# Where we talk

> Discord, the community forum, and GitHub. Which place to use for what, and where the people of each area can be found.

Source: https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/where-we-talk/

Home Assistant has a few places where people meet. Each is good at something different. Picking the right one gets you a faster answer, and keeps the conversation where others can find it later.

## The short version

| You want to | Go to |
| --- | --- |
| Ask a quick question, or meet other contributors | [Discord](https://www.home-assistant.io/join-chat/) |
| Get help with your own setup | The [community forum](https://community.home-assistant.io/) |
| Report a bug | The issue tracker of the right repository on GitHub. See [report a bug](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/report-a-bug/) |
| Suggest a feature | [Feature requests](https://github.com/home-assistant/feature-requests/discussions) on GitHub |
| Discuss how Home Assistant is built | [Architecture discussions](https://github.com/home-assistant/architecture/discussions) on GitHub |
| Ask about a specific change | The issue or pull request itself |
| Join a community sync call | The [events calendar](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/community/reference/events/) |

## By area

Every area of this site has a "Who to talk to" section. This table brings them together, so you can see at a glance where the people working on something can be found.

| Area | Where its people talk |
| --- | --- |
| [Architecture](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/architecture/) | [**#developers**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/554842238073700352) on Discord, and the [architecture discussions](https://github.com/home-assistant/architecture/discussions) on GitHub |
| [Security](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/security/) | A vulnerability: a [GitHub security advisory](https://github.com/home-assistant/core/security/advisories/new), never in public. Other questions: [**#developers**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/554842238073700352) on Discord |
| [Core and integrations](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/core/) | [**#core**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1475552721515053268) on Discord, [**#developers**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/554842238073700352) for general development questions (a thread in [**#support**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1257019582112334014) for a longer question), and [home-assistant/core](https://github.com/home-assistant/core) on GitHub |
| [Frontend](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/frontend/) | [**#frontend**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1475552784278360176) on Discord, and [home-assistant/frontend](https://github.com/home-assistant/frontend) on GitHub. Design questions: [**#designers**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1463606665311158284), [**#product-and-ux**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1475553148847526123), or the [UX design discussions](https://github.com/OpenHomeFoundation/ux-design/discussions) |
| [Apps](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/apps/) | [**#developers**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/554842238073700352) on Discord ([**#operating-system**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1475552965954900018) for questions about the Supervisor), the issues of [home-assistant/supervisor](https://github.com/home-assistant/supervisor/issues) and [home-assistant/addons](https://github.com/home-assistant/addons/issues), and [Share your Projects](https://community.home-assistant.io/c/projects/9) on the forum |
| [Companion apps](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/companion/) | [**#apple-apps**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1481713628553019392) on Discord, the [Android project thread](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1346948551892009101) on Discord, and the issues of [home-assistant/android](https://github.com/home-assistant/android/issues) and [home-assistant/iOS](https://github.com/home-assistant/iOS/issues) |
| [OS and Supervisor](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/os/) | [**#operating-system**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1475552965954900018) on Discord, and [home-assistant/operating-system](https://github.com/home-assistant/operating-system) and [home-assistant/supervisor](https://github.com/home-assistant/supervisor) on GitHub |
| [Design](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/design/) | [**#designers**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1463606665311158284) and [**#product-and-ux**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1475553148847526123) on Discord, the [ux-design discussions](https://github.com/OpenHomeFoundation/ux-design/discussions) for ideas and proposals, and frontend [issues with the `UX` label](https://github.com/home-assistant/frontend/labels/UX) for concrete problems |
| [Writing docs](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/writing/) | [**#documentation**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1475552849835458691) on Discord, your pull request, and the [issues of home-assistant.io](https://github.com/home-assistant/home-assistant.io/issues) |
| [Translations](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/translate/) | A comment on the string in Lokalise, and the [localization discussions](https://github.com/home-assistant/frontend/discussions/categories/localization) on GitHub |
| [Voice](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/translate/voice/) | The [intents discussions](https://github.com/OHF-Voice/intents/discussions), the language leader of your language, and [**#language-leaders**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1257022942961991781) on Discord |
| [Releases](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/releases/) | [**#beta**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/427516175237382144) on Discord during the beta week, and the issue tracker of the part that broke |
| [Community](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/community/) | Email the community team at [community@openhomefoundation.org](mailto:community@openhomefoundation.org) |
| [Data](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/data/) | The device database channel on Discord, and the [analytics.home-assistant.io repository](https://github.com/home-assistant/analytics.home-assistant.io) |

## Discord

The [Home Assistant Discord](https://www.home-assistant.io/join-chat/) is where contributors chat in real time. It's the quickest way to ask "where do I start?" or "is this a good idea?", and to get to know the people behind the project.

Contributor channels are hidden until you pick a role. In the sidebar, select **Channels & Roles**, and choose the roles that fit what you do. For example:

- **I want to contribute dev skills to Home Assistant** gives you the developer role. It opens the [**#developers**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/554842238073700352) channel and the other channels for development.
- Designers meet in [**#designers**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1463606665311158284). [This link](https://www.home-assistant.io/join-chat-design) takes you straight there.
- People testing the beta meet in [**#beta**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/427516175237382144).

The channels for contributors:

| Channel | For |
| --- | --- |
| [**#developers**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/554842238073700352) | General development |
| [**#core**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1475552721515053268) | Core and integrations |
| [**#frontend**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1475552784278360176) | The frontend |
| [**#operating-system**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1475552965954900018) | Home Assistant OS, and the Supervisor |
| [**#apple-apps**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1481713628553019392) | The Apple apps |
| [**#designers**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1463606665311158284) | Design |
| [**#product-and-ux**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1475553148847526123) | Product and UX discussions |
| [**#user-researchers**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1518940566576959618) | User research |
| [**#documentation**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1475552849835458691) | The documentation |
| [**#language-leaders**](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1257022942961991781) | Language leaders |

A few places on the server are for every contributor:

- [Building in the open](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1257022408385237072) is the announcement channel for contributors. Follow it to see what is happening in the project.
- [General coding support](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1257019582112334014) is where you ask when you are stuck on code.
- The [project forum](https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1346914401508392980) is for longer running projects, and for bigger topics the team is sprinting on.

The channel links on this site open the channel itself. They only work once you have [joined the server](https://www.home-assistant.io/join-chat/).

Some areas also have their own threads, like the companion apps. The [table above](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/where-we-talk/#by-area) lists them.

A few habits that help:

- Ask your question directly, with enough context to answer it. "Can someone help?" gets fewer answers than the actual question.
- Discord is chat, and chat scrolls away. Anything that matters for a decision belongs on GitHub, where it stays findable.
- Don't ping people directly to ask for a review. See [pull requests and reviews](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/pull-requests/).

## The community forum

The [community forum](https://community.home-assistant.io/) is the place for users helping users: setups, automations, and devices. It's also a great place to contribute without writing code. Answering questions is one of the most valuable things you can do. See [Community](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/community/).

This page is about the places where contributors work together. Looking for all the places where the Home Assistant community meets, like Reddit, Facebook, meetups, and regional communities? See [where the community lives](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/community/reference/channels/), or the [community page](https://www.home-assistant.io/community/) on home-assistant.io.

## GitHub

All code, documentation, and decisions live on [GitHub](https://github.com/home-assistant). Different kinds of conversations go to different places there.

### Issues

Issues are for bugs: something that doesn't work the way it should. Each repository has its own issue tracker, so report a problem where the code lives. [Report a bug](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/report-a-bug/) helps you pick the repository, and explains what the forms ask and what happens after you report.

Issues aren't for support questions or feature ideas. The issue forms point you to the right place for those: the [help page](https://www.home-assistant.io/help/) for support, and feature requests for ideas.

### Feature requests

New ideas go to [feature requests](https://github.com/home-assistant/feature-requests/discussions) in GitHub discussions. Search first, and vote on an existing request instead of opening a duplicate. Pick the category that fits best, like **Dashboards & cards** or **iOS & macOS**. Explain the problem you want to solve, not only the solution. Other users vote and discuss, and the product team uses popular requests to shape the [roadmap](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/roadmap/how-it-works/).

### Architecture discussions

Questions about how Home Assistant is built, like a new type of entity or a rule for all integrations, start in the [architecture repository](https://github.com/home-assistant/architecture/discussions). [How architecture decisions are made](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/architecture/decisions/) explains how a discussion becomes a decision.

### Pull requests

Once you're working on a change, the conversation about it happens in the pull request. Questions, review comments, and decisions about that change all stay together there.

## Language

Issues, pull requests, and discussions on GitHub are in English, so everyone can follow along. Home Assistant Core even has a bot that flags issues written in another language. It doesn't need to be perfect. If English isn't your first language, using a tool to help with grammar or translation is fine: the [AI policy](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/ai-policy/#non-native-english-speakers) explains how.

## Be kind

The [code of conduct](https://contributors.home-assistant.io/start/code-of-conduct/) applies in every one of these places. If you see something that isn't right, use the report or flag feature of the platform, or email the address on that page.