Item — HN Reader

The exact rules on LLM generated code submission live here:

https://forge.rust-lang.org/policies/llm-usage.html

https://rustc-dev-guide.rust-lang.org/llm-guidance/writing.h...

> Pre-arranged, non-critical, high-quality, well-tested, and well-reviewed code changes that are originally created by an LLM are allowed, with disclosure.

They clearly put a lot of thought into this and it shows. Huge respect.

> New contributors cannot create a PR using an LLM unless they first talk with a reviewer.

New contributors do not have community connections. I don't know any rust-lang/rust reviewer.

What is the correct procedure for this?

> Harassment is not allowed.

> You may not harass people for using an LLM, regardless of whether or not their use is banned by the policy.

Refreshing take. Not a fan of heavy handed moderation, but I'm still very happy to see that they have this stance given the racism-tier insults I've gotten on forums without it.

I especially like this rule:

> Don’t try to be the police for whether someone has used an LLM. You are not required to “actively look” for whether an LLM was involved.

3 comments

> New contributors do not have community connections. I don't know any rust-lang/rust reviewer.

> What is the correct procedure for this?

there's a #llm-mentoring [0] Zulip stream linked in the dev-guide [1].

[0]: https://rust-lang.zulipchat.com/join/rlfvpemsaacs3pfi6kwqnqj... [1]: https://rustc-dev-guide.rust-lang.org/llm-guidance/writing.h...

I see. Very reasonable policy. Thank you!

you're very welcome!

> What is the correct procedure for this?

in general to work on something that will get "into the rust compiler" it needs at least an RFC and then a Major Change Proposal [0]

in practice it starts with asking on zulip [1]

[0] https://forge.rust-lang.org/compiler/proposals-and-stabiliza...

[1] https://forge.rust-lang.org/how-to-start-contributing.html

Asking on zulip is the good first step, yes. But RFC or MCP is only needed for bigger changes. Majority of changes will not need that, especially the ones contributed by newcomers.

> What is the correct procedure for this?

Get involved with the project before submitting PRs, participate in discussions, etc. But if it's a change you want to contribute, don't use an LLM to write it.

> But if it's a change you want to contribute, don't use an LLM to write it.

The rules I quoted say LLM code generation is allowed should the developer contact a reviewer first and they agree to review it.

My question was about the exact procedure and etiquette for contacting these reviewers. For example, Linux has a get_maintainer.pl people can use to figure out who to email should they want to contribute something.