Abstract: OMERO is a mature, open‑source platform for managing microscopy data. Its API available in several programming languages has enabled the creation of client libraries for various image‑analysis tools, while the OMERO.web client can be augmented with plugins that expose additional ways of interacting with data stored on an OMERO server. A different strategy for extending OMERO is to contribute directly to the existing repositories that make up the OME ecosystem. By embedding new functionality in tools that are already widely adopted, developers reduce the overhead of promoting separate packages and avoid creating new repositories that will have to be maintained. In this talk, I will share my experience as Junior Developer working on the OME open‑source codebase, presenting contributions that arose from local use-cases, and explain how this work gave me a deeper understanding of OMERO’s architecture and increased my visibility within the community.