github-issues

---
name: github-issues
description: GitHub issue comment guidelines for community interaction. Use when the user says "respond to this issue", "reply to this bug report", "close this issue", or when responding to GitHub issues, bug reports, feature requests, or any GitHub discussion.
metadata:
  author: epicenter
  version: '1.0'
---

# GitHub Issue & PR Comment Guidelines

## When to Apply This Skill

Use this pattern when you need to:

- Reply to GitHub issues, PR threads, or feature/bug discussions.
- Write acknowledgments, follow-up questions, and troubleshooting replies.
- Announce fixes with clear credit and community-friendly tone.
- Offer direct debugging help with scheduling links when needed.
- Avoid over-structured, corporate-style comment responses.

## Anti-Patterns (Avoid These)

- **Over-structured responses**: Don't use headers, numbered sections, or bullet lists for simple replies. A conversational paragraph is usually better.
- **Formulaic openings**: Don't start every comment identically. Match the tone to the conversation.
- **Restating what's obvious**: If someone asked a question, just answer it. Don't recap what they said.
- **Corporate announcements**: "We are pleased to announce..." — just say what changed.

Follow [writing-voice](../writing-voice/SKILL.md) for tone.

Follow [writing-voice](../writing-voice/SKILL.md) for tone.

## Opening Pattern

Always start with a personal greeting using the user's GitHub handle:

- "Hey @username, thank you for the issue"
- "Hey everyone, thanks for the notice!"
- "Hey all, thanks for the issue!"

## Core Elements

### 1. Acknowledgment

- Start by acknowledging their issue/contribution
- Express empathy for problems: "sorry to hear this!", "sorry to hear your shortcut was lost!"
- Apologize for delays: "I apologize for the delayed response"

### 2. Good News Delivery

When announcing features or fixes:

- "good news!" or "Good news!"
- Add celebration emoji sparingly
- Credit contributors: "Thank you for the inspiration" or "Thank you and @user1 and @user2 for the inspiration"

### 3. Debugging Offers

For complex issues, offer direct help:

- "If you have time, I would love to hop on a call with you, and we can debug this together"
- "Let's hop on a call sometime in the coming days, and I'll debug it with you"
- Always include cal.com link: "https://cal.com/epicenter/whispering"
- Add availability: "I'm free as early as tomorrow"

### 4. Discord Promotion

When appropriate, mention Discord:

- "PS: I've also recently created a Discord group, and I'd love for you to join! You can ping me directly for more features."
- Include link: "https://go.epicenter.so/discord"

### 5. Follow-up Questions

Ask clarifying questions to understand the issue better:

- "To clarify, could you confirm that this issue persists even with the latest v7.1.0 installer?"
- "Did you ever get a popup to grant permission to access recording devices?"
- "Does this happen when you make recordings for more than 4 seconds?"

### 6. Closing

End with gratitude:

- "Thank you!"
- "Thanks again!"
- "Thank you again for your help and will be taking a look!"
- "My pleasure!" (when thanked)

## Response Examples

### Feature Implementation Response

```
Hey @username, thank you for the issue, and good news! [Whispering v7.1.0](link) now includes the [feature]! Thank you for the inspiration.

[Brief description of how it works]

PS: I've also recently created a Discord group, and I'd love for you to join! You can ping me directly for more features.

https://go.epicenter.so/discord
```

### Debugging Response

```
Hey @username, so sorry to hear this! I apologize for the delayed response; I was finalizing [the latest release v7.1.0](link).

To clarify, could you confirm that this issue persists even with the latest v7.1.0 installer?

If you have time, I would love to hop on a call with you, and we can debug this together. You can book a meeting with me using my cal.com link right here, I'm free as early as tomorrow:

https://cal.com/epicenter/whispering

Thank you!
```

### Quick Acknowledgment

```
Hey @username, sorry to hear [problem]! Did you ever get a fix?
```

### PR Discussion (back-and-forth)

```
Good catch! Updated to only clear the dev app cache in nuke mode.

The flow is now:
- `bun clean`: artifacts and node_modules
- `bun nuke`: above + Rust targets + dev cache

Let me know if you want a confirmation prompt before clearing.
```

## Writing Style Notes

See [writing-voice](../writing-voice/SKILL.md) for punctuation and tone guidelines.

- Use casual, approachable language
- Be genuinely enthusiastic about user contributions
- Reference specific users and give credit
- Link to relevant issues, releases, or commits
- Keep responses personal and conversational
- Avoid corporate or overly formal language
- PR comments can be brief: ongoing discussions don't need full greetings/closings
- Match the energy: short question gets short answer, detailed report gets detailed response