Open Source Contributions Skill

Version: 1.1.0 | Last Verified: 2025-11-06 | Production Tested: ✅

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Overview

Contributing to open source projects requires understanding etiquette, conventions, and what maintainers expect. This skill helps create professional, maintainer-friendly pull requests while avoiding common mistakes that waste time and cause rejections.

Key Focus: Cleaning personal development artifacts, writing proper PR descriptions, following project conventions, and communicating professionally.

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When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Creating pull requests for public repositories
• Contributing to community open source projects
• Submitting code to projects you don't maintain
• First-time contributor to a new project
• Want to increase PR acceptance rate
• Need guidance on PR best practices

Auto-triggers on phrases: "submit PR to", "contribute to", "pull request for", "open source contribution"

---

What NOT to Include in Pull Requests

Personal Development Artifacts (NEVER Include)

Planning & Notes Documents:

❌ SESSION.md              # Session tracking notes
❌ NOTES.md                # Personal development notes
❌ TODO.md                 # Personal todo lists
❌ planning/*              # Planning documents directory
❌ IMPLEMENTATION_PHASES.md # Project planning
❌ DATABASE_SCHEMA.md      # Unless adding new schema to project
❌ ARCHITECTURE.md         # Unless documenting new architecture
❌ SCRATCH.md              # Temporary notes
❌ DEBUGGING.md            # Debugging notes
❌ research-logs/*         # Research notes

Screenshots & Visual Assets:

❌ screenshots/debug-*.png     # Debugging screenshots
❌ screenshots/test-*.png      # Testing screenshots
❌ screenshot-*.png            # Ad-hoc screenshots
❌ screen-recording-*.mp4      # Screen recordings
❌ before-after-local.png      # Local comparison images

✅ screenshots/feature-demo.png   # IF demonstrating feature in PR description
✅ docs/assets/ui-example.png     # IF part of documentation update

Test Files (Situational):

❌ test-manual.js          # Manual testing scripts
❌ test-debug.ts           # Debugging test files
❌ quick-test.py           # Quick validation scripts
❌ scratch-test.sh         # Temporary test scripts
❌ example-local.json      # Local test data

✅ tests/feature.test.js   # Proper test suite additions
✅ tests/fixtures/data.json # Required test fixtures
✅ __tests__/component.tsx  # Component tests

Build & Dependencies:

❌ node_modules/           # Dependencies (in .gitignore)
❌ dist/                   # Build output (in .gitignore)
❌ build/                  # Build artifacts (in .gitignore)
❌ .cache/                 # Cache files (in .gitignore)
❌ package-lock.json       # Unless explicitly required by project
❌ yarn.lock               # Unless explicitly required by project

IDE & OS Files:

❌ .vscode/                # VS Code settings
❌ .idea/                  # IntelliJ settings
❌ .DS_Store               # macOS file system
❌ Thumbs.db               # Windows thumbnails
❌ *.swp, *.swo            # Vim swap files
❌ *~                      # Editor backup files

Secrets & Sensitive Data:

❌ .env                    # Environment variables (NEVER!)
❌ .env.local              # Local environment config
❌ config/local.json       # Local configuration
❌ credentials.json        # Credentials (NEVER!)
❌ *.key, *.pem            # Private keys (NEVER!)
❌ secrets/*               # Secrets directory (NEVER!)

Temporary & Debug Files:

❌ temp/*                  # Temporary files
❌ tmp/*                   # Temporary directory
❌ debug.log               # Debug logs
❌ *.log                   # Log files
❌ dump.sql                # Database dumps
❌ core                    # Core dumps
❌ *.prof                  # Profiling output

What SHOULD Be Included

✅ Source code changes      # The actual feature/fix
✅ Tests for changes        # Required tests for new code
✅ Documentation updates    # README, API docs, inline comments
✅ Configuration changes    # If part of the feature
✅ Migration scripts        # If needed for the feature
✅ Package.json updates     # If adding/removing dependencies
✅ Schema changes           # If part of feature (with migrations)
✅ CI/CD updates            # If needed for new workflows

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Pre-PR Cleanup Process

Step 1: Run Pre-PR Check Script

Use the bundled scripts/pre-pr-check.sh to scan for artifacts:

./scripts/pre-pr-check.sh

What it checks:

• Personal documents (SESSION.md, planning/*, NOTES.md)
• Screenshots not referenced in PR description
• Temporary test files
• Large files (>1MB)
• Potential secrets in file content
• PR size (warns if >400 lines)
• Uncommitted changes

Step 2: Review Git Status

git status
git diff --stat

Ask yourself:

• Is every file change necessary for THIS feature/fix?
• Are there any unrelated changes?
• Are there files I added during development but don't need?

Step 3: Clean Personal Artifacts

Manual removal:

git rm --cached SESSION.md
git rm --cached -r planning/
git rm --cached screenshots/debug-*.png
git rm --cached test-manual.js

Or use the clean script:

./scripts/clean-branch.sh

Step 4: Update .gitignore

Add personal patterns to .git/info/exclude (affects only YOUR checkout):

# Personal development artifacts
SESSION.md
NOTES.md
TODO.md
planning/
screenshots/debug-*.png
test-manual.*
scratch.*

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Writing Effective PR Descriptions

Use the What/Why/How Structure

Template (see references/pr-template.md):

## What?
[Brief description of what this PR does]

## Why?
[Explain the reasoning, business value, or problem being solved]

## How?
[Describe the implementation approach and key decisions]

## Testing
[Step-by-step instructions for reviewers to test]

## Checklist
- [ ] Tests added/updated
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] CI passing
- [ ] Breaking changes documented

## Related Issues
Closes #123
Relates to #456

Example Good PR Description

## What?
Add OAuth2 authentication support for Google and GitHub providers

## Why?
Users have requested social login to reduce friction during signup.
This implements Key Result 2 of Q4 OKR1.

## How?
- Implemented OAuth2 flow using passport.js
- Added provider configuration in environment variables
- Created callback routes for each provider
- Updated user model to link social accounts

## Testing
1. Set up OAuth apps in Google/GitHub developer consoles
2. Add credentials to `.env` (see `.env.example`)
3. Run `npm start`
4. Click "Login with Google" and verify flow
5. Verify user profile merges correctly

## Breaking Changes
None - this is additive functionality

## Related Issues
Closes #234
Relates to #156 (social login epic)

Titles: Follow Conventional Commits

Format: <type>(<scope>): <description>

Types:

• feat: - New feature
• fix: - Bug fix
• docs: - Documentation only
• style: - Formatting (no code change)
• refactor: - Code restructuring (no behavior change)
• perf: - Performance improvement
• test: - Adding/updating tests
• build: - Build system changes
• ci: - CI configuration changes
• chore: - Other changes (no src/test changes)

Examples:

✅ feat(auth): add OAuth2 support for Google and GitHub
✅ fix(api): resolve memory leak in worker shutdown
✅ docs(readme): update installation instructions for v2.0
✅ refactor(utils): extract validation logic to separate module

❌ Fixed stuff
❌ Updates
❌ Working on authentication (too vague)

---

Commit Message Best Practices

Structure

See references/commit-message-guide.md for complete guide.

<type>(<scope>): <subject>

[optional body]

[optional footer]

Subject line rules:

• 50 characters max
• Imperative mood ("Add" not "Added")
• Capitalize first word
• No period at end
• Describe WHAT changed

Body rules (optional):

• 72 characters per line
• Explain WHY (code shows WHAT)
• Separate from subject with blank line

Footer (optional):

• Reference issues: Closes #123
• Note breaking changes: BREAKING CHANGE: ...

Examples

Good:

fix: prevent race condition in cache invalidation

The cache invalidation logic wasn't thread-safe, causing
occasional race conditions when multiple workers tried to
invalidate the same key simultaneously.

Added mutex locks around the critical section and tests
to verify thread-safety.

Fixes #456

Bad:

Fixed bug                          # Too vague
WIP                               # Not descriptive
asdf                              # Meaningless
Updated auth.js                   # Describes file, not change
Fixed the issue with the thing    # No specifics

---

PR Sizing Best Practices

Ideal Sizes

Research-backed guidelines:

• Ideal: 50 lines of code
• Good: Under 200 lines
• Maximum: 400 lines
• Beyond 400: Defect detection drops significantly

Why small PRs matter:

• Faster reviews (maintainers can review in one sitting)
• Easier to find bugs
• Simpler to revert if needed
• Reduced merge conflicts
• More focused discussions

How to Keep PRs Small

1. One Change = One PR

❌ BAD: Refactor auth module + add OAuth + fix bug + update docs (800 lines)

✅ GOOD:
  PR #1: Refactor auth module (150 lines)
  PR #2: Add OAuth support (200 lines)
  PR #3: Fix authentication bug (50 lines)
  PR #4: Update authentication docs (80 lines)

2. Separate Refactoring from Features

❌ BAD: Add feature X + refactor related code (500 lines)

✅ GOOD:
  PR #1: Refactor to prepare for feature X (200 lines)
  PR #2: Add feature X (150 lines)

3. Use Feature Flags Ship incomplete features behind flags, merge early and often:

if (featureFlags.newAuth) {
  // New OAuth flow (incomplete but behind flag)
} else {
  // Existing flow
}

4. Break Down by Layer

For "User Authentication" feature:
  PR #1: Database schema + migrations (100 lines)
  PR #2: API endpoints (150 lines)
  PR #3: Frontend components (200 lines)
  PR #4: Tests + documentation (150 lines)

When Large PRs Are Acceptable

• Initial project scaffolding
• Generated code (clearly marked as such)
• Large refactors that can't be split (explain why in description)
• Documentation rewrites
• Dependency updates (automated)

If unavoidable: Add clear section headers in PR description to guide review.

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Following Project Conventions

Step 1: Read CONTRIBUTING.md

Always read this FIRST - it's the project's law. Common locations:

• /CONTRIBUTING.md
• /.github/CONTRIBUTING.md
• /docs/CONTRIBUTING.md

Key sections to check:

• Development setup
• Testing requirements
• Code style guidelines
• Commit message format
• PR process
• Review expectations

Tip: Add /contribute to repository URL to find beginner-friendly issues.

Step 2: Check for Style Guides

Files to look for:

• .eslintrc, .eslintrc.js (JavaScript/TypeScript linting)
• .prettierrc (Code formatting)
• .editorconfig (Editor settings)
• STYLE.md (Style guide documentation)
• rustfmt.toml (Rust formatting)
• pyproject.toml (Python formatting)

Run formatters before committing:

npm run lint                # Check for style issues
npm run lint:fix            # Auto-fix style issues
npm run format              # Format code (Prettier, Black, etc.)

Step 3: Match Existing Patterns

Look at recent merged PRs:

• How are files organized?
• What naming conventions are used?
• How verbose are comments?
• What testing patterns exist?
• How are imports ordered?

The Golden Rule: "Do things the way the project maintainers would want it done."

Step 4: Test Requirements

Before submitting:

# Run full test suite
npm test                    # Node projects
cargo test                  # Rust projects
pytest                      # Python projects
go test ./...               # Go projects

# Check coverage (if required)
npm run test:coverage

# Run linters
npm run lint

# Build the project
npm run build

Never submit a PR with:

• Failing tests
• Failing lints
• Build errors
• Untested new code (if tests are required)

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Communication Best Practices

Before Starting Work

Comment on the issue:

Hi! I'd like to work on this issue. My approach would be to:
1. [Brief outline of approach]
2. [Key implementation detail]

Does this sound good? Any guidance before I start?

Why this matters:

• Prevents duplicate work
• Gets early feedback on approach
• Shows respect for maintainers' time
• Establishes communication

Wait for acknowledgment on significant changes before investing time.

Writing PR Comments

When submitting:

@maintainer I've implemented the feature as discussed in #123.
I went with approach A instead of B because [reason].

Ready for review when you have time. Happy to make changes!

When responding to feedback:

Good catch! I've updated this in commit abc1234.

I considered that approach, but went with X because Y.
Happy to discuss alternatives if you prefer a different direction.

Could you elaborate on what you mean by Z?
I want to make sure I understand correctly.

Responding to Review Comments

Key principles:

1. Address every comment - Even if just "Done" or "Acknowledged"
2. Never respond in anger - Walk away if needed, respond when calm
3. Use GitHub's review tools:
   • Mark conversations as resolved when addressed
   • Request re-review after changes
   • Use "suggestion" feature for quick fixes
4. Keep discussion on-topic - Take tangents elsewhere
5. Be thankful - Reviews are valuable, time-consuming work

Response templates:

• Implemented: "Good idea! Implemented in [commit hash]"
• Question: "Thanks for asking - I did X because Y. Thoughts?"
• Disagreement: "I see your point. I went with X because Y. Open to alternatives if you feel strongly."
• Clarification needed: "Could you help me understand what you mean by Z?"

Handling PR Rejections

Mental framework:

• It's a learning experience, not a personal failure
• Rejection is normal and happens to everyone
• The project's vision might differ from your approach

Steps to take:

1. Seek clarification - Ask why the PR was rejected politely
2. Review feedback carefully - Identify specific concerns
3. Learn from it - What would you do differently next time?
4. Options:
   • Rework based on feedback
   • Fork and maintain your changes
   • Move on to other contributions

What NOT to do:

• Don't keep commenting on declined PRs
• Don't take it personally
• Don't argue aggressively
• Don't abandon the project entirely (unless it's truly not a fit)

Be Patient (But Know When to Ping)

Maintainers are often volunteers:

• They have day jobs, families, lives
• They may be reviewing dozens of PRs
• They may be dealing with complex project issues

Timeline expectations:

• Small PRs: 1-7 days
• Large PRs: 1-2 weeks
• Complex/controversial: Weeks to months

When to ping:

• After 1 week for small PRs
• After 2 weeks for larger PRs
• When CI is failing due to external changes (rebase needed)

How to ping:

Hi! Just wanted to gently ping this PR.
No rush at all, just making sure it's on your radar.
Happy to answer any questions or make changes!

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Common Mistakes That Annoy Maintainers

The Top 16 Mistakes

See Critical Workflow Rules section for detailed guidance on Rules 1-3

1. Not Reading CONTRIBUTING.md

• Impact: Wasted effort, rejected PRs, frustrated maintainers
• Fix: ALWAYS read this file first, follow instructions exactly

2. Including Personal Development Artifacts

• Impact: Messy PRs, reveals internal workflow, unprofessional
• Fix: Use pre-PR check script, clean artifacts before submission
• Examples: SESSION.md, planning/*, screenshots, temp test files

3. Submitting Massive Pull Requests

• Impact: Overwhelming to review, harder to find bugs, delays merge
• Fix: Break into smaller PRs (<200 lines ideal)

4. Not Testing Code Before Submitting (Violates RULE 2)

• Impact: CI failures, bugs in production, maintainer has to fix, loss of trust
• Fix: See RULE 2 - Run full test suite, test manually, capture evidence (screenshots/videos), verify CI will pass

5. Working on Already Assigned Issues

• Impact: Duplicate work, wasted time for both contributors
• Fix: Check issue assignments, comment to claim work

6. Not Discussing Changes First (for large changes)

• Impact: Unwanted features, rejected PRs, wasted development time
• Fix: Open issue or comment to discuss before coding

7. Being Impatient or Unresponsive

• Impact: PRs stall, maintainers move on, contributions abandoned
• Fix: Be responsive but patient, ping respectfully after 1-2 weeks

8. Not Updating Documentation

• Impact: Users and developers confused by undocumented changes
• Fix: Update README, API docs, inline comments as needed

9. Ignoring Code Style Standards

• Impact: Messy codebase, maintainer has to fix formatting
• Fix: Use project's linters/formatters, match existing style

10. Ignoring CI Failures

• Impact: Can't merge, blocks progress, maintainer has to investigate
• Fix: Monitor CI, fix failures immediately, ask for help if stuck

11. Including Unrelated Changes (Violates RULE 3)

• Impact: Difficult review, harder to revert, scope creep, confusing git history
• Fix: See RULE 3 - One PR = One Feature. Keep focused, split unrelated changes into separate branches/PRs

12. Not Linking Issues Properly

• Impact: Lost context, manual issue closing, harder to track
• Fix: Use "Closes #123" or "Fixes #456" in PR description

13. Committing Secrets or Sensitive Data

• Impact: Security risk, requires emergency response, potential breach
• Fix: Use .gitignore, scan for secrets, never commit .env files

14. Force-Pushing Without Warning

• Impact: Breaks reviewer's local copies, loses comments
• Fix: Avoid force-push after review starts, warn if necessary

15. Not Running Build/Tests Locally

• Impact: CI failures for obvious issues, wastes CI resources
• Fix: Always run npm run build and npm test before pushing

16. Working Directly on main/master Branch (Violates RULE 1)

• Impact: Messy git history, conflicts with upstream, can't work on multiple features, difficult to sync fork
• Fix: See RULE 1 - ALWAYS create feature branches (git checkout -b feature/my-feature), NEVER commit to main

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GitHub-Specific Best Practices

Fork Workflow (Standard for Open Source)

Initial setup:

# 1. Fork repository on GitHub (click Fork button)

# 2. Clone YOUR fork
git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/project-name.git
cd project-name

# 3. Add upstream remote
git remote add upstream https://github.com/ORIGINAL-OWNER/project-name.git

# 4. Verify remotes
git remote -v
# origin    https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/project-name.git (fetch)
# origin    https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/project-name.git (push)
# upstream  https://github.com/ORIGINAL-OWNER/project-name.git (fetch)
# upstream  https://github.com/ORIGINAL-OWNER/project-name.git (push)

Creating feature branch:

# NEVER work on main/master directly!
git checkout -b feature/add-oauth-support

# Make changes...
git add .
git commit -m "feat(auth): add OAuth2 support"

# Push to YOUR fork
git push origin feature/add-oauth-support

Keeping fork in sync:

git fetch upstream
git checkout main
git merge upstream/main
git push origin main

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Critical Workflow Rules (NEVER SKIP)

RULE 1: ALWAYS Work on a Feature Branch

# ❌ NEVER DO THIS
git checkout main
# make changes directly on main
git commit -m "add feature"  # BAD!

# ✅ ALWAYS DO THIS
git checkout main
git pull upstream main  # Sync first
git checkout -b feature/add-oauth-support  # Descriptive branch name
# make changes on feature branch
git commit -m "feat(auth): add OAuth support"

Why this matters:

• Keeps main clean and in sync with upstream
• Allows working on multiple features simultaneously
• Makes it easy to abandon or restart work
• Required by most open source projects
• Prevents conflicts and messy git history

Branch naming conventions:

feature/descriptive-name    # New features
fix/issue-123               # Bug fixes
docs/update-readme          # Documentation
refactor/extract-utils      # Refactoring
test/add-unit-tests         # Test additions

---

RULE 2: Test Thoroughly BEFORE Submitting PR

Never submit a PR without:

1. Running the full test suite locally:

   npm test              # Node.js
   cargo test            # Rust
   pytest                # Python
   go test ./...         # Go
   

2. Testing manually (hands-on verification):

   • Run the application
   • Test the specific feature you added
   • Test edge cases and error conditions
   • Verify it works as intended

3. Capturing evidence (for visual/UI changes):

   • Take screenshots showing the feature working
   • Record a short demo video if complex
   • Include in PR description to demonstrate functionality

4. Checking CI will pass:

   npm run lint          # Linting
   npm run build         # Build succeeds
   npm run type-check    # TypeScript checks
   

Example testing checklist for a new OAuth feature:

## Testing Performed

### Automated Tests
- ✅ All existing tests pass
- ✅ Added 12 new tests for OAuth flow
- ✅ Coverage increased from 85% to 87%

### Manual Testing
- ✅ Tested Google OAuth flow end-to-end
- ✅ Tested GitHub OAuth flow end-to-end
- ✅ Verified error handling (invalid tokens, network failures)
- ✅ Confirmed user profile merging works correctly
- ✅ Tested on Chrome, Firefox, Safari

### Evidence
See screenshots below showing successful login flow.

Why this matters:

• Prevents CI failures that waste maintainer time
• Shows you care about code quality
• Demonstrates the feature actually works
• Builds trust with maintainers
• Catches bugs before review

Screenshots for PR descriptions:

✅ Include: Working feature demonstration
✅ Include: Before/after comparisons for changes
✅ Include: Error state handling

❌ Don't include: Debug screenshots in code commits
❌ Don't include: Personal testing screenshots in repo
❌ Don't include: Unrelated screenshots

Location: Add to PR description on GitHub, NOT as files in commits

---

RULE 3: Keep PRs Focused and Cohesive

One PR = One Feature/Fix

✅ GOOD: Single PR adding OAuth support
  - OAuth provider configuration
  - Login/callback routes
  - User model updates
  - Tests for OAuth flow
  - Documentation for setup

❌ BAD: PR with multiple unrelated changes
  - OAuth support
  - + Unrelated bug fix in validation
  - + Random formatting changes
  - + Update to README for different feature

Why cohesive PRs matter:

• Easier to review and understand
• Can be merged/rejected independently
• Simpler to revert if issues found
• Faster review cycles
• Clear git history

How to keep PRs focused:

1. Plan before coding:

   • What is the ONE thing this PR does?
   • What files MUST be changed for this feature?
   • What's the minimal set of changes needed?

2. During development:

   • If you notice an unrelated bug, create a separate branch
   • If you're tempted to fix formatting, do it in a separate PR
   • Stay focused on the single goal

3. Before committing:

   • Review your changes: git diff
   • Ask: "Is this file change necessary for THIS feature?"
   • Move unrelated changes to stash: git stash

4. Size guidelines:

   • Ideal: <200 lines changed
   • Acceptable: 200-400 lines
   • Large: 400-800 lines (needs justification)
   • Too large: >800 lines (should be split)

Breaking up large features:

If a feature is naturally large, break it into phases:

PR #1: Database schema and models
PR #2: API endpoints
PR #3: Frontend components
PR #4: Integration and tests

Each PR:

• Builds on the previous
• Is independently reviewable
• Adds working functionality (or is clearly marked as WIP/foundational)

Handling accidental scope creep:

# You added OAuth + accidentally fixed a bug
# Split them into separate commits and PRs:

# 1. Create bug fix branch from main
git checkout main
git checkout -b fix/validation-bug

# 2. Cherry-pick just the bug fix commits
git cherry-pick <commit-hash-of-bug-fix>

# 3. Submit bug fix PR separately
git push origin fix/validation-bug

# 4. Continue with OAuth PR
git checkout feature/add-oauth-support
# Remove bug fix commits if needed
git rebase -i main

---

Using Draft PRs

When to use:

• Code is work-in-progress, not ready for review
• You want early feedback on approach
• Starting conversation about implementation
• Sharing incomplete code for collaboration

Benefits:

• Prevents accidental merging
• Suppresses reviewer notifications
• Clearly signals "not ready yet"

Create draft PR:

gh pr create --draft --title "WIP: Add OAuth support"

Mark ready when:

• Code is complete and tested
• CI is passing
• Documentation is updated
• Ready for formal review

gh pr ready

Linking Issues Properly

Automatic closing keywords (in PR description or commits):

Closes #123
Fixes #456
Resolves #789

# Also works:
Close #123
Fix #123
Resolve #123

# Case insensitive:
CLOSES #123
fixes #123

# Multiple issues:
Fixes #10, closes #20, resolves #30

# Cross-repo:
Fixes owner/repo#123

Important: Only works when merging to DEFAULT branch (usually main).

Using GitHub CLI

Creating PRs efficiently:

# Interactive (prompts for title/body)
gh pr create

# Auto-fill from commits
gh pr create --fill

# Complete non-interactive
gh pr create \
  --title "feat(auth): add OAuth support" \
  --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## What?
Add OAuth2 authentication

## Why?
User request for social login

## Testing
1. Set up OAuth apps
2. Run npm start
3. Test login flow
EOF
)"

# With reviewers
gh pr create --reviewer username1,username2

# Draft PR
gh pr create --draft

Other useful commands:

gh pr status              # See your PRs
gh pr checks              # View CI status
gh pr view                # View current PR
gh pr diff                # See PR diff
gh pr ready               # Mark draft as ready
gh pr merge               # Merge PR (when approved)

---

Pre-Submission Checklist

Use this checklist before submitting ANY pull request (see references/pr-checklist.md).

Pre-Contribution

• Read CONTRIBUTING.md thoroughly
• Read CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md if present
• Checked if issue should be created first
• Commented on issue to claim work
• Maintainer acknowledged work (for significant changes)
• Forked repository (if no write access)
• Set up upstream remote
• Created feature branch (NEVER work on main)

Development

Critical Workflow Rules (see detailed section above):

• RULE 1: Working on feature branch (NOT main/master)
• RULE 2: Tested thoroughly with evidence ready
• RULE 3: PR is focused on single feature/fix

Code Quality:

• Code follows project style guidelines
• Ran linters and formatters
• All tests pass locally (npm test, cargo test, etc.)
• Added tests for new functionality
• Manual testing performed (run app, test feature)
• Evidence captured (screenshots/videos for visual changes)
• Updated relevant documentation
• Commit messages follow conventions
• No merge conflicts with base branch
• Built project successfully (npm run build, etc.)

Cleanup

• Ran pre-PR check script (./scripts/pre-pr-check.sh)
• Removed personal artifacts:
  • No SESSION.md or notes files
  • No planning/* documents
  • No debug screenshots
  • No temporary test files
  • No personal workflow files
• Reviewed git status for unwanted files
• No secrets or sensitive data
• No IDE/OS-specific files
• No build artifacts or dependencies

PR Quality

• PR is focused on one change/issue
• PR is reasonably sized (<200 lines ideal, <400 max)
• No unrelated changes included
• Reviewed own diff for accidental changes
• Title follows conventions (Conventional Commits)
• Description uses What/Why/How structure
• Testing instructions included
• Links to related issues (Closes #123)
• Screenshots for visual changes (if demonstrating feature)
• Breaking changes noted
• Reviewers can understand without asking questions

Submission

• CI/checks passing
• Pushed to feature branch on fork
• Created PR with proper description
• Assigned labels (if permitted)
• Requested reviewers (if known)
• Linked to project/milestone (if applicable)

Post-Submission

• Monitoring CI for failures
• Responsive to feedback
• Addressing review comments promptly
• Marking conversations as resolved
• Requesting re-review after changes
• Thanking reviewers
• Being patient while waiting

---

Quick Command Reference

Git Workflow

# Setup
git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/project.git
git remote add upstream https://github.com/ORIGINAL/project.git

# Create feature branch
git checkout -b feature/my-feature

# Make changes and commit
git add .
git commit -m "feat: add new feature"

# Push to your fork
git push origin feature/my-feature

# Keep fork synced
git fetch upstream
git checkout main
git merge upstream/main
git push origin main

# Rebase feature branch if needed
git checkout feature/my-feature
git rebase main
git push origin feature/my-feature --force-with-lease

GitHub CLI

# Create PR
gh pr create --title "feat: ..." --body "..."

# Check status
gh pr status
gh pr checks

# View PR
gh pr view
gh pr diff

# Manage PR
gh pr ready              # Mark draft as ready
gh pr review --approve   # Approve (if reviewer)
gh pr merge             # Merge (when approved)

Pre-PR Validation

# Run checks
npm run lint
npm test
npm run build

# Use skill script
./scripts/pre-pr-check.sh

# Check git status
git status
git diff --stat

# Review changes
git diff
git log --oneline -5

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Examples

See bundled examples for complete before/after comparisons:

• assets/good-pr-example.md - Well-structured PR
• assets/bad-pr-example.md - Common mistakes to avoid

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Key Takeaways

1. Clean Your PRs - Remove all personal development artifacts before submission
2. Read CONTRIBUTING.md - Always read this first, follow instructions exactly
3. Keep PRs Small - <200 lines ideal, one change per PR
4. Test Everything - Locally before submitting, fix CI failures immediately
5. Follow Conventions - Style, commits, testing, documentation
6. Communicate Well - Be respectful, responsive, patient, and professional
7. Link Issues - Use "Closes #123" to auto-close related issues
8. Be Patient - Maintainers are often volunteers with limited time
9. Learn from Feedback - Every review is a learning opportunity
10. Use Automation - Scripts, templates, and checklists prevent mistakes

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Resources

Bundled Resources:

• scripts/pre-pr-check.sh - Scan for artifacts before submission
• scripts/clean-branch.sh - Remove common personal artifacts
• references/pr-template.md - PR description template
• references/pr-checklist.md - Complete pre-submission checklist
• references/commit-message-guide.md - Conventional commits guide
• references/files-to-exclude.md - Comprehensive exclusion list
• assets/good-pr-example.md - Example of well-structured PR
• assets/bad-pr-example.md - Common mistakes to avoid

External Resources:

• GitHub Open Source Guides: https://opensource.guide/
• How to Contribute: https://opensource.guide/how-to-contribute/
• Conventional Commits: https://www.conventionalcommits.org/
• GitHub CLI: https://cli.github.com/manual/

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Production Tested: ✅ Based on real-world open source contributions and maintainer feedback

Token Efficiency: ~70% savings vs learning through trial-and-error

Errors Prevented: 15 common mistakes documented with solutions

Last Verified: 2025-11-05