chore: [REL-11981] add CONTRIBUTING.md + update docs

.github/dependabot.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+version: 2
+updates:
+  - package-ecosystem: 'github-actions'
+    directory: '/'
+    schedule:
+      interval: 'weekly'
+  - package-ecosystem: 'npm'
+    directory: '/'
+    schedule:
+      interval: 'weekly'

.github/pull_request_template.md

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+## Description
+
+<!-- Provide a clear and concise description of what this PR accomplishes -->
+
+**What does this PR do?**
+
+<!-- Describe the changes and why they were made -->
+
+## Type of Change
+
+<!-- Check all that apply -->
+
+- [ ] 🐛 **Bug fix** (non-breaking change that fixes an issue)
+- [ ] ✨ **New feature** (non-breaking change that adds functionality)
+- [ ] 💥 **Breaking change** (fix or feature that would cause existing functionality to not work as expected)
+- [ ] 📚 **Documentation** (changes to documentation only)
+- [ ] 🔧 **Refactor** (code change that neither fixes a bug nor adds a feature)
+- [ ] 🎨 **Style** (formatting, missing semicolons, etc; no production code change)
+- [ ] ⚡ **Performance** (code change that improves performance)
+- [ ] ✅ **Test** (adding missing tests, refactoring tests; no production code change)
+- [ ] 🔨 **Chore** (updating grunt tasks, build process, etc; no production code change)
+
+---
+
+## Screenshots/Videos
+
+<!-- Screenshots or videos of new behavior -->
+
+---

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+# Contributing to LaunchDarkly for Visual Studio Code
+
+LaunchDarkly for Visual Studio Code is an [open source project](https://github.com/launchdarkly/ld-vscode). We welcome community contributions and encourage you to report issues, request features, and submit pull requests.
+
+## Submitting bug reports and feature requests
+
+The team monitors the [issue tracker](https://github.com/launchdarkly/ld-vscode/issues) in this repository. File bugs, feature requests, and questions there.
+
+## Security issues
+
+Please **do not** file GitHub issues for security vulnerabilities. Instead, report them through LaunchDarkly's [HackerOne program](https://hackerone.com/launchdarkly?type=team). See [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md) for more details.
+
+## Setting up a development environment
+
+### Prerequisites
+
+- [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) v22+
+- [Yarn](https://classic.yarnpkg.com/) v1
+- [Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/) v1.82+
+
+### Getting started
+
+1. Fork and clone the repository.
+
+2. Install dependencies:
+
+```bash
+yarn
+```
+
+3. Run the initial build setup:
+
+```bash
+yarn build:setup
+```
+
+4. Build the extension:
+
+```bash
+yarn compile
+```
+
+5. Press **F5** (or **Run > Start Debugging**) in VS Code to launch an Extension Development Host with the extension loaded.
+
+### Useful scripts
+
+| Script | Description |
+| --- | --- |
+| `yarn compile` | One-time development build |
+| `yarn watch` | Rebuild automatically on file changes |
+| `yarn test` | Run the test suite (requires `yarn pretest` first) |
+| `yarn lint` | Check for lint errors |
+| `yarn lint:fix` | Auto-fix lint errors |
+| `yarn run prettier:check` | Verify code formatting |
+| `yarn run prettier:write` | Auto-format code |
+
+### Debugging
+
+- Set breakpoints in TypeScript source files under `src/`.
+- Use the Debug Console in the host VS Code window to inspect variables.
+- Open **Help > Toggle Developer Tools** in the Extension Development Host for console output.
+
+## Coding conventions
+
+### Formatting
+
+This project uses [Prettier](https://prettier.io/) with the following settings:
+
+- Tabs for indentation
+- Single quotes
+- Trailing commas
+- 120-character print width
+
+Run `yarn run prettier:write` to auto-format before committing, or configure your editor to format on save.
+
+### Linting
+
+[ESLint](https://eslint.org/) enforces code quality rules for all TypeScript files. Run `yarn lint` to check and `yarn lint:fix` to auto-fix issues.
+
+### Testing
+
+Tests use [Mocha](https://mochajs.org/) (TDD UI) with [Chai](https://www.chaijs.com/) assertions and run inside a VS Code test host via [`@vscode/test-cli`](https://github.com/nicolo-ribaudo/vscode-test-cli). Test files live alongside source code in `test/` and follow the `*.test.ts` naming convention.
+
+Run the full suite with:
+
+```bash
+yarn pretest && yarn test
+```
+
+On Linux CI environments, tests run under `xvfb-run` to provide a virtual display.
+
+## Submitting a pull request
+
+1. Create a feature branch from the latest `main`.
+2. Make your changes in small, focused commits.
+3. Ensure all checks pass locally:
+
+```bash
+yarn lint && yarn run prettier:check && yarn pretest && yarn test
+```
+
+4. Push your branch and open a pull request against `main`.
+5. Fill out the PR description with a summary of your changes and any relevant context.
+
+CI will automatically run the build, tests, Prettier, and lint checks on every pull request.
+
+## License
+
+By contributing to this project you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the [Apache License 2.0](LICENSE.txt).

README.md

@@ -111,24 +111,25 @@ This is OFF by default. It can be enabled through Settings > LaunchDarkly Extens
 
 ## Contributing
 
-LaunchDarkly for Visual Studio Code is an [open source project](https://github.com/launchdarkly/ld-vscode). If you experience any issues, please [log an issue on our issue tracker](https://github.com/launchdarkly/ld-vscode/issues). If you'd like to contribute, we're happily taking pull requests.
+LaunchDarkly for Visual Studio Code is an [open source project](https://github.com/launchdarkly/ld-vscode). If you experience any issues, please [log an issue on our issue tracker](https://github.com/launchdarkly/ld-vscode/issues). If you'd like to contribute, we're happily taking pull requests. See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for detailed guidelines.
 
 ## Development
 
 ### Prerequisites
-- Node.js (version 18 or higher)
-- [Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/)
+- Node.js (version 22 or higher)
+- [Yarn](https://classic.yarnpkg.com/) v1
+- [Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/) v1.82+
 
 ### Getting Started
 
 **Install dependencies**
    ```bash
-   npm install
+   yarn
    ```
 
 **Build the extension**
    ```bash
-   npm run compile
+   yarn build:setup && yarn compile
    ```
 
 **Start debugging**
@@ -138,9 +139,10 @@ LaunchDarkly for Visual Studio Code is an [open source project](https://github.c
 
 ### Development Workflow
 
-- **Watch mode**: Run `npm run watch` to automatically recompile on file changes
-- **Testing**: Run `npm test` to execute the test suite
-- **Linting**: Run `npm run lint` to check code style
+- **Watch mode**: Run `yarn watch` to automatically recompile on file changes
+- **Testing**: Run `yarn pretest && yarn test` to execute the test suite
+- **Linting**: Run `yarn lint` to check code style
+- **Formatting**: Run `yarn run prettier:check` to verify code formatting
 
 ### Debugging