Finding an open-source project to contribute to is hard — finding one where you can actually contribute code is even harder. I learned this firsthand after making a small enhancement to minima. My simple PR, which aligned navigation items on mobile and small devices, was only a few lines long — but it marked my very first code contribution to an established project.

There are plenty of repositories labeled as beginner-friendly, and platforms like First Contributions and For Good First Issue make it easier to find them. But the truth is, good-first-issue is a subjective label — what seems easy to a project maintainer might not be so simple for a newcomer.

Here’s the thing: most developers, myself included, write code before writing documentation — because it’s nearly impossible to do it the other way around. This means maintainers have an intimate understanding of their codebases, while newcomers are often left trying to piece things together. Tasks that seem trivial to seasoned contributors can feel overwhelming to first-timers. As a result, issues marked as good-first-issue often aren’t quite as good or first as they appear. Many new contributors end up sticking to minor documentation edits or typo fixes — or giving up altogether.

So, what’s the best way to make your first open-source code contribution? Here’s what I’ve learned:

  1. Use open-source software — get familiar with the projects you actually use.
  2. Notice bugs or rough edges — the smaller, the better.
  3. Fix and contribute — if you can, submit your solution as a pull request.