Below is our guidance for reporting issues, proposing new features, and submitting contributions via Pull Requests (PRs). Our philosophy is to understand the problem and scenarios first, which is why we follow this pattern before work starts.
> 👉 If you have a question, think you've discovered an issue, or would like to propose a new feature, please find/file an issue **BEFORE** starting work to fix/implement it.
When requesting new features or enhancements, providing additional evidence, data, tweets, blog posts, or research is extremely helpful. This information gives context to the scenario that may otherwise be lost.
A quick search before filing an issue could be helpful. It’s likely someone else has found the same problem, and they may even be working on or have already contributed a fix!
To let the team know which issues are important, upvote by clicking the [+😊] button and the 👍 icon on the original issue post. Avoid comments like "+1" or "me too" as they clutter the discussion and make it harder to prioritize requests.
Please comment on our ["Would you like to contribute to PowerToys?"](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/issues/28769) thread to let us know you're interested in working on something before you start. This helps avoid multiple people unexpectedly working on the same thing and ensures everyone is clear on what should be done. It's less work for everyone to establish this up front.
For localization issues, please file an issue to notify our internal localization team, as community PRs for localization aren't accepted. Localization is handled exclusively by the internal Microsoft team.
A key point is for everyone to understand the approach that will be taken. We want to be sure that any work done will be accepted. Larger-scope items will require a spec to outline the approach and allow for discussion. Specs help collaborators consider different solutions, describe feature behavior, and plan for errors. Achieving agreement in a spec before writing code often results in simpler code and less wasted effort.
Once a team member has agreed with your approach, proceed to the "Development" section below. Team members are happy to help review specs and guide them to completion.
Once the team has approved an issue/spec approach, development can proceed. If no developers are immediately available, the spec may be parked and labeled "Help Wanted," ready for a developer to get started. For development opportunities, visit [Issues labeled Help Wanted](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/labels/Help%20Wanted).
Be an active community member! Make helpful contributions by filing bugs, offering suggestions, developing fixes and features, conducting code reviews, and updating documentation.
