One of the best things about MySQL has always been its community. Whether you’re building applications, running production databases, contributing code, creating tools, writing documentation, answering questions, or simply sharing feedback, you’ve helped make MySQL what it is today. In this discussion we shared updates on where we are today and had a discussion on improvements we are looking at for MySQL Contributions.
Making Contributions Easier
During our most recent public discussion, we talked about ways to make contributing to MySQL easier. We recognize that the current experience can be difficult to navigate and that contributors need clearer expectations.
Our goal is not simply to receive “more pull requests.” Our goal is to encourage higher-quality contributions and provide clearer paths for contributors.
There are five guiding principles behind this plan:
- Make contributions easier to understand
- Preserve MySQL quality, compatibility, stability, and security
- Encourage discussion before code when useful
- Reduce unnecessary friction before implementation
- Keep public artifacts linked and traceable
Contribution Paths
As we developed this plan, we identified several common paths contributors may take:
I found a bug
A reproducible problem, regression, unexpected behavior, or compatibility issue that should be investigated.
I want to fix a bug
A proposed code change that addresses an existing issue or improves an affected area.
I want to propose or contribute to a new feature
A request for new or changed functionality based on a clear use case or community need.
I want to improve documentation
A correction, clarification, example, or missing guidance that would help users or contributors.
I want to test new functionality
Feedback from trying a release, preview build, bug fix, or new feature in a real or representative environment.
Information Needed for Each Path
Each contribution path requires different information to help reviewers understand and evaluate the request.
Bug Report
Version, platform, reproduction steps, expected result, actual result, logs, or test case.
Bug Fix or Patch
Related bug or issue, proposed change, tests, and OCA confirmation.
New Feature Request/Contribute to a Feature
Clear use case, expected behavior, compatibility impact, and completed design proposal.
Documentation Improvement
What is unclear, missing, incorrect, or could benefit from an example.
Testing and Feedback
Version tested, platform, steps tested, observed behavior, regressions, or compatibility concerns.
Proposed Enhancements
The main proposed update is to move toward a more GitHub-centered contribution process.
We plan to use GitHub Issues for feature requests and bug reports, and GitHub Discussions for more in-depth technical conversations. We will use GitHub Projects for the Community Roadmap. We also want to introduce pull requests for code review and automate checks wherever possible.
In addition, we want to link related issues, pull requests, design proposals, and bug records. This will improve transparency and make it easier for contributors and users to find information related to bugs, new features, and ongoing work.
The transition to GitHub will be gradual. We will start where GitHub provides immediate value, especially for feature requests and technical discussions. At the same time, we will continue improving the workflow in the current bug database.
For GitHub, we are creating templates to help contributors provide the information needed for each type of contribution. We plan to connect the current system to GitHub through migration or integration work.
MySQL Contributor Summit
We also discussed the MySQL Contributor Summit happening on May 26, 2026. This event is focused on bringing the community together to discuss where MySQL should go next. This isn’t a roadmap presentation or a list of promised features. It is an opportunity to listen, learn, and collaborate on suggested new feature requests for MySQL Community Edition.
Starting with the Community
The summit is built around community-submitted proposals and conversations. Our goal is to identify the problems that matter most, highlight important use cases, and connect ideas with practical next steps.
- The problems that matter most to the community
- Use cases that need more attention
- Areas where contributors want to get involved
- Opportunities for collaboration across the ecosystem
Roadmap Topics We’re Excited to Explore
AI, Vector Search, and Streaming Data
Explore how MySQL can support modern AI-powered applications through vector capabilities, streaming data architectures, MCP integrations, and developer tooling.
Developer and DBA Experience
Discuss enhancements that improve everyday productivity, usability, and operational simplicity.
Performance, Scalability, and Reliability
Examine opportunities to improve performance, replication, recovery, high availability, and scale-out experiences.
Extensions and Ecosystem Growth
Explore plugins, components, external engines, observability integrations, tooling, a possible extensibility framework and ecosystem innovation.
Every Contribution Matters
One of the key messages of the summit is that contributions come in many forms. Code is important, but so are design discussions, testing, documentation, benchmarking, tooling, real-world feedback, and community education. Examples can include but are not limited to:
- Design discussions and architectural feedback
- Documentation and examples
- Validation, testing, and benchmarking
- Tooling and integrations
- Production experience and user feedback
- Community education and advocacy
Turning Discussions into Action
For each proposal, participants will work together to identify the appropriate next step—whether that’s a design review, engineering discussion, validation effort, documentation project, tooling opportunity, or future prioritization conversation.
What Success Looks Like
- Clearer understanding of community priorities
- Identified proposal owners and follow-up actions
- Candidates for design and engineering review
- Validation and benchmarking opportunities
- Documentation and tooling initiatives
- Community process improvements
Join the Conversation
The future of MySQL will not be defined by a single team or a single roadmap. It will be shaped by the people who build with it, contribute to it, and depend on it every day.
We are looking forward to hearing your ideas, learning from your experiences, and exploring what’s next—together. You can view the schedule, sessions and more on the MySQL Community GitHub wiki and look for a summary and next steps from the Contributor Summit next week.