[all] repository chores and tasks

[pichlermarc]

Description

Helping out with routine tasks around the repo is a fantastic way to get familiar with our tooling, explore packages you might not have encountered before, and become part of the OpenTelemetry JS community. It’s also a great way to get noticed by regular contributors and maintainers.

If you're looking for a low-risk way to give back, chores are a great starting point. They help free up time for @open-telemetry/javascript-maintainers and @open-telemetry/javascript-approvers to focus on reviewing PRs and driving larger improvements across the project.

This issue is intended as a living document of things that need to be done on a regular basis. Most of these can be done without creating an issue, making them easy to pick up whenever you have a few minutes to spare. 🙂

Updating repository dependencies

Minimum required role: None

We don't have a lot of production dependencies, however, we do have a lot of devDependencies that need constant updates. Since there's a lot to update, we're usually always behind on updating. Occasionally, feature or bugfix PRs get blocked on tooling updates, which can impact the developer experience.

Usually, renovate bot takes care of these. @open-telemetry/javascript-approvers review and merge them. However, often these PRs cannot be merged right away as they break the build. In such cases, working through any problems and raising a separate PR to update these dependencies is highly appreciated.

As a contributor, you can also check #5682 to get an idea which dependencies need updating and do so manually.

As a member of @open-telemetry/javascript-triagers, you can also help by triggering dependency updates via #5682, and working though any problems that arise during the workflow run before @open-telemetry/javascript-approvers finally merge them in.

Things to watch out for:

• Avoid updating to versions that aren’t compatible with our supported Node.js runtimes. You can find the list here.

Creating minimal bug reproducers

Minimum required role: None

Often, it's difficult to triage bug reports without a clear way to reproduce what's happening. You can find bug tickets that need a reproducer by filtering for the needs:reproducer label.

When you find such a bug, you can ask questions and try to create a repository with as few dependencies and code as possible to reproduce the reported behavior. Once done, post your findings as a comment on the issue and ping @open-telemetry/javascript-triagers to assign the appropriate label. Even if you cannot reproduce the reported bug, this is a valuable finding as it helps others in narrowing down the issue.

This is a great way to deepen your understanding of OpenTelemetry JS and how it interacts with end-user's environments.

PR reviews

Minimum required role: None

Thoughtful PR reviews are always appreciated. While only @open-telemetry/javascript-approvers can officially approve PRs, anyone can contribute to the review process.

Pre-reviewed PRs tend to be higher quality and get merged faster, which helps the project move forward. Reviewing is also a great way to learn the codebase if you're not sure where to start.

Things to look out for:

• This repo follows the OpenTelemetry Specification. Check whether the PR aligns with spec requirements - non-compliant changes usually won’t be merged.
• Be cautious with new public APIs unless they’re required for spec compliance. Often, existing features already cover the use case.
• Easy wins: flag failing lint checks, missing EasyCLA signatures, or absent changelog entries. Helping authors fix these speeds up the review process.