My First Godot Engine Contribution (and how YOU can start)

Source: Dev.to

Why I’m writing this

Like many developers, I use open source every day, but contributing always felt intimidating—huge codebase, thousands of files, very experienced developers. Eventually, I made my first real contribution to the Godot Engine, and this post explains:

• What I contributed
• How I got started with open source
• A basic workflow anyone can follow

Here is my pull request:
https://github.com/godotengine/godot/pull/115729

Instead of trying to add a big feature, I focused on understanding the existing codebase and making a small, meaningful improvement. This helped me learn:

• How large projects structure their code
• How reviews work in real open‑source projects
• How to communicate changes clearly

The biggest lesson: your first contribution does not need to be big; it needs to be correct.

Getting Started with the Godot Repository

1. Fork the main repository
   https://github.com/godotengine/godot

2. Clone your fork

   git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/godot.git
   cd godot

3. Add an upstream remote (keeps your fork in sync with the original project)

   git remote add upstream https://github.com/godotengine/godot.git

Basic Workflow

Create a Feature Branch

git checkout -b my-fix

Never make changes directly on master or main.

Build and Test

Before pushing anything, make sure the project builds correctly.

Commit Your Change

git add .
git commit -m "Fix: clear description of the change"

• Keep commits minimal and focused on a single purpose.

Push and Open a Pull Request

git push origin my-fix

Then open a Pull Request on GitHub. In the PR description, clearly explain:

• What the change does
• Why the change is needed
• Any edge cases you considered

Review Process

Your pull request will be reviewed by maintainers. You may be asked to:

• Update or improve parts of your code
• Add additional tests or documentation

These requests are normal and part of the collaborative nature of open source. Reviews are not criticism; they are an opportunity to learn and improve.

What I Gained

• Insight into how real software is built at scale
• Experience reading existing code, fixing real issues, and discussing changes publicly
• Confidence that a small, well‑crafted contribution is valuable

Helpful Resources

• Official contribution guide: https://contributing.godotengine.org/en/latest/organization/how_to_contribute.html

Feel free to ask questions in the comments section.