Guide: Task Finders

If you’re looking for something to do, you can use the Task Finders to find a task to work on.

Each department has their own Task Finder, accessible from the left menu of Phabricator. Depending on the department, different task categories will be displayed.

In addition to use of the Task Finders, we’ll also touch on the subject of adding tasks to them. For more information, see Guide: Task Creation.

Help Wanted

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of open tasks on our Phabricator at any one time. While we try our best to keep them organized, some still have unlisted or unanticipated dependency tasks.

All tasks marked as Help Wanted are ready to be tackled now. They are also considered appropriate for outside contributors. These tasks have varying difficulty, dependencies, and requirements, but any of them may be picked up and worked on by anyone at any time.

Note

Help Wanted does not include “Low-Hanging Fruit” (see Low-Hanging Fruit).

The Task Finder displays the ten highest priority Help Wanted tasks. You can click the magnifying glass to the upper-right corner of the list to see the exhaustive list of Help Wanted tasks.

Low-Hanging Fruit

If you’re a brand new contributor, or otherwise looking for a less-challenging task, you can check the Low-Hanging Fruit section.

Tasks marked as Low-Hanging Fruit [LHF] are considered likely to be either easy or straight-forward. Of course, it is impossible to know how simple something actually is until one starts working on it, but the LHF section at least narrows the search.

Warning

Basically, we just mark something as Low-Hanging Fruit if it seems to be simple or straight-forward to someone who has the appropriate skills and knowledge. You should review the task’s description, required skills, and comments before you decide it is right for you.

The Task Finder displays the ten highest priority Low-Hanging Fruit tasks. You can click the magnifying glass to the upper-right corner of the list to see the exhaustive list.

Jedi Required

When a task is assigned the status Use the Force, we are indicating that it is expected to have notable difficulty. Open and unclaimed tasks with this status are listed under the section Jedi Required.

The Task Finder displays the ten highest priority Use The Force tasks. You can click the magnifying glass to the upper-right corner of the list to see the exhaustive list.

Mysterious

The task status Patched indicates that, while the task may have been temporarily completed - such as a bug that has a workaround, but which has not yet been fully resolved.

The Task Finder displays the ten highest priority Patched tasks, including ones which are already assigned. You can click the magnifying glass to the upper-right corner of the list to see the exhaustive list.

Challenging

Open and unassigned tasks with high Friction (f4 and f5) (see QTM: Friction) are listed under the Challenging section.

The Task Finder displays the ten highest priority Challenging tasks. You can click the magnifying glass to the upper-right corner of the list to see the exhaustive list.

Up-For-Grabs

The top 20 highest priority, unassigned tasks are displayed in the Up-For-Grabs section. This list is automatically generated without any help from us, so some of these tasks may have unlisted dependencies or other problems. Thus, before claiming a task from this section, it is best to contact a staff member working on the project.

The Task Finder displays the twenty highest priority Up-For-Grabs tasks. You can click the magnifying glass to the upper-right corner of the list to see the exhaustive list.

Adopt a Project

Sometimes we have projects which require dedicated attention. If you’re interested in helping to manage a project, consider one listed in this section. Contact a department manager for more information, or to claim a project.