Gitingest packs a code repository into one text file that a language model can read: a summary, the directory tree and the contents of every file, with a token count so you know whether it will fit. The quickest way to use it is the URL trick: replace hub with ingest in any GitHub address, so github.com/user/repo becomes gitingest.com/user/repo, and the digest appears in the browser.
It also comes as a command-line tool and a Python library, which work on local folders, public URLs and, with a token, private repositories. It skips files in .gitignore by default, can include submodules, and writes to a file or standard output for piping into other tools. Browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox add a button to GitHub pages.
About 16,000 stars, MIT-licensed, with v0.3.1 the latest release. The main branch has seen few commits since August 2025, so treat it as finished rather than fast-moving. If you need compression or secret filtering, Repomix does a similar job with more options.
- Repository: github.com/coderamp-labs/gitingest
- Licence: MIT (MIT License)
- Language: Python. Stars: 16K. Forks: 1,198. Last push: Oct 24, 2026.
- Scan: safe, Oct 26, 2026, commit 4e259a0
Who it is for
Developers who ask chat models about codebases, people reviewing an unfamiliar repository, and anyone building tools that feed code to an LLM.
Getting started
1. Install the command-line tool
pipx install gitingest2. Make a digest of a GitHub repository (writes digest.txt)
gitingest https://github.com/coderamp-labs/gitingest3. Or of a local folder, printed to the terminal
gitingest /path/to/directory -o -For private repositories pass --token or set GITHUB_TOKEN; a fine-grained token with read-only access to just the repositories you need is the safer choice.
Safety scan
We cloned coderamp-labs/gitingest at commit 4e259a0 on Oct 26, 2026 and ran the checks described on the GitHub Tools page: credential patterns, decode-and-execute code, install-time scripts, committed binaries, risky CI workflows, every host the code talks to, known vulnerabilities in pinned dependencies, and project hygiene. A person read every hit. This is what we found.
- The one secret hit, in tests/test_git_utils.py, is a made-up GitHub token used to test token handling. No suspicious code patterns, no committed binaries and no bare-IP URLs in about 11,000 lines.
- The PostHog analytics host (eu.i.posthog.com) is loaded by the web server's page template, which is what gitingest.com runs; the command-line tool and Python package do not use it.
- The only installer script, .docker/minio/setup.sh, sets up a local MinIO bucket for the self-hosted server's development stack.
- No lockfile, so known advisories were not looked up. 12 workflows, none using pull_request_target; 17 of 27 third-party actions pinned to commits. Security policy, CodeQL, Renovate and contributing guide present. OpenSSF Scorecard 5.7, held back by low recent activity.
What the scanner counted
| Check | Result |
|---|---|
| Secrets | 1 candidate found and read; see the notes above. |
| Suspicious code | None found. |
| Install-time code | 1 installer script |
| Committed binaries | None. |
| CI workflows | 12 workflows. None use pull_request_target. 10 of 27 third-party actions pinned to a tag rather than a commit. |
| Network hosts | 18 distinct hosts referenced from source; most often github.com, gitlab.com, bitbucket.org, git.example.com. No URLs to bare IP addresses. |
| Known vulnerabilities | No lockfile to check: dependencies are declared as ranges, so what gets installed is whatever is current on the day. |
| Project hygiene | Has security policy, automated dependency updates, CodeQL, licence file, contributing guide. |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | 5.7 out of 10, as of Oct 20, 2026. |
The raw findings
Every hit the scanner wrote out, with a link to the exact line at the scanned commit. Secrets candidates are redacted.
Secret candidates (1, redacted)
| Where | Rule | Match |
|---|---|---|
| tests/test_git_utils.py:110 | github-token | github…234 (47 chars) |
Installer scripts (1)
- .docker/minio/setup.sh, 34 lines
By the numbers
| Stars | 16K |
|---|---|
| Forks | 1,198 |
| Contributors | 55 |
| Commits | 405 |
| Open issues | 7 |
| Open pull requests | 15 |
| Releases | 7 |
| Latest release | v0.3.1 |
| Licence | MIT |
| Main language | Python |
| Project age | 1 year |
| Last push | Oct 24, 2026 |
| Tracked files | 125 |
| Lines of code | 10.8K |
| Checkout size | 561 KB |
Lines by language: Python 7,811, YAML 1,396, JavaScript 680, Markdown 662, TOML 134, Shell 34.
Questions
Is Gitingest free?
Yes. Gitingest is open source under the MIT licence, and gitingest.com is free to use for public repositories.
Does Gitingest work with private repositories?
Yes, from the command line or Python package with a GitHub personal access token passed as --token or the GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable. Use a read-only token scoped to the repositories you need.
What is the difference between Gitingest and Repomix?
Both pack a repository into one prompt. Gitingest is simpler and has the handy URL trick and website; Repomix has more options, such as code compression, secret scanning and an MCP server, and is updated more often.
This post is part of GitHub Tools, where every repository is cloned and scanned before it is written up. The scan is a snapshot of one commit on one day; the repository has moved on since, so check it before you install.