Imported from dashpay/tenderdash (AGENTS.md). Install upstream with npx skills add dashpay/tenderdash. Copyright stays with the author.

AGENTS

This file defines the minimum rules for AI agents working on Tenderdash. It does not duplicate details from the style guide; instead, it references the source.

Code Conventions and Style (Go, tests, comments)

Follow the rules in STYLE_GUIDE.md. Do not duplicate them here or in other agent configuration files.

Code quality and security

1. Ensure all changed code passes the linter.
2. Ensure the code is thread-safe. Check memory leaks, deadlocks and race conditions.
3. Review implementation to find any security issues. Identify and verify edge cases. Check known security issues.
4. If unsure, explicitly report any potential security issues, gaps, missing features and TODO items.

Repo Structure and Key Directories

Key directories:

• abci/ – Application BlockChain Interface (app ↔ consensus boundary)
• cmd/ – CLI/binary entrypoints
• config/ – configuration structs, defaults, and config tests
• crypto/ – cryptographic primitives and key handling
• dash/ – Dash-specific components (quorums, validators, etc.)
• docs/ – documentation
• internal/ – internal (unexported) packages
• libs/ – shared utility libraries
• node/ – node setup, lifecycle, and reactor wiring
• proto/ – protobuf definitions (source of truth for wire types)
• rpc/ – JSON-RPC server and client
• spec/ – protocol specification
• types/ – domain types (Block, Vote, Commit, etc.)
• test/ – integration tests and test support
• tools/, scripts/ – helper tools and automation scripts

Do not edit generated files (e.g. *.pb.go). Edit the .proto source and regenerate with make proto-gen.

Building, Testing, and Linting

# Build (includes BLS native dependency)
make build

# Run all unit tests with race detector (matches CI: CGO, BLS, -tags=deadlock, -p 1)
make test_race

# Run all unit tests without race detector (matches CI configuration)
make test

# Lint
make lint

# Format
make format

Working with Dependencies and Tools (Go modules, Buf, etc.)

• Go dependencies are managed via Go Modules. Only update required modules.
• To review newer versions: go list -u -m all.
• If build issues arise, use go mod tidy.
• Protobufs: buf and gogoproto are required.
  • Lint: make proto-lint
  • Breaking changes: make proto-check-breaking
  • Generation: make proto-gen
  • Formatting: make proto-format (requires clang-format)

Branching and PR Workflow

• Main development branch is the highest-versioned vMAJOR.MINOR-dev branch. Find it with: git branch -r --list 'origin/v[0-9]*-dev' --sort=-version:refname | head -1
• Create feature branches from the development branch; open PRs back into it.
• Keep commits focused and well-described.
• Use conventional commit format for commit and PR titles.
• PR descriptions: read .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md, fill in every section, base content on the full diff against the target branch.

Security and Privacy (secrets, keys, logs)

• Private keys and configuration files containing keys are secret: do not log them or commit them to the repo.
• Particularly sensitive files: config/priv_validator_key.json, config/node_key.json, TLS keys (tls-key-file in config).

Common Pitfalls

• BLS native dependency must be built before Go binaries (make build handles this; standalone go build may fail).
• *.pb.go files are generated — never edit them by hand.
• gogoproto extensions (e.g., nullable, customtype) can produce unexpected Go types; always check the generated code after proto changes.
• Some packages under internal/ import dash/ types; be mindful of import cycles when moving code between packages.