An Open-Source Maintainer's Guide to Saying No
7 hours ago
- #stewardship
- #project-management
- #open-source
- Maintaining an open-source project involves saying 'no' to good ideas that don't align with the project's vision.
- The success of a project is measured by its coherence and resonance with users, not just the number of features.
- Clear documentation of a project's purpose and philosophy helps attract aligned contributors and maintain focus.
- The rise of LLMs has made code contributions cheaper but often lacks context and alignment with project goals.
- Unsolicited contributions can be valuable but increasingly add noise rather than meaningful improvements.
- Maintainers must consider the long-term responsibility of merging PRs, including potential bugs and maintenance burdens.
- The 'contrib' module in FastMCP allows for useful but non-core functionality without overloading the main project.
- Maintainers' responsiveness has shifted from high engagement to mirroring the effort level of contributors.
- Thoughtful stewardship differentiates utility projects from great ones, preserving the essence of community.
- The MCP Committee exemplifies rigorous philosophical debate to uphold the protocol's purpose and boundaries.