docs: add a Claiming an Issue section to CONTRIBUTING

[nadaverell]

Description

Nothing in our docs tells a newcomer to check whether an issue already has an open pull request against it. GitHub links those PRs in the issue timeline and sidebar, but only if you know to look.

Adds a ### Claiming an Issue section to CONTRIBUTING.md, between Suggesting Features and Pull Requests:

• Check the pull requests linked to the issue before starting.
• If nothing is linked, comment and a maintainer assigns you. Assignments lapse after about a week with no linked PR, so an issue doesn't sit blocked.
• Small, obvious fixes don't need a claim first.

The convention already exists informally — #1581 asks for it in the issue body — this makes it consistent and findable.

Type of change

• Documentation update

How has this been tested?

One markdown file, no code paths touched.

• Tested locally with minikube/kind — n/a
• Tested against a remote cluster — n/a
• Added/updated unit tests — n/a

Checklist

• My code follows the project's coding standards
• I have performed a self-review of my code
• I have added comments where necessary
• My changes generate no new warnings
• Any dependent changes have been merged

Related issues

None.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

https://claude.ai/code/session_01SZ4xeYpQ9zqxX732nNAGJ5

---

Note

Low Risk
Documentation-only change to CONTRIBUTING.md with no runtime or security impact.

Overview
Documents contributor workflow for claiming issues in CONTRIBUTING.md, inserted between Suggesting Features and Pull Requests.

Contributors are told to check linked PRs on an issue before coding, avoid competing open PRs, and comment for maintainer assignment when nothing is linked. The text also notes assignments lapse after ~a week without a linked PR, and that small obvious fixes can skip formal claiming as long as linked PRs are checked.

This codifies an informal convention so newcomers can find the process in one place.

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 6613303. Bugbot is set up for automated code reviews on this repo. Configure here.}

[nadaverell]

Apologies for the confusion and the noise. Clearing up.

[qodo-code-review]

Code Review by Qodo

🐞 Bugs (0) 📘 Rule violations (0) 📎 Requirement gaps (0)

Great, no issues found!

Qodo reviewed your code and found no material issues that require review

Tip of the day

💡 Did you know, you can route each action level your way: inline, summary, both, or drop

More tips ↗ | Customize Qodo ↗ | Qodo docs ↗

[qodo-code-review]

PR Summary by Qodo

Document issue claiming and linked PR checks

📝 Documentation 🕐 Less than 5 minutes

AI Description

• Tells contributors to check for linked pull requests before starting work.
• Defines assignment, expiration, and small-fix exceptions to prevent duplicate efforts.

Diagram

graph TD
  A["Choose issue"] --> B{"Linked PR?"} -->|No| D{"Small fix?"} -->|No| F["Request assignment"] --> G["Link PR in week"]
  B -->|Yes| C["Review existing PR"]
  D -->|Yes| E["Open pull request"]

Loading

High-Level Assessment

Keeping the policy in CONTRIBUTING.md is appropriate because it provides one canonical contributor workflow without adding duplicate issue templates or automation. An issue template was considered and removed because it would clutter the public issue chooser while repeating the same guidance.

Files changed (1) +13 / -0

Documentation (1) +13 / -0

CONTRIBUTING.mdAdd issue claiming guidance +13/-0

Add issue claiming guidance

• Adds a contributor workflow for checking linked pull requests before beginning work. It also documents maintainer assignment, the approximate one-week inactivity lapse, and an exception for small obvious fixes.

CONTRIBUTING.md