# All Contributors — Recognize Every Open-Source Contributor

> All Contributors is a specification and toolset for recognizing all types of contributions to open-source projects, not just code, with automated README badge generation.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# All Contributors — Recognize Every Open-Source Contributor

## Quick Use
```bash
# Install the CLI
npm install --save-dev all-contributors-cli
# Initialize in your project
npx all-contributors init
# Add a contributor
npx all-contributors add username code,doc
```

## Introduction
All Contributors defines a specification for recognizing project contributors beyond code commits. It provides a CLI tool and a GitHub bot that automate adding contributor profiles, contribution-type emoji badges, and summary tables to your README, covering roles like documentation, design, testing, mentoring, and more.

## What All Contributors Does
- Defines a contribution type taxonomy covering code, docs, design, testing, talks, and 30+ roles
- Generates a formatted contributor table with avatars and role badges for your README
- Provides a CLI tool for adding contributors and regenerating the table locally
- Offers a GitHub bot that responds to comment commands to add contributors via pull requests
- Stores contributor data in a `.all-contributorsrc` JSON file for version control

## Architecture Overview
The system centers on a `.all-contributorsrc` configuration file that lists contributors and their contribution types. The CLI reads this file, fetches GitHub profile data (avatar, profile link), and regenerates a Markdown table between designated comment markers in your README. The GitHub bot listens for issue or PR comments matching `@all-contributors please add @user for code`, then opens a PR that updates both the config file and the README table.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Run `npx all-contributors init` to create the `.all-contributorsrc` config file
- Add comment markers `<!-- ALL-CONTRIBUTORS-LIST:START -->` to your README
- Configure the number of columns, image size, and contribution types in the rc file
- Install the GitHub App for bot-driven contributor additions via comments
- Use `npx all-contributors generate` to rebuild the table after manual config edits

## Key Features
- 30+ contribution types: code, docs, design, testing, ideas, mentoring, financial, and more
- GitHub bot: add contributors by commenting on issues or pull requests
- Badge count: displays a total contributor count badge at the top of the README
- Flexible layout: configure column count, image size, and link targets
- Emoji key: each contribution type maps to a recognizable emoji for quick scanning

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **GitHub Contributors graph** — Shows only code committers; All Contributors recognizes all contribution types
- **CONTRIBUTORS.md** — Manual plain-text list; All Contributors auto-generates with avatars and badges
- **Sponsor sections** — Financial only; All Contributors covers the full spectrum of contributions
- **git shortlog** — Commit-count ranking; All Contributors is role-based, not volume-based

## FAQ
**Q: Does it only work with GitHub?**
A: The CLI works with any Git host. The bot is GitHub-specific, but the spec and CLI are platform-agnostic.

**Q: Can I add contributors who are not on GitHub?**
A: Yes. The CLI allows manually specifying names, links, and avatars in the config file.

**Q: Does it create noise in my commit history?**
A: Each contributor addition is one small commit updating the config and README. The bot batches multiple additions into a single PR when possible.

**Q: How do I customize which contribution types to show?**
A: Edit the `types` field in `.all-contributorsrc` to include only the contribution categories relevant to your project.

## Sources
- https://github.com/all-contributors/all-contributors
- https://allcontributors.org

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-9ec37c08
Author: AI Open Source