nix.dev/source/contributing/how-to-get-help.md

How to get help

If you need assistance with one of your contributions, there are a few places you can go for help.

For better efficiency and chances of success, you should try to contact individuals or groups with more specific knowledge first:

• Look at the git log for the files you need help with, and take note of the email addresses of people who committed.
• Check out if any teams are responsible for the relevant subsystem:
  • On the NixOS website.
  • In the team list file.
  • In the Nixpkgs or Nix CODEOWNERS files.
• If your contribution is for a nixpkgs package, look for its maintainers in the maintainers attribute.

Once you have found the people you're looking for (either their email address, or their handles in maintainers-list.nix), you can contact them via:

• GitHub

  Mention the GitHub username found in the maintainers-list.nix file in issue or pull request descriptions, or comments.

• Discourse

  Try the GitHub username found in the maintainers-list.nix file mention or directly contact a specific user. Note that some people use a different username on Discourse.

• Matrix

  Use the Matrix handle found in the maintainers-list.nix file. If no Matrix handle is present for a specific maintainer, try searching for them using their GitHub username, as most people tend to use the same one across channels.

• Email

  Use email addresses found with git log as a last resort.

If you haven't found any specific users or groups that could help you with your contribution, you can resort to asking the community at large, using one of the following official communication channels:

• A room related to your question in the NixOS Matrix space.
• The Help category on the Discourse Forum.
• The general #nix room on Matrix.