# Get started

> How the Home Assistant project works, where people talk, and how to make your first contribution, whatever your skills are.

Source: https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/

Home Assistant is built by thousands of people. Some write Python or TypeScript, many don't. They translate the interface, fix a sentence in the documentation, design a better dialog, help someone on the [forum](https://community.home-assistant.io/), or test a beta. Every one of those counts as contributing, and every one of them makes Home Assistant better for millions of homes.

This area is for everyone who wants to join in. It explains how the project is organized, where people talk, and how your first contribution goes from idea to merged.

## Start here

1. [Your first contribution](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/first-contribution/): pick a path that fits your skills, and take the first step. Most paths don't need any code.
2. [Use GitHub, without being a developer](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/github/): the words you meet on GitHub, and how to make a change in your browser.
3. [Where we talk](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/where-we-talk/): Discord, the community forum, and GitHub, and where the people of each area can be found.

## Guides

- [Report a bug](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/report-a-bug/): which repository to use, what the bug report forms ask, and what happens after you report.
- [Pull requests and reviews](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/pull-requests/): how to open a pull request that is easy to review, and what happens after you open it, in any repository.
- [Grow as a contributor](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/grow/): what comes after your first pull request, from reviewing and triaging to owning an integration or taking on a role.

## Background

You don't need to read these before your first contribution. They help once you want to know how things work.

- [How the project is organized](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/organization/): the Open Home Foundation, its commercial partners, the repositories, and the people who maintain them.
- [From idea to release](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/roadmap/how-it-works/): how larger work is planned, from a feature request to a release, and where you can join in.
- [Our principles](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/principles/): what Home Assistant stands for, and what that means for your work.
- [Contribute with AI tools](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/ai-tools/): the instructions and skills the repositories carry for agents, workflows for common tasks, and what to check yourself.
- [AI policy](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/ai-policy/): how you can, and can't, use AI tools when you contribute.
- [Licensing and the CLA](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/licensing/): the licenses, and the Contributor License Agreement you sign once for the code repositories.
- [Code of conduct](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/code-of-conduct/): how we treat each other, and how to report a problem.

## Want to know how it all fits together?

The [Architecture](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/architecture/) area explains how the pieces of Home Assistant work together, from [the big picture](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/architecture/big-picture/) to [how decisions are made](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/architecture/decisions/). You don't need to read it before your first contribution, but it helps once you go further.

## Who to talk to

- Not sure where to start? Ask on the [Home Assistant Discord](https://www.home-assistant.io/join-chat/). People there are used to that question. Once you've joined, follow [Building in the open](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1257022408385237072), the announcement channel for contributors, to see what is happening in the project.
- A question about a specific change? Ask it in the issue or pull request on GitHub, so the people who know that code can answer.
- Every area of this site has its own "Who to talk to" section, with the channels for that kind of work.