diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dfaf7829b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# vue-cli contributing guide
+
+## Issue Reporting Guidelines
+
+- First identify where error is coming from. If it's occuring while running `vue` command then issue is indeed on
+`vue-cli` so please report it here. If error appears when you run one of `npm run` scripts, problem originates
+from a template you're using, [maybe one of the offical ones](https://github.com/vuejs-templates). If so, please
+open an issue on a template repository.
+
+- Try to search for your issue, it may have already been answered or even fixed in the development branch.
+
+## Development Setup
+
+``` bash
+npm install
+bin/vue init <path-to-github-repo OR path-to-local-dir>
+bin/vue list
+```