65
/ 100
Hugely popular, but the engineering hasn't kept pace — start with CI and the README.
Linux kernel source tree
A low grade is a to-do list, not a judgment of your code
Most gaps here are documentation, tests, and setup, not the code itself. Closing your top 3 gaps alone would lift this repo to A (90).
See your top fixesTop fixes
Highest-impact changes first, ranked by point weight
- 1Tests18pt
Wire your tests to a documented command (e.g. a test script in your build config) so the suite is reproducible.
- 2CI/CD14pt
If your CI lives elsewhere (a private repo that builds this one) or this project is itself a CI/CD tool, mark this check Not Applicable. Otherwise add a GitHub Actions workflow that runs tests on each push. It takes 15 minutes and reassures contributors their changes won't break things.
- 3README12pt
Break it into sections (Overview, Install, Usage, Contributing) using Markdown headings.
- 4README12pt
Add a GIF, screenshot, or logo image. It is the fastest way to show what your project does.
Working through the fixes? Let every push regrade itself.
The free GitHub App rescans this repo on every push and posts the grade as a commit check, so the score climbs without coming back to rescan by hand.
Scorecard
Every check, grouped by category and sorted worst-first
Documentation
70
This repository is large enough that GitHub truncated the file tree. The scan is based on a partial file list, so some checks may under-report.
CONTRIBUTING guide found.
README documents how to install the project.
Licensed under Other.
Engineering
48
No CI configuration detected in this repository.
→ If your CI lives elsewhere (a private repo that builds this one) or this project is itself a CI/CD tool, mark this check Not Applicable. Otherwise add a GitHub Actions workflow that runs tests on each push. It takes 15 minutes and reassures contributors their changes won't break things.
No issue or PR templates found (−100 pts).
→ Add .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/ with bug_report.md and feature_request.md to guide contributors. It dramatically improves issue quality.
Lockfile present (Documentation/sphinx/requirements.txt). Installs are reproducible.
Test files detected (arch/riscv/kernel/tests).
Linter or formatter configured (.editorconfig).
Project health
100
Dependency manifest found (Documentation/sphinx/requirements.txt).
Repository has a description.
Actively maintained (pushed within the last month).
.gitignore present.
Repository health signals
Activity, community, and responsiveness at scan time
Activity
- 1247 / 12392Commits (30d / 90d)
- 63,341Forks
- 0Releases
Community
- 42% - WeakCommunity health
- 69 bus factorauthors own >50% of commits
- 239,088Watchers
Responsiveness
- -Median issue response
- -Median PR merge time
- 3Open issues
Repository files24 root entries
- archGood: Test files detected (arch/riscv/kernel/tests).
- block
- certs
- crypto
- DocumentationGood: Licensed under Other.Good: CONTRIBUTING guide found.Issue: CONTRIBUTING guide contents could not be read (−28 pts vs a readable file).Fix: Move the file to the repo root or docs/CONTRIBUTING.md so its setup, style, test, and PR sections can be graded.Good: Lockfile present (Documentation/sphinx/requirements.txt). Installs are reproducible.Good: Dependency manifest found (Documentation/sphinx/requirements.txt).
- drivers
- LICENSES
- .clang-format
- .clippy.toml
- .cocciconfig
- .editorconfigGood: Linter or formatter configured (.editorconfig).
- .get_maintainer.ignore
- .gitattributes
- .gitignoreGood: .gitignore present.
- .mailmap
- .pylintrc
- .rustfmt.toml
- COPYING
- CREDITS
- Kbuild
- Kconfig
- MAINTAINERS
- Makefile
- READMEGood: README is present.Issue: README has little structure (−15 pts). Add 2-3 headings for +8 pts; 4+ earns +15 pts.Fix: Break it into sections (Overview, Install, Usage, Contributing) using Markdown headings.Issue: No screenshots or images in the README (−20 pts).Fix: Add a GIF, screenshot, or logo image. It is the fastest way to show what your project does.Issue: README has no code examples (−15 pts).Fix: Show a quick-start snippet so contributors can see what using your project looks like.Good: README links to a live demo or deployed app.Issue: No status badges in the README (−10 pts).Fix: Add CI/build status badges from shields.io or your CI provider to signal project health.Good: README documents how to install the project.Good: README documents how to run the project.
Add this badge to your README
It updates automatically each time the repo is re-graded.
[](https://www.repo-grade.com/report/torvalds/linux)