Onboarding
First steps, setup, and expectations for new interns
Onboarding sets you up for success in our GitHub-centric, AI-first environment. Your first days focus on access, environment setup, understanding our culture and workflows, and making your first contribution. Expect to spend roughly one to two weeks on these steps, depending on your prior experience. Your mentor will guide you through each phase—reach out whenever you need help.
First Steps
Get access
Request and verify access to the GitHub organization and repositories you need. Your mentor or admin will provision access. Confirm you can:
- See the organization and team repos
- Clone repositories (read access)
- Create branches and open pull requests (write access)
- Access GitHub Discussions and Projects if your team uses them Contact your mentor or admin if anything is missing or restricted.
Set up your environment
Clone key repositories and follow their README setup instructions. Typical setup includes:
- Installing required runtimes (Node.js, Python, etc.) and tools (Git, Docker if needed)
- Configuring Git (name, email, SSH keys or HTTPS)
- Running install scripts (
npm install,pnpm install, etc.) and any seed or migration steps Use GitHub Codespaces if local setup is complex or you need a consistent environment.
Read the docs
Familiarize yourself with how we work. Start with:
- Software Culture — principles and values
- GitHub Workflow — branching, PRs, code review
- AI-First Practices — using AI effectively
- Tools — GitHub ecosystem and AI tools Use the Copy Markdown and Open buttons on each page to ask AI questions about the content.
Make your first PR
Pick a small, labeled task (e.g. "good first issue" or "help wanted"). Then:
- Create a branch from
main, make your changes, and push - Open a pull request with a clear title and description
- Link the related issue and request review from your mentor or a teammate
- Address feedback and re-request review until approved Keep the scope small—documentation fixes, typo corrections, or minor improvements are great first contributions.
Key Repositories and Docs
Your mentor will point you to the main repositories for your team. Common places to look:
- Main product repos: Where most development happens. Start by reading the README, CONTRIBUTING (if present), and exploring the folder structure.
- Documentation repos: Internal runbooks, architecture docs, and external docs. These help you understand how systems work.
- Project boards: Track current work, priorities, and "good first issue" tasks. Use them to find your first contribution.
Mentorship and Communication
- Mentor: You will be assigned a mentor. Reach out early and often—for setup help, code review, or questions about our culture and processes.
- Stand-ups: Attend team stand-ups to stay aligned on priorities and blockers.
- Async communication: Use GitHub Discussions for questions and ideas, issues for bugs and tasks, and PR comments for code review. Use Slack or similar for quick questions if your team uses it.
Ask Questions
There are no silly questions. Use AI to explore, but when you need human judgment or team-specific context, ask your mentor or teammates.