Open source problem-solving workflow

Open source problem-solving workflow: ALWAYS search the project's GitHub/GitLab issue tracker and check the latest version BEFORE attempting custom workarounds. Use this skill whenever encountering bugs, errors, or unexpected behavior in any open-source project (RAGFlow, SpringAI, RuoYi, Vue, Element Plus, etc.), including 401/403/404 errors, SecurityErrors, CORS issues, missing features, or unexpected API behavior. Trigger this skill even if you think you can fix it with configuration — checking the issue tracker first saves hours of wasted effort.

Open Source Issue-First Workflow

Why This Skill Exists

When encountering a bug in an open-source project, the instinct is often to immediately start debugging — tweaking configs, writing proxy rules, adding workarounds. But the project maintainers may have already fixed the issue weeks ago. Spending hours on workarounds that a simple version update would resolve is wasted effort.

Real example: Spent 2+ hours configuring Nginx sub_filter, proxy headers, and referer-based routing to work around a RAGFlow image 401 error — only to discover the fix had been merged two weeks earlier (https://github.com/infiniflow/ragflow/pull/16525).

The Workflow

When you encounter a bug, error, or unexpected behavior in an open-source project:

Step 1: Identify the Project and Version

• Determine which open-source project is causing the issue (RAGFlow, SpringAI, RuoYi, Vue, etc.)
• If possible, determine the current version being used

Step 2: Search the Issue Tracker

Go to the project's GitHub/GitLab repository and search for the error:

1. Search issues: https://github.com/{org}/{repo}/issues?q={error+keywords}
2. Search PRs: https://github.com/{org}/{repo}/pulls?q={error+keywords}
3. Check if the issue is marked as "fixed" or "merged"
4. Note the version/commit where the fix was applied

Use web-search or Bash with curl to search GitHub:

bash

# Search GitHub issues via API
curl -s "https://api.github.com/search/issues?q=repo:{org}/{repo}+{keywords}+state:all&sort=updated&order=desc" | head -100

Or use web search:

text

site:github.com/{org}/{repo} {error keywords}

Step 3: Check Latest Version

• Compare the user's version with the latest release
• If the fix is in a newer version, recommend upgrading

Step 4: Only Then Attempt Workarounds

If and only if:

• The issue has NOT been reported, OR
• The issue has been reported but NOT fixed, OR
• Upgrading is not possible (locked version, breaking changes)

...then proceed with custom debugging and workarounds.

Step 5: If You Find a Relevant Issue

Report to the user:

• The issue/PR URL
• Whether it's been fixed
• Which version contains the fix
• Whether upgrading is feasible

Common Signs This Skill Should Apply

• HTTP 401/403/404 errors from a third-party service
• CORS / SecurityError in browser console
• "Unexpected" API behavior in a library
• Missing features that "should" exist
• Errors after upgrading a dependency
• Any Uncaught errors from third-party JS

Quick Reference: Common Project Repos

Project	Repo
RAGFlow	https://github.com/infiniflow/ragflow
SpringAI	https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-ai
RuoYi	https://gitee.com/y_project/RuoYi-Vue
Vue	https://github.com/vuejs/vue (v2) / https://github.com/vuejs/core (v3)
Element Plus	https://github.com/element-plus/element-plus
Element Plus X	https://github.com/element-plus-x/Element-Plus-X
MyBatis	https://github.com/mybatis/mybatis-3

When the project is not in this list, identify the repo from package.json, pom.xml, or the error message itself.