Speed up issue management.

The etcd issues are listed at https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/issues and are identified with labels. For example, an issue that is identified as a bug will be set to the label type/bug.

The etcd project uses labels to indicate common attributes such as area, type, and priority of incoming issues.

New issues will often start without any labels, but typically etcd maintainers, reviewers, and members will add labels by following these triage guidelines. The detailed list of labels can be found at https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/labels.

This document serves as the primary guidelines for triaging incoming issues in etcd.

All contributors are encouraged and welcome to help manage issues which will help reduce the burden on project maintainers, though the work and responsibilities discussed in this document are created with etcd project reviewers and members in mind as these individuals will have triage access to the etcd project which is a requirement for actions like applying labels or closing issues.

Refer to etcd community membership for guidance on becoming an etcd project member or reviewer.

To get started you can use the following recommended issue searches to identify issues that are in need of triage:

• Issues that have no labels
• Issues created recently
• Issues not assigned but linked pr
• Issues with no comments
• Issues with help wanted

Before we start adding labels or trying to work out a priority, our first triage step needs to be working out if the issue actually belongs to the etcd project and is not a duplicate.

Sometimes issues are reported that belong to other projects that etcd use. For example, grpc or golang issues. Such issues should be addressed by asking the reporter to open issues in the appropriate other projects.

These issues can generally be closed unless a maintainer and issue reporter see a need to keep it open for tracking purposes. If you have triage permissions please close it, alternatively mention the @etcd-io/members group to request a member with triage access to close the issue.

If an issue is a duplicate, add a comment stating so along with a reference for the original issue and if you have triage permissions please close it, alternatively mention the @etcd-io/members group to request a member with triage access close the issue.

Adding a type label to an issue helps create visibility on the health of the project and helps contributors identify potential priorities, i.e. addressing existing bugs or test flakes before implementing new features.

As a general rule, the focus for etcd support is to address common themes in a broad way that helps all users, i.e. through channels like known issues, frequently asked questions, and high-quality documentation. To make the best use of project members time we should avoid providing 1:1 support if a broad approach is available.

Some people mistakenly use our GitHub bug report or feature request templates to file support requests. Usually, they are asking for help operating or configuring some aspect of etcd. Support requests for etcd should instead be raised as discussions.

Common types of support requests are:

1. Questions about configuring or operating existing well-documented etcd features, for example, #15945. Note - If an existing feature is not well documented please apply the area/documentation label and propose documentation improvements that would prevent future users from stumbling on the problem again.

2. Bug reports or questions about unsupported versions of etcd, for example #15796. When responding to these issues please refer to our supported versions documentation and encourage the reporter to upgrade to a recent patch release of a supported version as soon as possible. We should limit the effort supporting users that do not make the effort to run a supported version of etcd or ensure their version is patched.

3. Bug reports that do not provide a complete list of steps to reproduce the issue and/or contributors are not able to reproduce the issue, for example, #15740. We should limit the effort we put into reproducing issues ourselves and motivate users to provide the necessary information to accept the bug report.

4. General questions that are filed using feature request or bug report issue templates, for example, #15914. Note - These types of requests may surface good additions to our frequently asked questions.

If you identify that an issue is a support request please:

1. Add the type/support or type/question label.

2. Add the following comment to inform the issue creator that discussions should be used instead and that this issue will be converted to a discussion.

   Thank you for your question, this support issue will be moved to our Discussion Forums.

   We are trying to consolidate the channels to which questions for help/support are posted so that we can improve our efficiency in responding to your requests, and make it easier for you to find answers to frequently asked questions and how to address common use cases.

   We regularly see messages posted in multiple forums, with the full response thread only in one place or, worse, spread across multiple forums. Also, the large volume of support issues on GitHub is making it difficult for us to use issues to identify real bugs.

   Members of the etcd community use Discussion Forums to field support requests. Before posting a new question, please search these for answers to similar questions, and also familiarize yourself with:

   1. user documentation
   2. frequently asked questions

   Again, thanks for using etcd and raising this question.

   The etcd team

3. Finally, click Convert to discussion on the right-hand panel, selecting the appropriate discussion category.

If an issue has been raised as a bug it should already have the type/bug label, however, if this is missing for an issue you determine to be a bug please add the label manually.

The next step is to validate if the issue is indeed a bug. If not, add a comment with the findings and close the trivial issue. For non-trivial issues, wait to hear back from the issue reporter and see if there is any objection. If the issue reporter does not reply in 30 days, close the issue.

If the problem can not be reproduced or requires more information, leave a comment for the issue reporter as soon as possible while the issue is fresh for the issue reporter.

New feature requests should be created via the etcd feature request template and in theory already have the type/feature label, however, if this is missing for an issue you determine to be a feature please add the label manually.

Test flakes are a specific type of bug that the etcd project tracks separately as these are a priority to address. These should be created via the test flake template and in theory already have the type/flake label, however, if this is missing for an issue you determine to be related to a flaking test please add the label manually.

Adding an area label to an issue helps create visibility on which areas of the etcd project require attention and helps contributors find issues to work on relating to their particular skills or knowledge of the etcd codebase.

If an issue crosses multiple domains please add additional area labels to reflect that.

Below is a brief summary of the area labels in active use by the etcd project along with any notes on their use:

If an issue lacks a priority label it has not been formally prioritized yet.

Adding a priority label helps the etcd project understand what is important and should be worked on now, and conversely, what is not as important and is on the project backlog.

As part of the etcd triage process once the kind and area have been determined, please consider if the issue would be suitable for a less experienced contributor. The good first issue label is a subset of the help wanted label, indicating that members have committed to providing extra assistance for new contributors. All good first issue items also have the help wanted label.

Items marked with the help wanted label need to ensure that they meet these criteria:

• Low Barrier to Entry - It should be easy for new contributors.

• Clear - The task is agreed upon and does not require further discussions in the community.

• Goldilocks priority - The priority should not be so high that a core contributor should do it, but not too low that it isn’t useful enough for a core contributor to spend time reviewing it, answering questions, helping get it into a release, etc.

Items marked with good first issue are intended for first-time contributors. It indicates that members will keep an eye out for these pull requests and shepherd it through our processes.

New contributors should not be left to find an approver, ping for reviews, decipher test commands, or identify that their build failed due to a flake. It is important to make new contributors feel welcome and valued. We should assure them that they will have an extra level of help with their first contribution.

After a contributor has successfully completed one or two good first issue items, they should be ready to move on to help wanted items.

• No Barrier to Entry - The task is something that a new contributor can tackle without advanced setup or domain knowledge.

• Solution Explained - The recommended solution is clearly described in the issue.

• Gives Examples - Link to examples of similar implementations so new contributors have a reference guide for their changes.

• Identifies Relevant Code - The relevant code and tests to be changed should be linked in the issue.

• Ready to Test - There should be existing tests that can be modified, or existing test cases fit to be copied. If the area of code doesn’t have tests, before labeling the issue, add a test fixture. This prep often makes a great help wanted task!

Once initial triage has been completed, issues need to be re-evaluated over time to ensure they don't become stale incorrectly.

If an issue is at risk of being closed by the stale bot in the future, but is an important issue for the etcd project, then please apply the stage/tracked label and remove any stale labels that exist. This will ensure the project does not lose sight of the issue.

Issues that lack enough information from the issue reporter should be closed if the issue reporter does not provide information in 30 days. Issues can always be re-opened at a later date if new information is provided.

If an issue owned by a developer has no pull request created in 30 days, contact the issue owner and kindly ask about the status of their work, or to release ownership on the issue if needed.