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docs: simplify local development setup for junior contributors#2643

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feature/simplify-dev-setup
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docs: simplify local development setup for junior contributors#2643
mroderick wants to merge 1 commit into
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feature/simplify-dev-setup

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@mroderick

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What

Makes native installation the officially recommended path for local development. The existing Docker setup is moved to a secondary, not-recommended section.

Why

  • Some contributors are juniors and may not be familiar with Rails
  • Native installation is faster, easier to debug, and supports all features (including visible-browser JS tests)
  • Docker setup is slower, harder to debug, and does not support running JavaScript feature tests with a visible browser

Changes

  • Rewrite README.md — native installation is now the quick-start path, Docker is secondary
  • Add docs/development-setup.md — comprehensive, junior-friendly guide covering macOS and Linux with step-by-step instructions, explanations of what each tool does, and troubleshooting for common issues
  • Add lib/tasks/setup.rakebundle exec rake setup:check inspects the environment and reports exactly what is missing (Ruby, PostgreSQL, ImageMagick, GitHub credentials, bundle, database state, etc.)
  • Add docs/coding-agent-setup-skill.md — a skill file for AI coding agents (Codex, Claude, Pi, OpenCode, etc.) to help contributors diagnose setup issues using rake setup:check
  • Add make check target that delegates to rake setup:check
  • Update db/seeds.rb — reference the new docs path when ImageMagick is missing
  • Remove native-installation-instructions.md — content merged into the new guide

How to test

  1. Run bundle exec rake setup:check on a working machine → should report all green
  2. Temporarily rename mise.local.toml → should report GitHub OAuth error with specific fix
  3. Run bundle exec rspec → all tests pass

Notes

  • All commands go through one place: rake setup:check (also accessible via make check)
  • The guide assumes macOS or Linux
  • No Docker required

Make native installation the officially recommended path for local
development. Docker is moved to a secondary, not-recommended section.

Changes:
- Rewrite README.md with native installation as the quick-start path
- Add docs/development-setup.md: comprehensive, junior-friendly guide
  covering macOS and Linux, with troubleshooting for common issues
- Add lib/tasks/setup.rake: rake setup:check command that inspects the
  environment and reports exactly what is missing or misconfigured
- Add docs/coding-agent-setup-skill.md: skill file for AI coding agents
  (Codex, Claude, Pi, etc.) to help contributors diagnose setup issues
- Add make check target that delegates to rake setup:check
- Update db/seeds.rb to reference the new docs path
- Remove native-installation-instructions.md (content merged into the new
guide)

The setup:check task verifies:
- Ruby version, Bundler, mise, PostgreSQL, ImageMagick
- GitHub OAuth credentials in mise.local.toml
- Bundle dependencies, database connection, migrations, test database
@mroderick mroderick force-pushed the feature/simplify-dev-setup branch from 96dc037 to 21fcc14 Compare June 12, 2026 13:32
@mroderick mroderick requested a review from KimberleyCook June 12, 2026 13:36
@mroderick mroderick marked this pull request as ready for review June 12, 2026 13:36
@mroderick

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Hey @KimberleyCook, I've tagged you for review on this PR to make the local setup easier.

Could you take it for a spin, and see if it is easy to follow?
Tip: you can use OpenCode or some other coding agent to help you :)

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