your first open-source contribution in 2026: what to hand the agent, what to keep for yourself

Hacktoberfest 2026 introduced a new approach to open-source contributions, focusing on building new projects with AI rather than simply opening pull requests. While making real contributions is still valuable for new developers, the question has shifted to determining which parts of a project should be handled personally and which can be delegated to an agent.

Environment setup, cloning, installing dependencies, and getting the test suite to pass are tasks best left to an agent, as these are friction points that don't contribute to a developer's growth. Mapping the codebase, including understanding where specific functionalities are handled and which tests cover certain files, is a job best suited for an agent with repository access who can provide answers quickly.

Reproducing bugs is a mechanical process that can be easily accomplished by an agent, while creating a small script or test that demonstrates the failure is crucial. The boring parts of the diff, such as boilerplate, lint fixes, and formatting, should also be handled by the agent. The first draft of the PR description can be provided by the agent, but the final version should be written by the developer.

Choosing the right issue to work on involves reading the entire discussion thread, understanding the project's maintainers, and assessing whether the issue aligns with the project's direction. Understanding the code path your fix will touch is essential, as is writing a test that defends each line of your code. Developers should avoid getting swayed by an agent's suggestions to improve nearby code, as deciding what not to change is equally important to maintainers.

During the review loop, developers should provide answers to maintainers' questions about their approach, rather than relying on the agent to do so. Once a change is requested by a maintainer, developers should make the necessary adjustments themselves, without involving the agent in decision-making. Having basic knowledge of git, such as rebasing on main and handling conflicts, is necessary for managing one's own branch, especially when working late.

To get started, find an issue labeled as "good first issue" or "help wanted" in a project you frequently use, and engage with the project's community by commenting your interest in taking it on. Once approved, the agent can help set up the environment, map the relevant files, and write a failing test. Developers must then run the test, study the code path, and decide on the fix in plain words before writing any code.

After drafting the diff, developers should carefully review each line, remove any out-of-scope changes, and run the tests. Finally, write the PR description yourself, providing details about the problem, the changes made, and the testing process. If the project asks about using AI, disclose this information openly. Understanding when to delegate tasks to an agent and when to handle them personally is crucial for learning and growing as a developer in the open-source community.