# Community and support

CairnCMS is an open-source project. Most help comes from the community and from the issue tracker. This page covers where to ask, how to report problems, how to stay in touch, and where paid help is available for teams that need it.

## Where can I ask questions?

[GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/CairnCMS/discussions) is the primary place for general questions: schema modeling, configuration, deployment, and "how do I do X" topics. Discussions are public and searchable, so answers benefit other readers later.

There is no guaranteed response time. Discussions are community-driven; maintainers and other users help when they can.

## How do I report a bug?

Before opening an issue, run through a short checklist:

- Confirm you are on the latest CairnCMS release.
- Restart the stack to rule out local state from an earlier session.
- Disable any custom extensions to confirm the bug is in CairnCMS itself.
- Search [existing issues](https://github.com/CairnCMS/cairncms/issues) for the same problem.

If the issue is still reproducible after that, [open a new issue](https://github.com/CairnCMS/cairncms/issues) with reproduction steps, the CairnCMS version, the database vendor and version, and any relevant log output.

## How do I report a security issue?

Do not open a public issue for security vulnerabilities. CairnCMS follows a coordinated disclosure process described in the [security policy](https://github.com/CairnCMS/cairncms/security/policy). You can also email `security@cairncms.dev` directly.

## How do I follow CairnCMS?

Two community spaces exist outside GitHub:

- [r/CairnCMS](https://www.reddit.com/r/CairnCMS/) for announcements, release notes, and discussion.
- [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@CairnCMS) for walkthroughs, feature demos, and tutorials.

These are casual channels. Anything that needs a tracked answer or a code change still belongs in Discussions or Issues.

## How do I contribute?

Contributions are welcome. Three documents define how that works:

- [Contributing guide](https://github.com/CairnCMS/cairncms/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) covers the development setup, branching, and pull request process.
- [Code of Conduct](https://github.com/CairnCMS/cairncms/blob/main/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md) sets the ground rules for participation.
- [AI policy](https://github.com/CairnCMS/cairncms/blob/main/AI_POLICY.md) covers how AI-assisted work is disclosed and reviewed.

CairnCMS is licensed under [GPLv3](https://github.com/CairnCMS/cairncms/blob/main/LICENSE.md).

## Sponsored development and paid support

CairnCMS is sponsored by [Stratelios](https://stratelios.com). Stratelios offers commissioned development and support engagements for teams that need direct help with CairnCMS, such as paid bug fixes, feature work, integrations, or production assistance. Community support through GitHub Discussions and Issues remains the primary path; the Stratelios option exists for teams whose timelines or scope make community channels impractical.