## TL;DR

Awesome lists are curated by humans with strong opinions; a thoughtful private note beats a cold PR.
Maintainers mostly reject for fit, not quality, so the pitch should argue fit.
Applies to GitHub awesome lists and similar curated directories.

## The query

```text
how to pitch your tool to awesome-list maintainers privately
```

## Use this when

- Your tool fits a curated awesome list's scope.
- The list accepts suggestions or outside submissions.
- You want a private approach before opening a PR.

## Not for

- The list says no self-submissions (respect it; get someone else to suggest it).
- Your tool does not clearly fit the list's scope (a bad fit wastes the maintainer's time).
- You plan to pitch dozens of lists with the same template (that is spam; pick the five best fits).

## Steps

1. Read the list's contribution guidelines and recent merged PRs to learn the actual bar.
   Expected output: A clear sense of what gets merged and why.
2. Write a short private message: what the tool is, why it fits this list's scope, and two links (repo and docs).
   Expected output: A pitch the maintainer can evaluate in under a minute.
3. If they are positive, submit the PR in exactly the list's format.
   Expected output: A PR that needs no formatting fixes from the maintainer.
4. If they say no, thank them and ask what would change the answer.
   Expected output: Either a path to inclusion later or a clean no with no burned bridge.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst__i5HG4eo4-by7AZsa6pzMQ