Frequently asked questions
How RepoGrade scores repositories, and what to do with the result.
- What is RepoGrade?
RepoGrade scores any public GitHub repository on engineering quality and portfolio-readiness. It runs a fixed 13-check rubric across three groups (Documentation, Engineering, and Project health) and returns a 0 to 100 score, a letter grade, and specific fixes for what is missing.
Grade a repo- Is it free, and do I need an account?
Yes, it is free, and no account or sign-in is required. Paste a public GitHub repository URL and you get the report immediately.
- How is the score calculated?
Every repo is scored on the same weighted rubric: Documentation (README, install and run instructions, license, contributing guide), Engineering (tests, CI/CD, reproducibility, issue templates, linting), and Project health (dependency manifest, repository metadata, activity, housekeeping). Each check contributes a fixed weight to the overall 0 to 100 score.
See what each check means- What do the grades mean?
A is 90 to 100 (portfolio ready), B is 80 to 89 (strong, minor gaps), C is 70 to 79 (functional but missing trust signals), D is 60 to 69 (rough, several fundamentals absent), and F is below 60 (hard to evaluate, reproduce, or trust).
Why grades matter- Is the grade an opinion, or is it deterministic?
It is deterministic and rule-based, not an LLM opinion. The same repository at the same commit always produces the same score, so results are reproducible and comparable across projects.
- Can RepoGrade grade private repositories?
No. RepoGrade only reads public repositories through the public GitHub API. It never asks for access to private code.
- How often are grades updated, and how do I re-grade?
A report is cached and refreshed when the repository has new commits since it was last scanned. Opening a repo's report page will re-grade it in the background if the cached result is stale, so pushing improvements and reloading the report shows your new score.
- How do I add the grade badge to my README?
Open your repository's report page and copy the Markdown badge snippet shown there into your README. The badge is a live SVG that updates automatically each time the repo is re-graded.
Grade your repo to get its badge- A check does not apply to my project. Can I exclude it?
Some checks (for example CI, which may live in a separate private repo) can be marked Not Applicable on the report to see an adjusted score for your own view. The canonical score used on the leaderboard always counts every check.
Still have a question, or ready to see where your repo stands?