probonopd · Oct 12, 2026 · Oct 12, 2026
diff --git a/.github/workflows/review-suspicious-stars.yml b/.github/workflows/review-suspicious-stars.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+# Looks again at the auto-discovered pull requests that got the label
+# suspicious-stars (many stars on a brand-new repository with few forks and
+# commits, see code/discover-apps.sh): 30 days later a genuine project has forks
+# in proportion to its stars (at least 10, no more than 30 stars per fork) or a
+# real commit history (300 commits). Then code/review-suspicious-stars.sh
+# removes suspicious-stars and manual-check-needed and comments once with the
+# numbers; a repository that still looks hollow keeps its labels. Monthly, and
+# by hand (a dry run by default).
+
+name: Review suspicious stars
+
+on:
+  schedule:
+    - cron: '23 5 12 * *' # monthly, a real run (the inputs below are for runs by hand)
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      days:
+        description: 'Only pull requests opened at least this many days ago'
+        type: number
+        default: 30
+      limit:
+        description: 'Clear at most this many pull requests in this run'
+        type: number
+        default: 50
+      dry_run:
+        description: 'Dry run (only print what would be cleared)'
+        type: boolean
+        default: true
+
+jobs:
+  review:
+    if: github.repository == 'AppImage/appimage.github.io'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 30
+    concurrency:
+      group: review-suspicious-stars
+      cancel-in-progress: false
+    permissions:
+      pull-requests: write
+      issues: write
+    env:
+      GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+      GITHUB_REPOSITORY: ${{ github.repository }}
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Review the labeled pull requests
+        env:
+          DAYS: ${{ github.event.inputs.days || '30' }}
+          LIMIT: ${{ github.event.inputs.limit || '50' }}
+          # A scheduled run is a real run; a run by hand is a dry run unless dry_run is false
+          DRY_RUN: ${{ github.event_name == 'schedule' && 'false' || github.event.inputs.dry_run }}
+        run: |
+          ARGS=(--days "$DAYS" --limit "$LIMIT")
+          [ "$DRY_RUN" != "false" ] && ARGS+=(--dry-run)
+          bash code/review-suspicious-stars.sh "${ARGS[@]}"
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
@@ -288,8 +288,20 @@ GitHub Pages (Jekyll) from this repository.
    a fork whose source publishes no AppImage gets the `not-upstream` label.
    A very high star count for a brand-new repository (more than ~15 stars per
    day since it was created, at least 300, under ~2 years old) can mean bought
-   or botted stars, so the PR gets the yellow `manual-check-needed` label and
-   a note (which also keeps it out of auto-merge).
+   or botted stars, but genuine projects take off like that too (in October
+   2026, 61 of 73 PRs flagged by that rule alone were genuine): so the PR is
+   only flagged when the repository also looks hollow, with fewer than 10
+   forks or more than 30 stars per fork AND fewer than 300 commits (one
+   request, the last page of `commits?per_page=1`). Then it gets the labels
+   `suspicious-stars` (the reason) and `manual-check-needed` (what auto-merge
+   and the health report look at) and a note with the numbers; a fast-growing
+   but established repository gets the numbers as a neutral note instead.
+   `.github/workflows/review-suspicious-stars.yml` (monthly, and
+   `workflow_dispatch` with `days` (30), `limit` (50) and `dry_run` (default
+   true); `code/review-suspicious-stars.sh`) looks at the labeled PRs again
+   once they are 30 days old and removes both labels with one comment (marker
+   `<!-- appimagehub-stars-review -->`) when forks or commits have caught up;
+   a repository that still looks hollow keeps them.
    The name (file in `data/`, branch
    and PR title) is the proper spelling picked by `code/pick-name.sh` from the
    repository name, the AppImage's name, the description and the README's

diff --git a/code/discover-apps.sh b/code/discover-apps.sh
@@ -735,22 +735,42 @@ while read -r FULLNAME ; do
     fi
   done
 
-  # Very high star count for a brand-new project: a sign of bought or
-  # botted stars, so a maintainer should look (label manual-check-needed).
-  # Suspicious when the repository gathered stars implausibly fast: created
-  # not long ago yet already highly starred (age in days from .created_at).
+  # Very high star count for a brand-new project: can be a sign of bought or
+  # botted stars, so a maintainer should look (labels suspicious-stars and
+  # manual-check-needed). Suspicious when the repository gathered stars
+  # implausibly fast (created not long ago yet already highly starred) AND
+  # the rest of the repository does not look like a real project: real
+  # projects that take off (the press writes about them) have forks in
+  # proportion to their stars and a commit history, bought stars have
+  # neither. In October 2026, 61 of 73 PRs flagged by the velocity rule alone
+  # were genuine (fork ratio and commit count cleared them), so a flag now
+  # needs stars/forks above 30 (or fewer than 10 forks) and fewer than 300
+  # commits (one request: the last page number of commits?per_page=1).
   SUSPICIOUS_STARS=""
+  STARS_FACTS=""
   CREATED=$(jq -r '.created_at // empty' <<<"$META")
+  FORKS=$(jq -r '.forks_count // 0' <<<"$META")
+  [[ "$FORKS" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] || FORKS=0
   if [[ "$CREATED" =~ ^[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2} ]] && [[ "$STARS" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] ; then
     CREATED_S=$(date -u -d "${CREATED%%T*}" +%s 2>/dev/null || date -u -j -f %Y-%m-%d "${CREATED%%T*}" +%s 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
     if [ "$CREATED_S" -gt 0 ] ; then
       AGE_DAYS=$(( ( $(date -u +%s) - CREATED_S ) / 86400 ))
       [ "$AGE_DAYS" -lt 1 ] && AGE_DAYS=1
       # More than 15 stars per day on average, and young enough that this is
-      # not just an old popular project (under ~2 years): flag it
+      # not just an old popular project (under ~2 years)
       if [ "$AGE_DAYS" -lt 730 ] && [ "$STARS" -ge $(( AGE_DAYS * 15 )) ] && [ "$STARS" -ge 300 ] ; then
-        SUSPICIOUS_STARS="$STARS stars for a repository created $AGE_DAYS day(s) ago ($(sanitize "${CREATED%%T*}"))"
-        echo "    suspicious stars? $SUSPICIOUS_STARS"
+        COMMITS=$(api GET "repos/$OWNER/$RNAME/commits?per_page=1" -D - -o /dev/null 2>/dev/null \
+          | grep -i '^link:' | grep -o 'page=[0-9]*>; rel="last"' | grep -o '[0-9]*' | head -n 1)
+        [[ "$COMMITS" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] || COMMITS=1
+        STARS_FACTS="$STARS stars, $FORKS forks, $COMMITS commits, created $AGE_DAYS day(s) ago ($(sanitize "${CREATED%%T*}"))"
+        # Established after all: forks in proportion (at least 10, and no more
+        # than 30 stars per fork), or a real commit history
+        if { [ "$FORKS" -ge 10 ] && [ $(( STARS / FORKS )) -le 30 ] ; } || [ "$COMMITS" -ge 300 ] ; then
+          echo "    fast-growing but established: $STARS_FACTS"
+        else
+          SUSPICIOUS_STARS="$STARS_FACTS"
+          echo "    suspicious stars? $SUSPICIOUS_STARS"
+        fi
       fi
     fi
   fi
@@ -769,7 +789,11 @@ while read -r FULLNAME ; do
   if [ -n "$SUSPICIOUS_STARS" ] ; then
     NOTE="$NOTE
 
-**Unusual star count:** $SUSPICIOUS_STARS (label \`manual-check-needed\`). A very high star count on a brand-new project can mean bought or botted stars; please check that the project is genuine before merging."
+**Unusual star count:** $SUSPICIOUS_STARS (labels \`suspicious-stars\` and \`manual-check-needed\`). Many stars on a brand-new repository with few forks and commits can mean bought or botted stars; please check that the project is genuine before merging. \`.github/workflows/review-suspicious-stars.yml\` looks at these numbers again after 30 days and removes the labels when they have become healthy."
+  elif [ -n "$STARS_FACTS" ] ; then
+    NOTE="$NOTE
+
+**Fast-growing project:** $STARS_FACTS. The forks and commits are in proportion to the stars, so it was not flagged."
   fi
   if [ -n "$VIA" ] ; then
     NOTE="$NOTE
@@ -855,7 +879,11 @@ discover-apps.yml. Needs a maintainer's review."
         API_TOKEN="$PR_TOKEN" api POST "repos/$REPO/labels" -d "$(jq -n '{name:"repackaged", color:"d4c5f9", description:"Built by a third party from someone else'"'"'s application (an unofficial AppImage, repackaged)"}')" >/dev/null
     fi
     if [ -n "$SUSPICIOUS_STARS" ] ; then
-      LABELS+=(manual-check-needed)
+      # suspicious-stars says why; manual-check-needed is what the other
+      # workflows (auto-merge, health report) look at
+      LABELS+=(suspicious-stars manual-check-needed)
+      API_TOKEN="$PR_TOKEN" api GET "repos/$REPO/labels/suspicious-stars" >/dev/null 2>&1 || \
+        API_TOKEN="$PR_TOKEN" api POST "repos/$REPO/labels" -d "$(jq -n '{name:"suspicious-stars", color:"fbca04", description:"Many stars on a brand-new repository with few forks and commits: possibly bought; review-suspicious-stars.yml re-checks after 30 days"}')" >/dev/null
       API_TOKEN="$PR_TOKEN" api GET "repos/$REPO/labels/manual-check-needed" >/dev/null 2>&1 || \
         API_TOKEN="$PR_TOKEN" api POST "repos/$REPO/labels" -d "$(jq -n '{name:"manual-check-needed", color:"fbca04", description:"A maintainer should check this before merging"}')" >/dev/null
     fi

diff --git a/code/review-suspicious-stars.sh b/code/review-suspicious-stars.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Look again at the pull requests that discover-apps.sh labeled
+# suspicious-stars (many stars on a brand-new repository with few forks and
+# commits), once they are old enough that a genuine project has grown into its
+# stars: forks in proportion (at least 10, no more than 30 stars per fork) or a
+# real commit history (300 commits). Then the labels suspicious-stars and
+# manual-check-needed are removed and one comment gives the numbers; otherwise
+# the pull request is left as it is (the comment is never repeated). Used by
+# .github/workflows/review-suspicious-stars.yml (monthly, and workflow_dispatch
+# with dry_run); runnable by hand.
+#
+# Usage: review-suspicious-stars.sh [--dry-run] [--days D] [--limit N]
+#   --days D   Only pull requests opened at least D days ago (default 30).
+#   --limit N  Clear at most N pull requests per run (default 50).
+#
+# Needs GH_TOKEN (and GITHUB_REPOSITORY, default AppImage/appimage.github.io).
+# API budget: one request per 100 labeled pull requests, then 2 per candidate
+# (repository, commit count) and 3 per cleared one; stops when fewer than
+# RESERVE (200) requests of the hour are left.
+
+set -uo pipefail
+
+REPO="${GITHUB_REPOSITORY:-AppImage/appimage.github.io}"
+DRY_RUN=false
+DAYS=30
+LIMIT=50
+while [ $# -gt 0 ] ; do
+  case "$1" in
+    --dry-run) DRY_RUN=true ;;
+    --days) DAYS="$2" ; shift ;;
+    --days=*) DAYS="${1#*=}" ;;
+    --limit) LIMIT="$2" ; shift ;;
+    --limit=*) LIMIT="${1#*=}" ;;
+    *) echo "Unknown argument: $1" >&2 ; exit 2 ;;
+  esac
+  shift
+done
+[[ "$DAYS" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] || DAYS=30
+[[ "$LIMIT" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] && [ "$LIMIT" -ge 1 ] || LIMIT=50
+MARKER='<!-- appimagehub-stars-review -->'
+L_STARS=suspicious-stars
+L_MANUAL=manual-check-needed
+WORKDIR=$(mktemp -d)
+trap 'rm -rf "$WORKDIR"' EXIT
+
+RESERVE=${RESERVE:-200}
+N_REQUESTS=0
+api() {
+  N_REQUESTS=$((N_REQUESTS + 1))
+  if [ $((N_REQUESTS % 50)) -eq 0 ] ; then
+    LEFT=$(gh api rate_limit --jq .resources.core.remaining 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+    if [ "${LEFT:-0}" -lt "$RESERVE" ] ; then
+      echo "Only $LEFT API requests left this hour (reserve $RESERVE); stopping after $N_REQUESTS requests" >&2
+      exit 4
+    fi
+  fi
+  gh api "$@"
+}
+
+CUTOFF=$(date -u -d "$DAYS days ago" +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ 2>/dev/null || date -u -v-"$DAYS"d +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)
+# Open pull requests with the label, oldest first; the repository is in the
+# body ("Repository: https://github.com/OWNER/REPO", written by discover-apps.sh)
+api --paginate "repos/$REPO/issues?state=open&labels=$L_STARS&per_page=100&sort=created&direction=asc" \
+  --jq '.[] | select(.pull_request) | [.number, .created_at, ((.body // "") | capture("Repository: https://github.com/(?<r>[A-Za-z0-9_.-]+/[A-Za-z0-9_.-]+)").r // "")] | @tsv' \
+  > "$WORKDIR/prs.tsv" 2>/dev/null || true
+echo "$(wc -l < "$WORKDIR/prs.tsv") open pull requests labeled $L_STARS" >&2
+
+N_CLEARED=0 ; N_KEPT=0 ; N_YOUNG=0 ; N_NOREPO=0
+: > "$WORKDIR/summary.md"
+while IFS=$'\t' read -r N CREATED OR ; do
+  [ "$N_CLEARED" -lt "$LIMIT" ] || break
+  if [[ "$CREATED" > "$CUTOFF" ]] ; then N_YOUNG=$((N_YOUNG + 1)) ; continue ; fi
+  if [ -z "$OR" ] ; then N_NOREPO=$((N_NOREPO + 1)) ; echo "#$N: no repository in the body; left alone" ; continue ; fi
+  META=$(api "repos/$OR" 2>/dev/null) || { echo "#$N: $OR not readable; left alone" ; N_KEPT=$((N_KEPT + 1)) ; continue ; }
+  STARS=$(jq -r '.stargazers_count // 0' <<<"$META") ; FORKS=$(jq -r '.forks_count // 0' <<<"$META")
+  [[ "$STARS" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] || STARS=0 ; [[ "$FORKS" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] || FORKS=0
+  COMMITS=$(api -i "repos/$OR/commits?per_page=1" 2>/dev/null | grep -i '^link:' | grep -o 'page=[0-9]*>; rel="last"' | grep -o '[0-9]*' | head -n 1)
+  [[ "$COMMITS" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] || COMMITS=1
+  FACTS="$STARS stars, $FORKS forks, $COMMITS commits"
+  if { [ "$FORKS" -ge 10 ] && [ $(( STARS / FORKS )) -le 30 ] ; } || [ "$COMMITS" -ge 300 ] ; then
+    if [ "$DRY_RUN" = true ] ; then
+      echo "#$N ($OR): would clear ($FACTS)"
+    else
+      {
+        echo "$MARKER"
+        echo "The repository was flagged for an unusual star count when this pull request was opened. $DAYS days later it has $FACTS: forks and commits in proportion to the stars, as with a genuine project, so the labels \`$L_STARS\` and \`$L_MANUAL\` are removed. The test result above still decides whether the AppImage can be merged."
+      } > "$WORKDIR/c.md"
+      api -X POST "repos/$REPO/issues/$N/comments" -F body=@"$WORKDIR/c.md" >/dev/null
+      api -X DELETE "repos/$REPO/issues/$N/labels/$L_STARS" >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
+      api -X DELETE "repos/$REPO/issues/$N/labels/$L_MANUAL" >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
+      echo "#$N ($OR): cleared ($FACTS)"
+    fi
+    echo "- #$N \`$OR\`: cleared ($FACTS)" >> "$WORKDIR/summary.md"
+    N_CLEARED=$((N_CLEARED + 1))
+  else
+    echo "#$N ($OR): still suspicious ($FACTS)"
+    echo "- #$N \`$OR\`: still suspicious ($FACTS)" >> "$WORKDIR/summary.md"
+    N_KEPT=$((N_KEPT + 1))
+  fi
+done < "$WORKDIR/prs.tsv"
+
+{
+  echo "## Suspicious stars, reviewed"
+  echo
+  W=$([ "$DRY_RUN" = true ] && echo " (would be)")
+  echo "Cleared$W: $N_CLEARED; still suspicious: $N_KEPT; younger than $DAYS days: $N_YOUNG; no repository in the body: $N_NOREPO. API requests: $N_REQUESTS."
+  echo
+  cat "$WORKDIR/summary.md"
+  [ "$DRY_RUN" = true ] && echo && echo "(dry run: nothing was changed)"
+} | tee -a "${GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY:-/dev/null}"
+exit 0