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Choose an open-source project that matters to you, offers a task you can realistically take on, and makes its contribution process understandable. Before you invest time, check its recent activity, maintainer communication, onboarding instructions, license, community norms, and the current details of one specific task.
Start with a project you care about
A project you use, or whose problem area interests you, gives you a reason to understand how it works and notice where help could be useful. Contributions are not limited to code: depending on the project, documentation, testing, issue triage, and other work may also be welcome. The Open Source Guides’ contribution guidance recommends learning how a project works before contributing.
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Check whether the work fits your skills and goals
Look for a task whose programming language, tools, scope, and expected result are within reach. A first contribution can still stretch your skills, but it should be clear enough that you can understand what success looks like and how much time it may require. GitHub’s guide to contributing to a project emphasizes learning the repository’s conventions and requirements before you submit work.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteAssess activity and maintainer communication
Review recent commits, issues, and pull requests. Look for substantive maintainer responses: explanations of decisions, answers to questions, and signs that contributors can understand the next step. Activity and responsiveness are useful indicators, not guarantees that your contribution will be accepted or that the project will remain maintained.
#1 Best Overall
A 2019 research paper reported that 95% of respondents to the 2017 GitHub Open Source Survey rated maintainer responsiveness important or very important when deciding whether to contribute. That figure describes the 2017 survey, not a current poll; it is useful context for why communication is worth checking, not a universal rule about every contributor.
Read the contribution instructions before choosing a task
Start with the README and any contribution guide. Check whether they explain how to set up the project, run tests, follow formatting or style conventions, and submit a pull request. GitHub documents contribution instructions and repository templates as ways projects can explain their process in its guidance on default community health files.
If important setup or review expectations are missing, consider whether you can get clarification before beginning. Unclear instructions can turn a seemingly small task into a frustrating one.
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Confirm that the repository identifies an open-source license, then look for any contributor agreement or certification the project asks contributors to accept. The Open Source Guides explain the role of licensing in their guide to the legal aspects of open source. A license is not, by itself, legal advice about a particular use or contribution; seek qualified advice if you need a legal interpretation.
Rank #3
- Used Book in Good Condition
Pick a specific, current task
Labels such as good first issue and help wanted can help surface possible work, but they are only starting points. Read the whole issue and its latest comments. Verify that it is still open, that the scope is clear, and that nobody has already claimed or completed the work. GitHub’s contribution guide recommends checking with maintainers when no newcomer label is available to confirm that a planned change fits the project’s goals.
If the issue leaves key expectations uncertain, ask a focused question before writing code or preparing other work. A quick clarification can prevent effort on a solution the project does not want.
Consider the community and its norms
Read issue and pull-request conversations, communication guidance, and the code of conduct, if the project has one. The Open Source Guides recommend understanding a project’s community and how it works before contributing. Decide whether its communication expectations and any contribution terms feel workable for you.
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Apply these questions to each project you are considering rather than choosing on popularity alone:
Best Value
- Personal relevance: Would you use the software, care about its purpose, or want to learn its subject area?
- Task fit: Is there a current, clearly scoped task that matches your skills and available time?
- Onboarding: Can you find the setup, testing, conventions, and review steps in the project materials?
- Visible maintenance and response: Do recent commits and issue or pull-request discussions show meaningful maintainer engagement?
- Community fit: Do the communication norms and contribution terms work for you?
There is no established universal score or star-count threshold for selecting a project. A smaller project with a clear task and workable contribution path may be a better first choice than a famous one where the work is difficult to understand. Repository activity, issue status, labels, and instructions change, so verify the current state before committing to a task.
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