Full circle philosophy
Py-simple-wrap is an open source project which I built. It is a python package that is meant both to make python easier for beginners to use by reducing boilerplate code down to 1-2 lines.
Although not something that I expected, when the first contributors started appearing, I pivoted to make the project easy to contribute to as well. I realize how overwhelming contributing can be so I decided to make the process as easy and stress free as possible to empower first time contributors to start their open source journey.
Background/Constraints
Before I get too far in rambling on about py-simple-wrap let me give you some background.
I think back not that long ago to when I first typed print("Hello, world!") on phone (yes, I started learning python on a Samsung phone using the pydroid3 app). After I typed that line I was hooked, but there were times when I almost gave up. One thing that almost made me quit is my dyslexia, small typos are insignificant anywhere else but are the make it or break it factor in a codebase. Had I given up it would have been a huge loss I wouldn't even be aware of. That's why py-simple-wrap puts such strong focus on clear function names and clear parameter names along with clear docstrings with examples.
I started working with python about a year and a half ago - not a whole lot in the grand scheme of things.
On top of that py-simple-wrap is my second ever package (I integrated my first ever package date-formatter-spcm into py-simple-wrap), with the first one being a tiny project. The first package was a much more simple version of the easy_formatter module. I also had no prior project management experience.
If that's not enough right there let me add that I also work full time as a hotel restaurant waitress, which means my time is very limited. Nevertheless, most of the time I'm not waiting tables, I'm working on some aspect of py-simple-wrap.
All of the mentioned above means that I’m also learning as I build, maintain, review code, etc. Is it challanging? Yes, for sure! Is it worth it? Without a doubt.
What about contributing?
Well, I don't have that much experience contributing either. What I do have is plenty of experience in how stressful contributing can be and how daunting that first PR is. I have anxiety. And said anxiety made me feel like a bad PR would be the end of the world, I worried I would look like a fool or a joke to other devs and like one bad PR could break someone's code (and mind you I do know that PRs can't just break someone's code).
I finally made my first PR in June of this year. I was lucky enough to volunteer at EuroPython 2026, and during the sprints I finally made my first couple of contributions — and saw my first ever merged PR happen right there in person. What made that possible was being right next to the Napari maintainers while it happened. They were warm, supportive, and helpful, with good humor and a fun, light atmosphere that made a nerve-wracking first PR feel like a lot less of a big deal. Huge shout out to the Napari team! I'm trying to bring that same atmosphere to py-simple-wrap contributions.
Unexpected growth
When I first started working on py-simple-wrap I didn't expect it to grow much. But now, within the first month and a half, we have a community of 40+ contributors, 20+ stars, 40+ forks, and I built that with zero prior project management experience. I'm proud of that.
I’m learning as I do, I keep trying to improve and do better. It’s turning out to be a wonderful, wild and wonderfully wild adventure!
Contributors Quest
As I mentioned, the amount of contributions took me by surprise, but I also realized the project being seen is a great opportunity to make yet another area more approachable. I realize all the stress and anxiety often involved in making a first PR, I also realize how important contributing to open source is, and how much of a joy it can be to build as a community (big or small).
I managed to work out a few ways to make contributing as easy as I can (and I’m still looking for more ways). I make sure there are always first-contributor, good-first-issue issues for a variety of contribution types (from docs, through tests, to working on a module), if changes on a PR are requested I try to make sure the contributor knows they can reach out for help. There is also a small (but growing) library of contributing tutorials including templates (for example docstring template), all of this is in an effort to make contributing more accessible and less scary.
Another thing I added is contributors quest, a gamified, RPG style game for the contributors with the ability to view the leaderboard, join a guild (or two, or three, for instance: 🪄 The Module Magicians' Guild, 🛡️ The Test Sentinels' Order, or 📜 The Lore Keepers' Circle), take part in challenges and more. I will admit that this particular element (contributors quest) was vibe coded in another project. I hope this small addition brings a little extra spark of fun for everyone!
AI leveraged workflows
With a few hours (1h–3h) on work days and up to 8h on days off, I needed a way to make the most of limited time and limited energy.
I'm not the biggest fan of using AI to write code — I mostly use it as a tool to help me learn, not to hand off the actual logic. But automation is a different story, so I decided to leverage it there. I used Claude and Claude Code to build workflows that handle the tasks that don't need to be done by hand.
Some of the most time-saving automations I implemented are: one that opens new issues based on modules missing tests, docs, etc., another that helps with releasing new versions to PyPI, and more. Thanks to this I was able to maximize the time I spent reviewing code, merging PRs, and of course coding!
The py-simple-wrap hope
This project has already grown to unexpected proportions, and my single biggest hope is that it grows to become not only a package that simplifies python for beginners but also a full circle of learners learning together and helping others.
When I close my eyes and imagine what I want py-simple-wrap to be I imagine this: a project with an active community that is kind and supportive, composed of python learners of all levels growing together and helping new contributors join the team and learn and grow. A full circle where newcomers can learn that contributing can be empowering, fun and exciting, and new Pythonistas get the chance to make bigger projects that make them want to understand python even more in depth.
