What Makes a Good TODO Comment?
TODO comments in open-source projects suffer from pervasive low quality (46.7% are vague, information-deficient, or lack practical utility) and chronic lack of resolution, demanding systematic governance. This study first proposes a multidimensional high-quality TODO criterion, empirically derived from lifecycle analysis and management practice comparison of 2,863 TODOs across GitHub’s Top 100 Java repositories. We then develop the first CodeBERT-based fine-tuned model for TODO quality assessment, achieving an F1-score of 0.89 on binary classification. Finally, we deliver actionable writing guidelines and governance recommendations. Our core contributions are threefold: (1) theoretically, the first comprehensive TODO quality assessment framework; (2) methodologically, the first deep learning–driven automated quality identification system; and (3) practically, community-adoptable, evidence-based pathways for improving TODO quality in open-source development.