Contributing Writeups

This guide explains how to create, preview, and submit writeups for the NC3 CTF repository.

Quick Start

  1. Generate a new writeup template
  2. Write your solution
  3. Preview locally with Hugo
  4. Submit via Pull Request

Step 1: Create a New Writeup

Use the provided script to generate a properly formatted writeup template:

./generate-writeup.sh

You’ll be prompted for:

The script will create a structured directory under <category>/<year>/<challenge-name>/ with an index.md template.

Example

Title of the Challenge: SantaShield Part 1
Category of the Challenge: Boot2Root
Date of Completion (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS+ZZ:ZZ) [Default: current date]: 

Writeup template created at ./boot2root/2025/santashield-part-1/index.md

Step 2: Write Your Writeup

Edit the generated index.md file and fill in the sections:

## Challenge Name:
[Your challenge name]

## Category:
[Category]

## Challenge Description:
[Describe the challenge objectives and context]

## Approach
[Detail your solution methodology, tools used, and key findings]

## Flag
[Include the captured flag]

## Reflections and Learnings
[Share insights, mistakes, and defensive takeaways]

Best Practices

Refer to .github/copilot-instructions.md for full formatting standards.

Step 3: Commit Your Changes

Once your writeup is complete, commit it to a new branch:

# Create a new branch for your writeup
git checkout -b 2025-add-<challenge-name>

# Stage your changes
git add <category>/<year>/<challenge-name>/

# Commit with a descriptive message
git commit -m "Add writeup for <challenge-name>"

# Push to GitHub
git push origin 2025-add-<challenge-name>

Step 4: Preview Your Writeup Locally with Hugo

To see how your writeup will appear on the published blog, you need to run the Hugo site locally.

Prerequisites

Clone the Blog Repository

The blog is hosted in a separate repository that uses this CTF-NC3 repo as a Git submodule:

# Clone the blog repository
git clone https://github.com/onero/aCTF-Writeup.git
cd aCTF-Writeup

Check Out Your Branch in the Submodule

The NC3/ folder inside the blog repo is a Git submodule pointing to this repository. You need to check out your feature branch to preview your new writeup:

# Initialize and update the submodule
git submodule update --init --recursive

# Navigate into the NC3 submodule
cd content/NC3

# Check out your feature branch
git fetch origin
git checkout 2025-add-<challenge-name>

# Return to the blog root
cd ../..

Serve the Hugo Site

Now you can run Hugo’s built-in development server:

hugo server -D

Open your browser and navigate to:

http://localhost:1313

Your writeup should now be visible in the blog! Hugo will automatically reload when you make changes to the markdown files.

Making Changes

If you need to edit your writeup:

  1. Edit the file in content/NC3/<category>/<year>/<challenge-name>/index.md
  2. Save the file
  3. Hugo will auto-reload the preview in your browser
  4. Commit changes as needed:
cd content/NC3
git add .
git commit -m "Update writeup with additional details"
git push origin 2025-add-<challenge-name>

Step 5: Submit a Pull Request

Once you’re satisfied with your writeup:

  1. Go to GitHub: Navigate to https://github.com/onero/CTF-NC3
  2. Open a Pull Request: From your feature branch to master
  3. Add details: Describe the challenge and your approach in the PR description
  4. Request review: Tag team members for review
  5. Address feedback: Make any requested changes
  6. Merge: Once approved, your writeup will be merged and published!

Troubleshooting

Hugo Submodule Not Updating

If your changes aren’t appearing:

cd content/NC3
git fetch origin
git checkout 2025-add-<challenge-name>
git pull origin 2025-add-<challenge-name>

Port Already in Use

If port 1313 is occupied:

hugo server -D -p 1314

Images Not Displaying

Ensure images are in the images/ folder relative to your index.md:

boot2root/2025/santashield/
  ├── index.md
  └── images/
      └── screenshot.png

Reference them as:

![Screenshot](images/screenshot.png)

Need Help?

Happy hacking! 🎄🔐