diff --git a/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md b/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md
index e5f4f8f..83f6540 100644
--- a/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -61,6 +61,15 @@ For **significant changes** (new features, architecture changes, large refactors
 
 CI will run the full test suite on your PR.
 
+## Using AI Tools
+
+AI-assisted contributions are welcome. But please **review the output before opening a PR**:
+
+1. **Review the code** — understand what was generated, don't just commit blindly
+2. **Write a PR description** — explain what changed and why
+3. **Rebase on latest `main`** — AI tools often work on stale branches, run `git rebase origin/main` before pushing
+4. **Clean up artifacts** — remove IDE configs (`.idea/`, `.kiro/`), env files, scratch notes, and throwaway test scripts that AI tools leave behind
+
 ## Code Review
 
 This project uses GitHub Copilot for automated code review. If you receive review comments from Copilot on your PR: