measuring-github-star-velocity

# GitHub Star Velocity Use this skill only when the dedicated `get_github_star_history` tool is not available. When that tool is available, prefer it for GitHub star velocity, stars gained in a recent window, day-by-day stars, star growth rate, or similar metrics for a repository. ## Prerequisites 1. Set `allow_network: true` on `execute_python_code`. 2. Read `GITHUB_TOKEN` from the subprocess environment (injected when GitHub credentials are configured). Never print the token. 3. Parse `owner/repo` from the repository URL or user input. ## API approach 1. Fetch current `stargazers_count` from `GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}`. 2. Fetch stargazers with timestamps from `GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/stargazers?per_page=100` using `Accept: application/vnd.github.v3.star+json`. 3. Each entry includes `starred_at`. Count stars where `starred_at` is within the requested window. ## Critical pagination trap Stargazers are returned **oldest first**, not newest first. Do **not** stop after the first page when the newest entries on that page fall outside the window — that produces a false zero. For responsiveness, compute the last page from `stargazers_count` and `per_page=100`, fetch newest pages by explicit `page` number in descending order, and stop once the oldest `starred_at` on a fetched page is before the window start. Only run a full historical scan when the user explicitly asks for all-time history or an audit-quality export. ## Sanity check before reporting Treat these results as suspicious and rerun with a full paginated scan before answering: - `0` stars in the last 24 hours for a repo with thousands of stars and recent activity - Velocity that implies losing stars without an explicit unstar request - Counts that disagree sharply with `stargazers_count` deltas when you have a recent baseline When a result looks wrong, widen the scan (all pages), print the most recent `starred_at` observed, and only then return the velocity. ## Output shape Return: - Total current stars - Stars gained in the window - Velocity (stars per hour and stars per day) - Window start timestamp (UTC) - Most recent `starred_at` in the window - Optional hourly breakdown for the last 24 hours