# [IMPROVEMENT] Enhance Documentation and Developer Onboarding Guides for Tornado-SVM
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## 🚀 Problem Statement
The **Tornado-SVM** project currently suffers from insufficient and unclear documentation and onboarding materials. This creates friction for new contributors, slows down community audits, and hampers the scalability of development efforts. Clear, comprehensive developer guides and contribution instructions are essential to foster a welcoming, productive ecosystem and ensure long-term maintainability of this privacy-centric Solana project.
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## 🧠 Technical Context
Tornado-SVM is a **Rust-based Solana program** implementing privacy-preserving transactions via zkSNARKs, alongside a JavaScript client interface. The current docs partially cover architecture and usage but lack cohesive developer onboarding paths, clear contribution guidelines, and detailed explanations of cryptographic and Solana-specific patterns used.
The repository includes:
- Rust smart contract code (`program/` folder)
- Client-side JavaScript tooling (`client/`)
- Cryptography and formal verification submodules (`formal_verification/`)
- CI/CD workflows and tests
- Basic README and sparse CONTRIBUTING.md files
Improving developer docs will reduce ramp-up time, improve auditability, and enable the community to confidently contribute and extend the project.
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## 🔨 Detailed Implementation Steps
1. **Audit Existing Documentation**
- Review all current docs: README.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, formal_verification docs, Rust doc comments, client docs.
- Identify gaps: missing onboarding tutorials, unclear setup instructions, outdated contribution processes, lack of code architecture overview.
2. **Create a Developer Onboarding Guide**
- Write a step-by-step "Getting Started" guide covering:
- Environment setup (Rust toolchain, Solana CLI, Node.js/npm versions)
- Building and running the Solana program locally
- Running the client and example transactions
- Debugging tips for common issues
- Include diagrams or flowcharts illustrating the deposit-withdraw zkSNARK flow.
3. **Enhance Contribution Guidelines**
- Revise CONTRIBUTING.md to detail:
- Coding standards and Rust style guidelines (e.g., `cargo fmt`, `clippy`)
- Git branching and commit message conventions
- Pull request process including required reviews and checks
- Testing requirements for contributions (unit tests, integration, CI validation)
- Security best practices for cryptographic code contributions
4. **Document Core Architecture and Security Considerations**
- Add focused markdown docs explaining:
- zkSNARK proof generation and verification processes
- Solana program structure and on-chain state management
- Formal verification integration and how to run it locally
- Potential attack surfaces and mitigation strategies
5. **Integrate Documentation in CI/CD**
- Add a CI job to validate documentation formatting (e.g., markdown linting)
- Optionally generate and publish documentation site (e.g., using `mdbook` or GitHub Pages)
6. **Update Tests and Examples**
- Ensure all example code snippets in docs are up-to-date and tested
- Add new integration test examples illustrating documented workflows
7. **Gather Feedback and Iterate**
- Share updated docs with internal devs and community contributors for review
- Incorporate feedback to improve clarity and completeness
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## 📝 Technical Specifications
- **Documentation format:** Markdown files under `/docs` or root
- **Doc tooling:** Use existing formatting tools (e.g., `prettier` for markdown)
- **Contribution guidelines:** Follow [Rust community standards](https://rust-lang.github.io/api-guidelines/conventions.html)
- **Onboarding environment:** Should cover Solana CLI (version X+), Rust (stable), Node.js (v16+)
- **Diagrams:** Use Mermaid or PlantUML for embedded diagrams in markdown if possible
- **CI Integration:** Add markdown lint step in GitHub Actions workflow
- **Backward Compatibility:** No breaking changes; docs updates only
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## ✅ Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] Comprehensive audit document listing current doc gaps created
- [ ] New `docs/ONBOARDING.md` guide covering environment, build, run, debug workflows
- [ ] Updated `CONTRIBUTING.md` with detailed contribution process and coding standards
- [ ] Architecture and security docs added under `docs/ARCHITECTURE.md` and `docs/SECURITY.md`
- [ ] All code examples in docs verified and tested
- [ ] Markdown linting integrated into CI pipeline
- [ ] Documentation reviewed and approved by at least two core maintainers
- [ ] No regressions or build failures introduced
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## 🧪 Testing Requirements
- Manual verification of onboarding steps on a clean environment (e.g., new VM or container)
- Automated markdown linting and link validation in CI
- Cross-check code snippets compile and run as documented
- Peer review of contribution guidelines for clarity and completeness
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## 📚 Documentation Updates Required
- Add or revise:
- `README.md` (overview and links to new docs)
- `CONTRIBUTING.md` (contribution workflow)
- `docs/ONBOARDING.md` (developer setup and usage)
- `docs/ARCHITECTURE.md` (system design and flow)
- `docs/SECURITY.md` (threat model and best practices)
- Update any related wiki pages or GitHub project boards accordingly
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## ⚠️ Potential Challenges & Risks
- Ensuring onboarding instructions stay up-to-date with rapid codebase changes — consider adding a doc ownership and update schedule.
- Balancing detail with readability to avoid overwhelming new developers.
- Accurately explaining complex cryptographic concepts in approachable language without sacrificing precision.
- Integrating formal verification explanations in a way that is accessible for non-experts.
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## 🔗 Resources & References
- [Rust API Guidelines](https://rust-lang.github.io/api-guidelines/conventions.html)
- [Solana Developer Docs](https://docs.solana.com/developing)
- [zkSNARKs Primer](https://electriccoin.co/blog/snark-explainer/)
- [GitHub Markdown Lint Action](https://github.com/marketplace/actions/markdownlint)
- Example onboarding guides from similar projects:
- [Anchor Framework Docs](https://project-serum.github.io/anchor/)
- [Solana SPL Token Repo](https://github.com/solana-labs/solana-program-library/tree/master/token)
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Let's turn this cryptographic black box into a developer-friendly rocketship. 🚀 Happy hacking!
If you have questions or want to pair on docs improvements, ping me anytime!
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*Part of AI Development Plan Milestone #1*
*Issue originally opened for openSVM/tornado-svm repository (Rust, zkSNARKs, Solana privacy solution)* 
