The four heights
The same task, four distances: today's deadline, the next reviewer, the stuck moment, the pattern.
Execute — do the immediate task
+Write a repository README that tells a newcomer how to get the service running locally in five…
Execute — do the immediate task
+Write a repository README that tells a newcomer how to get the service running locally in five minutes. Start with a one-line explanation of what this repo is for, list prerequisites with exact versions, give the three-step quick-start that runs the dev server and seeds demo data, and include the code owner and contribution guidelines links. Use Lina as the contact for questions.
Pasted it? When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Improve — make it easier to accept
+Before we publish this README to the public project, make it easy for first-time contributors to…
Improve — make it easier to accept
+Before we publish this README to the public project, make it easy for first-time contributors to start: move the troubleshooting tips into a dedicated "Troubleshooting" section, surface the contribution workflow up top with a checklist (Fork, branch, tests, PR), and highlight the expected commit message format and CI conditions that will block a merge.
Pasted it? When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Decide — diagnose the stuck moment
+We've had three incoming PRs this month where CI failed immediately because the authors didn't run…
Decide — diagnose the stuck moment
+New contributors keep opening incomplete PRs because the README doesn't say how to run tests.
We've had three incoming PRs this month where CI failed immediately because the authors didn't run the test suite locally; they told me the README didn't explain how. I'm worried about discouraging contributors and about review fatigue on the maintainers. What should I add or change in the README right now that will most reduce these failures and save reviewers time?
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Become — change the pattern
+Every time we take on a new intern class the README demands five fixes: environment setup, sample…
Become — change the pattern
+We repeatedly rewrite README sections during onboarding spikes.
Every time we take on a new intern class the README demands five fixes: environment setup, sample data, test command, local linting, and who to ask. That pattern costs a day per onboarding wave and creates noisy PRs. What single habit around README maintenance or onboarding should I change so the repository stays newcomer-friendly without constant edits?
Pasted it? When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Next to this one
Other code hosting work people do in GitHub.
Every task here came from the work, not from a feature list — which is why the prompts name what you want done and never the button that does it. The tool changes; the work does not.
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The rest of the map
Same library, five ways in.