docs: add contributing guide and improve build process

Author: chamren86

.nvmrc

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+18

.vscodeignore

@@ -5,16 +5,21 @@ test/**
 *.test.js
 *.test.ts
 
-# Development files
-node_modules/**
+# Development files (but keep node_modules dependencies)
 .git/**
 .vscode/**
 .vscode-test/**
 scripts/**
 !scripts/*.md
 
-# Build outputs (keep only necessary)
-# Exclude all out/ except specific files
+# Exclude most of node_modules but keep strip-ansi
+node_modules/*
+!node_modules/strip-ansi
+!node_modules/strip-ansi/**/*
+!node_modules/ansi-regex
+!node_modules/ansi-regex/**/*
+
+# Build outputs - include all out files
 out/**
 !out/extension.js
 !out/extension.js.map
@@ -26,8 +31,14 @@ out/**
 !out/privacyCommands.js.map
 !out/terminalHistoryProvider.js
 !out/terminalHistoryProvider.js.map
+!out/constants/**/*.js
+!out/constants/**/*.js.map
+!out/enums/**/*.js
+!out/enums/**/*.js.map
+!out/interfaces/**/*.js
+!out/interfaces/**/*.js.map
 
-# Documentation (keep README and LICENSE)
+# Documentation
 !README.md
 !LICENSE.md
 CHANGELOG.md
@@ -43,4 +54,3 @@ docs/**
 # Binary files
 bin/
 *.vsix
-node_modules/

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+# Contributing to Terminal History Outline
+
+Thank you for your interest in contributing! This guide will help you get started.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- Node.js 18+
+- npm
+- VS Code
+
+## Development Setup
+
+### 1. Clone the repository
+
+git clone https://github.com/chamren86/terminal-history-outline.git
+cd terminal-history-outline
+
+### 2. Install dependencies
+
+npm install
+
+### 3. Build the extension
+
+npm run compile
+
+### 4. Test the extension
+
+# Run all tests
+npm test
+
+# Run quick tests
+npm run test:unit
+
+# Run pre-commit checks
+npm run precommit
+
+### 5. Package the extension
+
+# Package the VSIX
+npm run package
+
+# Or manually
+vsce package
+
+### 6. Install locally
+
+# Install the VSIX
+code --install-extension terminal-history-outline-*.vsix --force
+
+## Project Structure
+
+src/
+├── constants/          # Constants and configuration
+├── enums/              # TypeScript enums
+├── interfaces/         # TypeScript interfaces
+├── test/               # Unit tests
+├── cleaner.ts          # ANSI cleaning
+├── extension.ts        # Extension activation
+├── privacyCommands.ts  # Privacy dashboard
+├── security.ts         # Security module
+└── terminalHistoryProvider.ts # Tree provider
+
+## Common Issues
+
+### "Cannot find package 'strip-ansi'"
+
+Make sure you've run npm install and that strip-ansi is in dependencies in package.json.
+
+### "No data provider registered"
+
+This usually means the constants folder wasn't included. Run npm run compile then vsce package to rebuild.
+
+### Tests failing
+
+Make sure you're using the correct Node.js version (18+) and have installed all dependencies.
+
+## Making Changes
+
+1. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/your-feature
+2. Make your changes
+3. Run tests: npm test
+4. Run pre-commit checks: npm run precommit
+5. Commit: git commit -m "Description of changes"
+6. Push: git push origin feature/your-feature
+7. Create a Pull Request
+
+## Release Process
+
+1. Update version in package.json
+2. Update CHANGELOG.md
+3. Build: npm run compile
+4. Package: vsce package
+5. Create tag: git tag -a vX.X.X -m "Release vX.X.X"
+6. Create release: gh release create vX.X.X --title "vX.X.X" --notes-file RELEASE-NOTES.md terminal-history-outline-X.X.X.vsix
+
+## License
+
+MIT