GitHub Issue & PR Comment Guidelines

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 for tone.

Follow writing-voice 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 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.

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 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