Best Practices - must read
If you're contributing to open source through OnlyDust, here's how to do it right -for maintainers, for the community, and for your own learning.
1. Pick a project that you care about
Choose a project that interests you technically or helps you grow. You'll stick with it longer, do better work, and get better feedback.
2. Start with the Docs and Issues
Before touching any code:
Read the README, contribution guidelines, and setup instructions
This may sound like a no brainer, but READ THE ISSUE before saying that you can work on it. Pick issues that fit your skills or else you're wasting everyone's time.
Ask questions if something’s unclear. Maintainers appreciate it when you check before diving in
3. Communicate, communicate, communicate
Super important. It's collaborative work. Always keep maintainers and the community up to date with where things are at:
Comment on the issue you’re picking up
Open a draft PR early if possible - helps maintainers follow your thinking
If you get blocked or need more time, say so
If you stop working on something, let others know
4. Use AI Responsibly
AI can definitely boost your productivity - but you’re still responsible for what you submit. Don't abuse it.
Good uses of AI (to help out):
Exploring unfamiliar frameworks or tools
Generating boilerplate, test scaffolding, or starter code
Summarizing large files or docstrings
Reviewing PRs for structure and clarity
Not acceptable:
Copy-pasting AI output without reviewing or testing
Submitting work you don’t fully understand
Generating meaningless or bloated PRs for visibility
Maintainers and other devs will notice when work is AI-generated and low-quality. It's tiresome and just overall reflects badly upon you.
5. Quality > Quantity
One well-crafted PR beats five rushed ones
Stick to the repo’s conventions
Add tests when it makes sense
Write good commit messages
Keep your changes scoped and purposeful
Remember that you’re contributing to something others rely on!
6. Link your PR to an issue (why it's important)
When you’re working on an issue, always link your pull request to it. This helps maintainers track progress, understand context, and close things cleanly once your work is merged.
In your PR description, include:
Fixes #123or
Closes #123Where 123 is the issue number.
You can also use:
Resolves #...Related to #...(if it’s not directly solving the issue)
Once your PR is merged, GitHub will automatically close the linked issue
Bonus tip: Add a short description of what the PR does and why it matters. Maintainers appreciate the context.
7. Be a Good Teammate
Respect that many maintainers are volunteers
Stay open to feedback
Help onboard others when you can
Be clear, direct, and kind in all communication
8. Track Your Work During OSS Waves
If you’re contributing during an OSS Wave, you have 10 days to push your work. Even if it’s not done, submit a draft PR by Day 10 so the maintainer can see what you’ve been working on. They'll have two extra days to review.
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