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Hi all 👋

As someone working on and maintaining multiple open-source projects, I rely heavily on GitHub Feeds to stay informed.

One challenge is managing signal vs noise when tracking many repositories. Small events can sometimes overshadow releases, discussions, or major changes.

I’m interested in discussing:

• How maintainers use Feeds today
• What types of activity should be prioritized
• Ideas for making Feeds more builder-friendly

Would love to hear how others handle this.

[alexhozt]

Hi bro, i totally relate to your experience, managing signal vs noise in github feeds is an ongoing challange, especially when maintaining multiple projects. Overtime, i've developed a workflow that helps me stay on top of what matters without drowning in notifications.

One of the most helpful strategies has been creating topic-based watch lists instead of following entire repositories. This allows me to separate, for example, critical projects from those I only occasionally contribute to. I also use advanced email filters so I only get notified for key events like releases, pending pull requests, or direct mentions. Tools like Octobox have also been useful for adding an extra layer of organization and preventing important items from slipping through.

I’d love to see GitHub integrate a “maintainer mode” into feeds—one that automatically prioritizes activities like issue discussions, changes to the main branch, or new releases, while grouping less urgent notifications. Better integration with external project management tools would also help create a more unified workflow.

In the end, it’s all about automating the routine and saving human attention for what truly matters: reviewing code, discussing improvements, and connecting with the community. Have you found any tools or methods that changed how you work with feeds?

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Example:

Instead of following 50+ full repositories, I separate them into lists like:

• core-projects: Only the 5–10 repos I actively maintain.
• collaborative: Repos where I’m a co-maintainer or frequent contributor.
• watching: Projects I learn from or that are critical dependencies.

This prevents a surge of stars on an external repo from burying an important PR in one of my main projects.

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Example of Advanced Gmail Filters for GitHub Notifications
I use rules like:

# Filter 1: Pull Requests and Issues assigned to me
Subject: ("pull request" OR "issue") AND ("assigned" OR "review requested")
Folder: → GitHub/Urgent

# Filter 2: Releases and tags
Subject: ("release" OR "tag")
Folder: → GitHub/Releases

# Filter 3: Mentions (@username)
Body includes: @myUsername
Folder: → GitHub/Mentions

# Filter 4: Stars, forks, watches → auto-archived or muted
Subject: ("starred" OR "forked" OR "watching")
Folder: → GitHub/Noise (review once a week)

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Example of an Ideal “Maintainer Mode” in GitHub
A dedicated maintainer view could look like:

Priority Tab (key events only):

• PR: #342 needs your review (pending for 2+ days)
• Release: v2.3.0 published in repo/api
• Issue #122 tagged as bug (unassigned)
• Discussion: "Breaking change proposal" has 15+ comments

Community Tab (grouped social activity):

• 25 new stars across 3 repos
• 5 forks in repo/ui-components

Routine Tab (everything else, collapsible).

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Example of Integration with External Tools
I use Zapier to connect GitHub with Slack and Notion:

• Zap 1: When an issue with the label bug is opened, a card is created in my Notion board.
• Zap 2: When a PR is assigned to me, I get a message in a dedicated Slack channel.
• Zap 3: When a release is published, a summary is sent to an announcements channel.

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Example of Label Structure in Repos
I use labels like:

• priority/critical → Immediate notification.
• status/needs-review → Review within hours.
• type/docs → Can wait days.
• good first issue → Review when I have time for onboarding.

[alexhozt]

At the moment the repo I have is more than anything proof of some things that I later delete, but when I handle big things I already use the one that is personal to me that is from the university