diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index d1e1944b7f8..df487ccfdc1 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -37,21 +37,26 @@ reproducers, documentation improvements, and code changes are welcome.
 
 ## Coordinate before implementing
 
-Review capacity is limited. If you are contributing from outside NVIDIA:
+Our review and CI capacities are limited. If you are contributing from outside NVIDIA:
 
-- **Existing issue:** comment and wait for a maintainer to assign it to you or
+- **Existing issues:** comment and wait for a maintainer to assign it to you or
   explicitly ask you to implement it. Check existing assignments and requests
   to take the issue.
-- **New features, design changes, or CI/release infrastructure:** open an issue
-  and agree on scope and validation before implementing.
-- **Small standalone bug or documentation fixes without an existing issue:**
-  a direct PR is welcome. Explain the problem and how you checked the fix.
+- **New features, bug/documentation fixes, RFCs, or code updates/enhancements:** open an
+  issue, agree on scope and validation, and wait for the assignment before implementing.
 
-NVIDIA contributors may use normal team planning and self-assignment.
+For obvious issues, opening a one-liner issue for tracking and assignment purposes is
+completely fine.
+
+For bug reports, please include a reproducer with a clear description for the expected
+versus observed behavior. Also include the CUDA driver version and the Python environment
+information (ex: `pip list`, `conda list`, ..., depending on how the environment was
+created).
 
-Feel free to report a bug or send reproducers, measurements, and suggestions
-without an assignment. Include relevant versions and expected versus observed
-behavior in bug reports.
+Please do not send unsolicited (i.e. without prior discussion and assignment) PRs, which
+could be closed without notice subject to the team's triage.
+
+NVIDIA contributors may use normal team planning and self-assignment.
 
 Keep changes focused, understand the complete diff, and report which checks
 ran and any validation gaps.