Pull request checklist

Run through this before you click "Create pull request". It is the difference between a PR merged in an hour and one that goes back and forth for three days.

Before you open it

The issue is assigned to me. I commented /claim and a bot assigned it. A PR on an unclaimed issue gets closed.

I am on a branch, not main. git status tells me which.

My branch is named properly — feat/, fix/, or docs/ followed by a short description.

I only changed files this issue is about. git diff --stat upstream/main shows nothing unexpected.

I ran the project and my change works. Not "it should work" — I actually ran it.

Tests pass if the project has them.

No debugging leftovers — no stray print(), console.log(), or commented-out code.

No secrets. No API keys, tokens, passwords, or .env files.

Writing the pull request

The description contains Closes #<number>. This is required. Without it the PR gets closed.

The title says what changed, e.g. "fix: footer link pointed at a page that no longer exists" — not "update" or "changes".

I explained how I tested it. One line is enough: "Opened index.html in Chrome and Firefox at 375px, nav still works".

Screenshots for anything visual, terminal output for anything that runs in a terminal. This is the fastest way to get merged.

I filled in the template rather than deleting it.

What gets a PR rejected

These are marked as spam and do not count

Changing whitespace, commas, or formatting in Markdown and nothing else
Adding your name or a link to a README without being asked to
AI-generated code pasted in without being read, that fails the linter or has no tests
A PR with no linked issue
Duplicating a pull request that is already open
Renaming variables or "improving" code nobody asked to change

These are always welcome

Fixing a real bug, however small
Adding a test that was missing
Rewriting documentation that confused you, so it does not confuse the next person
Improving an unhelpful error message
Accessibility fixes
Telling us our setup instructions are wrong

What happens next

Within 48 hours, a maintainer replies

That is a commitment. If it has been longer, say so in a comment on your pull request — you are not nagging, we dropped the ball.

They may request changes

This is the normal case, not a failure. It happens to people who have been writing code for twenty years. Push another commit to the same branch and the PR updates itself.

It gets merged

Your contribution is now part of the project, permanently, with your name on it.

Then do another one

Keep going. The second one is much easier than the first.