diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..44ffb16
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+Contributing
+============
+
+All kinds contributions to Dotbot are greatly appreciated. For someone
+unfamiliar with the code base, the most efficient way to contribute is usually
+to submit a [feature request](#feature-requests) or [bug report](#bug-reports).
+If you want to dive into the source code, you can submit a [patch](#patches) as
+well.
+
+Feature Requests
+----------------
+
+Do you have an idea for an awesome new feature for Dotbot? Please [submit a
+feature request][issue]. It's great to hear about new ideas.
+
+If you are inclined to do so, you're welcome to [fork][fork] Dotbot, work on
+implementing the feature yourself, and submit a patch. In this case, it's
+*highly recommended* that you first [open an issue][issue] describing your
+enhancement to get early feedback on the new feature that you are implementing.
+This will help avoid wasted efforts and ensure that your work is incorporated
+into the code base.
+
+Bug Reports
+-----------
+
+Did something go wrong with Dotbot? Sorry about that! Bug reports are greatly
+appreciated!
+
+When you [submit a bug report][issue], please include relevant information such
+as Dotbot version, operating system, configuration file, error messages, and
+steps to reproduce the bug. The more details you can include, the easier it is
+to find and fix the bug.
+
+Patches
+-------
+
+Before working on substantial changes to the code base, it is *highly
+recommended* that you first [open an issue][issue] describing what you intend
+to work on.
+
+**Patches are generally submitted as pull requests.** Patches are also
+[accepted over email][email].
+
+Any changes to the code base should follow the style and coding conventions
+used in the rest of the project. The version history should be clean, and
+commit messages should be descriptive and [properly
+formatted][commit-messages].
+
+If you have any questions about anything, feel free to [ask][email]!
+
+[issue]: https://github.com/anishathalye/dotbot/issues/new
+[fork]: https://github.com/anishathalye/dotbot/fork
+[email]: mailto:me@anishathalye.com
+[commit-messages]: http://tbaggery.com/2008/04/19/a-note-about-git-commit-messages.html
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 07400a1..bea4bda 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -238,6 +238,12 @@ of the YAML configuration given above. The conventional name for this file is
 ]
 ```
 
+Contributing
+------------
+
+Do you have a feature request, bug report, or patch? Great! See
+[CONTRIBUTING.md][contributing] for information on what you can do about that.
+
 License
 -------
 
@@ -246,5 +252,6 @@ Copyright (c) 2014 Anish Athalye. Released under the MIT License. See
 
 [template]: https://github.com/anishathalye/dotfiles_template
 [git-install]: tools/git-submodule/install
-[license]: LICENSE.md
 [managing-dotfiles-post]: http://www.anishathalye.com/2014/08/03/managing-your-dotfiles/
+[contributing]: CONTRIBUTING.md
+[license]: LICENSE.md