peer-reviewed · class of 2025

Hall of Shame

13,499 GitHub repositories inducted for buying stars.
Ranked by who has the most to lose.

Data from the ICSE 2026 StarScout paper · induction date · install the chrome extension →

Today's Nominees

Live from github.com/trending. Each contender cross-checked against the induction registry.

Registry as of . "Pending review" means the repo wasn't inducted in that snapshot — it may still have bought stars added afterward. For live verdicts, install the chrome extension.

The Wall

The thirty inductees with the most to answer for — ranked by log₁₀(stars) × bought stars. Fame counts.

Induction Criteria

criterion i

Low Activity

Accounts that starred this one repository and nothing else. The throwaway-account fingerprint of cheap fake-star sellers.

criterion ii

Lockstep

Groups of 50+ accounts that hit many repos together in tight time windows. Sophisticated farm behavior, much harder to fake by hand.

verification

90% Later Banned

GitHub's Trust & Safety team has since deleted 90% of the accounts StarScout flagged. The strongest external signal any detector has produced.

The Full Registry

All 13,499 inducted repositories. Search by name, owner, or fragment. Click any column to sort.

Repository Stars Bought % Shame

showing 0 repos

Audit Any Repo, Live

This registry is a 2025-01-01 snapshot. For a live verdict on any repository, install the Chrome extension. The same algorithm runs on every GitHub page you visit.

184k real · 99% 1.2k real · 17%