Contributing

Contributions happen in crsdk/alpha-sdk-api. The REST server, the OpenAPI specification and this documentation site all live in that one repository, so a change to an endpoint updates the implementation, the contract and the docs in the same commit.

Caution

The Sony Camera Remote SDK cannot be redistributed. It is downloaded separately from Sony after accepting their licence, which is why no build script, package manager or CI job can fetch it for you.

Local setup

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/crsdk/alpha-sdk-api.git

2. Download the Camera Remote SDK from Sony

   Accept the licence on the official Sony download page, then place it with the crsdk CLI — it extracts the SDK into the right layout for you:

   crsdk install --zip /path/to/CrSDK.zip

3. Install build prerequisites

   CMake and a C++ toolchain. JSON is vendored in api/server/third_party/jsoncpp, and OpenSSL was deliberately removed, so there are no other runtime dependencies to install.

4. Build the server

   crsdk build

5. Run it

   ./CameraWebApp

   Then confirm it is alive:

   curl http://localhost:8080/api/server/status

What you must not commit

shared/core/ holds Sony’s stock SDK sample helpers, fetched locally and not tracked here. Never edit them. The REST server’s own device logic is MIT code under api/server/src/device/, and that is where changes belong.

CI enforces this on the public repository: a job fails the build if any SDK source, SDK binary, or compiled artefact is committed.

Pull request checklist

• No Sony SDK files, SDK binaries, build folders, camera media or local credentials are added.
• The OpenAPI contract and the implementation agree — a new endpoint is not done until api/openapi.yaml describes it.
• If api/openapi.yaml changed: the docs under site/src/content/docs/ were updated in the same PR, and crsdk gen:mcp was run and committed (a multi-step tool also gets a hand-written composite in mcp/src/tools/). CI’s spec-docs-sync and mcp jobs enforce this. See the alpha-sdk-sync-artifacts skill.
• The change is backwards-compatible — no removed/renamed/retyped spec elements or tightened validation (or it carries an approved breaking-change plan).
• Unit and static checks pass; relevant end-to-end checks from docs/TESTING.md were run, or skipped with a stated reason.
• Hardware-dependent behaviour lists camera model, firmware, connection mode and SDK version. “Works on my camera” is not a test note.
• Any model-specific claim is backed by the SDK documentation or the camera help guides — not inferred from one body.

Where to go next

Adding camera coverageThe two shapes a new feature takes, and the files each one touches.

Agent skillsRepository skills that drive research, implementation, testing and publishing.