Repo launch checklist + a Claude Code prompt for every step

In the three weeks before 7 November 2026, three repos blew up on GitHub: CleanYourTV (53,247 stars, created 17 October), gpu-unlock (17,566 stars, created 18 October) and pixelfx (5,580 stars, created 30 October). What they share is not a perfect checklist.

Strangers star the first screen. Then the launch decides how many strangers see it.

Read this guide: https://codewithnishant.dev/free/repo-launch-checklist-claude-code/ Then audit this repo like a stranger who has ten seconds on its GitHub page. Check it against every step in the guide: the first screen (a visual at the top, one bold line that names the problem and says it fixes it, a proof number right under it), a one-command or PROMPT.md install, a LICENSE file in the root, topics, a social preview image, CI, CONTRIBUTING, issue templates and good first issues. Give me a table: step, pass or fail, what a stranger sees now, and the exact fix. Do not change any files until I approve the list. Then fix the approved items one at a time, show me each diff, and never invent numbers, benchmarks or features the code does not have.

01. What the stars actually follow

I pulled the three repos from the GitHub API on 7 November 2026. The usual checklist items are mixed. The first screen is not.

None set a custom social preview, and one has no license GitHub can see. All three open with a visual and one sentence that says what you get. That is the part to get right first. The rest still matters for trust and contributors, so it is all below, in order.

02. The first screen

What a stranger sees before scrolling

1. A visual before a single word. A GIF of the thing working beats any paragraph. VHS records terminal demos from a script, so the GIF is reproducible.

Write a VHS tape file that records my main command running on a small example, export it as a GIF under 5 MB, and put it at the very top of the README with alt text.

2. One bold line that names the pain. gpu-unlock's line works because it names a problem you did not know you had, then promises the fix.

Rewrite the first line of my README: name the problem my repo solves, then say it fixes it, in under twelve words. Give me five options and do not claim anything the code does not do.

3. Proof right under it. One real number from your own benchmark or a before/after.

Run a before/after benchmark of the main feature on my machine, save the script in the repo, and put the headline number with how it was measured right under the README's first line.

4. A try link. pixelfx links a live gallery in its first lines. If people can try it in the browser, link it above the install.

03. Install and license

Before you write the install, set up the project files Claude Code reads first (the 8 files guide), so its fixes follow your rules.

5. One command, or one prompt. CleanYourTV's Quick start tells you to clone the repo, open it in a coding assistant and paste PROMPT.md. That is a new kind of install: the assistant does the steps and asks before touching anything.

Make install a single command (npx, pipx, brew or a curl script) and test it in a clean folder. Then write a PROMPT.md so anyone can install this by pasting it into Claude Code: list what it checks first, what it asks before changing, and how to undo it.

6. A LICENSE file in the root. GitHub's docs say that without a license, default copyright applies, so nobody may legally reuse your code. Put the file in the root so GitHub detects it and shows it in the About box, unlike gpu-unlock.

Add an MIT LICENSE file in the repo root with my name and this year, and a license badge in the README. If my dependencies need a different license, tell me before you add it.

04. Trust signals

These do not make a stranger star the repo on their own, but they decide whether people use it and come back.

• Topics: add up to 20 in the About box so people find it in GitHub search and topic pages.
• Social preview: Settings, Social preview. PNG, JPG or GIF under 1 MB, at least 640×320, 1280×640 looks best. It is what shows when your link is shared on X, LinkedIn or Slack.
• CI badge that is green, so people trust the main branch.
• CONTRIBUTING.md, issue templates and good first issues, so the first visitors who want to help know where to start.
• A tagged release with a changelog, so people can pin a version.

Suggest 10 GitHub topics for this repo, write a CONTRIBUTING.md, add bug and feature issue templates, set up a CI workflow that runs the tests, and draft three good first issues with clear steps. Show me everything before committing.

05. Launch day

Launch it like an event, not a commit. A November 2025 arXiv study of 138 AI and LLM repo launches found an average of about 121 stars in the first 24 hours after a Hacker News post, 189 in 48 hours and 289 in a week. The median was much lower: a few viral launches pull the average up. The study also found no significant boost from the "Show HN" tag itself after controls, so the project and the post matter more than the label.

Show HN rules. From the official guidelines: it must be something you made that people can try, ideally without signups or emails, the title starts with "Show HN", landing pages and reading material are off topic, and you must not ask friends to upvote or comment.

Write my Show HN title (starts with "Show HN:", under 80 characters, says what it does, no hype words) and my first comment: what it is, why I built it, how to try it in one line, what is not done yet, and one question for feedback.

GitHub Trending is about speed. GitHub does not publish the algorithm, but it is widely observed to rank recent star growth, not totals. That is why spacing launches works.

06. The 7-day launch plan

Make a 7-day launch plan for this repo: the best subreddit, the Product Hunt tagline, an X thread with the GIF, two awesome-lists that fit and their submission rules, and a short reply template for issues. Write every post in plain words and never ask anyone to upvote.

07. For students, devs and teams

• Students: a launched repo is portfolio proof. Pin it on your GitHub profile, put the one-line pitch and the star count on your resume, and link the Show HN thread.
• Devs with a side project: run the 7-day plan once per meaningful release, not once per commit. If the app is slow, fix that first with the speed prompt pack.
• Teams open-sourcing tools at work: get approval first, strip secrets from git history (not only from the latest commit), pick the license with whoever owns the code, and decide who answers issues before launch day.

Before this repo goes public, scan the full git history for secrets, keys, internal URLs and customer names, list every hit with the commit, and propose how to remove them. Do not rewrite history until I approve.

08. What not to do

• Never buy stars. Researchers have found millions of suspected fake stars on GitHub, and fake-star campaigns get repos flagged and trust lost.
• Do not ask for upvotes on Hacker News. It is against the rules and it gets posts penalized.
• Do not launch before it works for a stranger on a clean machine. One broken install in the first hour costs more than a late launch.

FAQ

What gets an open source repo GitHub stars?

Mostly the first screen of the README and the launch. CleanYourTV, gpu-unlock and pixelfx all open with a visual and one bold line that says what the project does, and none of them set a custom social preview image. Hygiene items still help people trust and use the repo, but they are not what makes a stranger star it.

How many stars does a Hacker News launch bring?

A November 2025 arXiv study of 138 AI and LLM repository launches found an average of about 121 stars in the first 24 hours, 189 in 48 hours and 289 in a week. The median was much lower, and the Show HN tag itself showed no significant advantage after controls.

How does GitHub Trending work?

GitHub does not publish the algorithm. It is widely observed to rank recent star growth rather than total stars, so spacing launches across several days can put a repo on Trending more than once.

Do I need a license on my GitHub repo?

Yes, if you want people to use it. Without one, default copyright applies. Put a LICENSE file in the root so GitHub detects it.

Can Claude Code prepare a repo for launch?

Yes. It can rewrite the README top, add a license, record a demo GIF with VHS, write a PROMPT.md install, add topics and templates, and draft your Show HN post. You review and post everything yourself.

What I checked, and what I did not

On 7 November 2026 I pulled star counts, creation dates, licenses, topics and the custom-preview flag for the three repos from the GitHub API, read their READMEs, read the Show HN guidelines, GitHub's docs on licenses and social previews, and the arXiv study's abstract and results. GitHub Trending's ranking is not published, so that part is observation, not documentation. The prompts are mine. I have not launched these three repos or run their code. Thanks to the makers of CleanYourTV, gpu-unlock and pixelfx for building in the open.

Fix the first screen. Then launch it like an event, one platform a day.