I Want To Contribute To TanStack Router

[JackWanamaker]

Hello Community! I have been using TanStack for a lot of my web projects, and it is one of the few pieces of software which I not only rely on but I really appreciate the mission and philosophy of it, and how it is trying to change the web for the better. I would like to contribute to TanStack, but this would be my first time contributing to open source. If I can have some guidance, it would be much appreciated. Thanks so much! -Ben

[Rajat77a]

Hi Ben, welcome! I’m not a TanStack maintainer, but I’m currently using TanStack Start and Router in a multi-role application and recently reviewed the project’s contribution process.

A good first path would be:

1. Read the repository’s CONTRIBUTING.md.
2. Start with a documentation or focused test change before attempting an API change.
3. Comment on the issue before implementing it, explaining what you plan to change. This avoids duplicating someone else’s work and gives maintainers a chance to guide you.
4. Clone the repository, install Node.js and pnpm 11+, run pnpm install, and create a dedicated branch.
5. Keep the first PR small and include a test or documentation update where appropriate.
6. Before opening the PR, run pnpm test:eslint, pnpm test:types, and pnpm test:unit.

A concrete starting point is issue #5351, which is currently open, unassigned, and labeled “good first issue.” It concerns improving the getting-started documentation so generated parent routes do not confuse new users working with dynamic child routes.

One important project rule is that changes requiring a new or modified public API should first be proposed in an issue and receive maintainer approval.

I would personally begin by reproducing #5351, commenting with a concise proposed documentation change, and waiting briefly for maintainer feedback before opening a PR. That should provide a useful first contribution without requiring deep knowledge of the router internals.