“Won’t Fix” on GitHub: What It Really Means and Why You Shouldn't Take It Personally

If you've ever submitted an issue or bug report on GitHub, you might have come across a status that feels a bit cold: “Won’t Fix.” At first glance, it sounds like someone just doesn’t care. But in reality, it’s more nuanced than that.

What Does “Won’t Fix” Actually Mean?

When maintainers mark an issue as “won’t fix”, they’re not ignoring your contribution. Instead, it means they’ve reviewed the problem, understood it, and made a conscious decision not to take action. It’s not about being dismissive — it’s about prioritization and scope.

Common Reasons Behind “Won’t Fix”

Understanding the rationale helps you avoid frustration. Here are the most common scenarios:

• Low Priority or Low Impact
  The issue may be valid, but if it only affects a niche use case or causes minimal harm, the team may decide to focus efforts elsewhere.
• Out of Project Scope
  Sometimes users request features that don’t align with the vision or intended purpose of the project. Rather than expanding beyond control, maintainers draw the line.
• Too Risky to Change
  A fix might introduce new bugs, break existing functionality, or cause downstream problems. If the cost outweighs the benefit, it’s safer to leave it as-is.
• By Design
  What seems like a bug may actually be intentional behavior. The software is working as designed — even if that design doesn’t suit your specific need.
• Duplicate or Already Addressed Elsewhere
  If the issue is already being tracked in another ticket or handled by an external dependency, it might be closed to avoid clutter.

Why You Shouldn't Be Discouraged

It can be disheartening to see your issue closed without a fix, especially if you put time into documenting it. But here’s the thing:

• Your report still has value. It may resurface later if priorities change.
• You’ve helped document an edge case for other users searching for similar problems.
• You can always fork the project and patch it yourself if it's critical to your workflow.

How to React Constructively

If your issue is marked as “won’t fix,” consider:

• Asking (politely) for clarification if the reason isn’t clear.
• Offering a PR (pull request) if you believe a fix is worth the effort and you can implement it cleanly.
• Looking for alternatives — another tool, configuration, or workaround might solve your problem.

Finally

In open source, not every problem will get fixed, and that’s okay. Teams have limited time, and decisions like “won’t fix” are about focus, not disrespect. The next time you see it, take a breath, read the context, and remember: you’re still part of the process.

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