Starforge

Your repo gets one first impression. Starforge tells you if it is ready.

Starforge is a tiny zero-dependency CLI that audits any GitHub repository for the signals that make developers star, try, and share it. It gives you a blunt score, explains what is missing, and tells you the next best fixes before you launch.

Use it when you are about to post on GitHub, Product Hunt, Hacker News, Reddit, X, LinkedIn, or a Discord community and you want the repo to feel obvious, credible, and worth starring.

Demo

$ starforge .
Starforge score: 86/100 (B)

PASS README exists (+15)
PASS README has a quick start (+12)
PASS Demo or screenshot is obvious (+12)
TODO Share-ready metadata (+7)
     Add badges, launch links, or a short copy block people can share.

Next best move: fix share-ready metadata.

Run it on a half-finished repo and it gets direct:

Starforge score: 50/100 (D)

TODO Demo or screenshot is obvious (+12)
     Show the output or experience before asking people to install.
TODO Clear problem statement (+10)
     Explain who it is for and what pain it removes in one paragraph.
TODO CI workflow exists (+7)
     Add a GitHub Actions workflow that runs tests on pull requests.

Next best move: fix demo or screenshot is obvious, clear problem statement, contribution path exists.

Quick Start

npx starforge .

Or run it from a local checkout:

git clone https://github.com/Bharathkondur/starforge
cd starforge
npm test
node ./bin/starforge.js .

Who It Is For

• Builders launching a new open-source project
• Students publishing portfolio repositories
• Indie hackers preparing a Product Hunt or Reddit launch
• Maintainers who want more contributors
• Developers who want their README to convert visitors into users

Why

Most repositories do not fail because the code is bad. They fail because the landing experience is foggy: no quick start, no demo, no contribution path, no proof that the project is alive.

Developers decide fast. If they cannot understand the value in a few seconds, they leave. Starforge turns that fuzzy launch work into a concrete scorecard.

Checks

Starforge looks for:

• README with a clear promise
• Quick start or usage section
• Demo, screenshot, video, or playground
• Clear problem statement
• License
• Contribution path
• Tests
• GitHub Actions workflow
• Easy-to-scan commands or API
• Share-ready metadata
• Roadmap

Commands

starforge [path]
starforge --help

The score is intentionally simple. It is not an SEO oracle and it cannot promise stars. It does help you remove the friction that makes people leave without trying your project.

Share This

Short launch copy:

I built Starforge: a zero-dependency CLI that audits any GitHub repo for the signals that make developers star, try, and share it.

Run: npx starforge .
Repo: https://github.com/Bharathkondur/starforge

Suggested GitHub topics:

github open-source readme cli launch developer-tools repository-audit

Roadmap

• JSON output for CI gates
• Repository topic suggestions
• Social card checklist
• GitHub issue templates for launch polish
• README before/after examples

Contributing

Good first contributions are new checks, better wording for fixes, README examples, and launch patterns from real repositories. Keep the CLI dependency-free unless a feature truly needs more weight.

Launch Notes

For a stronger GitHub launch, publish with:

• A screenshot or short terminal GIF in the README
• Topics: github, open-source, readme, cli, launch
• A first issue labeled good first issue
• A short post showing a before and after score

License

MIT