Exodus · by Jonas Schneider · 2026-10-15

Open source maintainers: how do you deal with the 'just add this feature' crowd?

I maintain a small tool used by a few thousand people. Most issues are kind, but some read like a support contract I never signed. How do you keep boundaries and not burn out?

79 sparks · 9 comments

Comments

Brave Rider · 2 likes

a clear contributing file and a polite template for 'no'. saves energy

Noé Petit · 2 likes

a templated 'thanks, not planned, PRs welcome' is a gift

Brave Rider · 2 likes

you don't owe anyone a feature. sponsorship = priority maybe

Brave Rider · 2 likes

take breaks. archive threads. nobody dies if the issue sits

Brave Rider · 2 likes

thank you for maintaining something people use. truly

Noé Petit · 2 likes

seconded, it's more appreciated than you think

Brave Rider · 2 likes

if you make it easy to contribute, the right people will help

Noé Petit · 2 likes

saying 'no' kindly is a skill i'm still learning

Brave Rider · 2 likes

same, 5 years in, still hard