes/skills/` and are YAML-based:
+
+```yaml
+name: my-skill
+description: What this skill does
+version: "1.0.0"
+author: your-name
+
+tools:
+  - name: skill_tool
+    description: What this tool does
+    parameters:
+      - name: param1
+        type: string
+        required: true
+```
+
+## Getting Help
+
+- **Issues**: Open a GitHub issue for bugs or feature requests
+- **Discussions**: Use GitHub Discussions for questions
+- **Discord**: Join the Nous Research Discord community
+
+## License
+
+By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the project's MIT License.