June 8, 2026
GitHub, but make it dramatic
Show HN: Gitdot – a better GitHub. Open-source, anti-AI, and written in Rust
A GitHub rival says no to AI, and the crowd is already split, swooning, and side-eyeing
TLDR: Gitdot is pitching itself as a polished new alternative to GitHub with no AI features and a strong anti-monopoly message. Commenters love the design and attitude, but they’re already arguing over usability, whether it should even be a website, and what makes it truly different from existing rivals.
A new project called Gitdot has arrived with main character energy: it wants to be a "better GitHub," built for people who treat coding like a craft, not a content farm. Its pitch is bold and very specific — open source, written in Rust, no AI assistant, no popularity-chasing stars, and no free private repos. Translation for normal people: it wants to be a cleaner, stricter home for public software projects, and it is very much selling taste as much as tools.
The community reaction? Instant fascination with a side of suspicion. Some people were clearly charmed by the sleek look, with one admirer calling the design "neat" and even shouting out the hexagon pattern like it was a runway accessory. Another commenter basically said, "I wanted to build something like this too," praising the open-source angle and the anti-AI stance as a quality signal rather than a gimmick.
But the honeymoon got messy fast. One user was already annoyed by how browsing files works, complaining that hovering changes the file preview when they just want to click like a normal person. Another came in with the classic power-user grenade: why is this even a website at all? If it’s inspired by command lines, they argued, why not go full command line? And then came the sharpest question of all: how is this different from Forgejo, an existing alternative? That’s the real tension hanging over the launch — people like the vibe, but they want proof this isn’t just anti-AI branding wrapped in very pretty design.
Key Points
- •Gitdot is presented as an open-source alternative to GitHub aimed at open-source maintainers.
- •The project says it is addressing limited competition in open-source hosting and cites CI as a current pain point.
- •Planned features include a Rust-based Git server, secure and locally testable CI/CD, and a maintainer-focused issue tracker.
- •Gitdot says it will not offer an AI copilot, vanity stars, or free private repositories; public repos will be free and private repos paid.
- •The team states a target readiness date of May 1, 2026, and plans to publish weekly developer logs about progress and product decisions.