01
Pick a project you already use.
Browse projects by language and ecosystem, or connect GitHub and we’ll show the abandoned ones your own code depends on.
unmaintained · 4.2M weekly installs exposed
Some of the code the internet runs on has no one left to look after it.
Repo Rescue matches abandoned open-source projects with people who will actually look after them, and keeps the handover safe.
Free. Join the founding waitlist.
Right now, it all runs.
Millions of installs lean on one small package. Nobody looks twice, because nothing is broken yet.
weekly installs at risk
0.0M
npm / dependency graphstatus: healthy
hover or tap any package
tiny-date-parserflatlined 2yleft-pad-ngat riskgulp-sass-liteflatlined 3yreact-modal-kitat risknode-ical-syncflatlined 18moyaml-lint-rsadoptedpdf-tinyat riskcolorjs-miniflatlined 4yexpress-rate-guardadoptedmarkdown-slugat risk
the problem
Projects don't die loudly. They just go quiet.
The maintainer gets a new job, has a baby, burns out. Issues pile up. Security fixes never land. Millions of installs keep pulling code nobody is watching.
01 / abandoned
16%
of popular GitHub projects studied were abandoned by every core developer.
16 out of every 100
02 / survived
41%
of those abandoned projects survived.
41 out of every 100
03 / rescued
86%
of the survivors were rescued by a single new developer.
86 out of every 100
04 / the point
One person is usually enough. Repo Rescue exists to make sure that person shows up.
Source: Avelino et al., 1,932 popular GitHub projects, cited in How open source projects change hands.
the idea
pulse 0 bpm
Software does not need heroes.
It needs one person who shows up.
project pulse
how it works
Two sides of one rescue.
02
Start as a co-maintainer.
Fix a few issues, ship a release, prove you’re the right person. No one hands you the keys on day one.
03
Take over for real.
Once the community and the original maintainer agree, access to the repo and the package registry moves to you.
preview — example projects
On the rescue board.
5 projects
tiny-date-parser
npm- Weekly downloads
- 2.1M
- Last commit
- 3 years ago
quickcsv-rs
crates.io- Weekly downloads
- 180K
- Last commit
- 2 years ago
pyretry-lite
PyPI- Weekly downloads
- 640K
- Last commit
- 14 months ago
go-envloader
Go- Weekly downloads
- 95K
- Last commit
- 11 months ago
color-tokens
npm- Weekly downloads
- —
- Last commit
- —
handover protocol
Handing over keys shouldn't be a leap of faith.
Taking over a project used by millions is a security decision. Every Repo Rescue handover is staged, visible and reversible.
Earn it first.
Adopters start as co-maintainers and build a track record before getting publish rights.
Verified people.
Adopters link their GitHub history; we show real contributions, not just claims.
Public handover record.
Every transfer is logged openly, so users of the package can see who owns it now and when it changed.
Maintainer has the final say.
Nothing moves without the original maintainer's approval, or a clear community process when they can't be reached.
handover timeline
- Locked
stage 01 · locked
Co-maintainer
Adopter joins as co-maintainer. Publish rights stay locked.
- Locked
stage 02 · locked
First release
A release is shipped with the original maintainer reviewing it. Publish rights stay locked.
- Unlocked
stage 03 · open
Full handover
Publish rights transfer once the maintainer approves. The change is recorded publicly.
for companies
Your product runs on someone's weekend project.
Find out which of your dependencies are quietly dying, and sponsor the developer who brings them back. Funded rescues get a maintainer paid to stay.
Dependency health scan
See which packages in your stack have no active maintainer.
Sponsor a rescue
Fund a new maintainer's first months on a project you rely on.
Rescue updates
Get notified when a critical dependency changes hands.
faq
Questions, answered.
The short version of how handovers stay safe, free and public.
Yes, for adopters and maintainers. Companies that want dependency scanning and sponsored rescues will pay; that’s how we keep it running.
No. Many projects need steady care more than genius: triaging issues, merging fixes, cutting releases. You start as a co-maintainer and grow into it.
We follow each ecosystem’s own process for unresponsive maintainers and keep every step public. We never transfer anything quietly.
Staged handovers: adopters earn publish rights only after a visible track record, and every change of ownership is logged publicly.
We’re starting with GitHub plus npm, PyPI and crates.io. Tell us yours when you join the waitlist.
Yes. You can list your project now and keep full control while you decide. Nothing changes hands until you choose a handover.
status: waitlist open
One person away from coming back.
Free for founding members