# Starboard articles

Guides on evaluating GitHub repositories, reading tool signals, and choosing open-source dependencies.

- [A Due-Diligence Checklist for Evaluating a GitHub Repository](https://starboard.codevetter.com/articles/a-due-diligence-checklist-for-evaluating-a-github-repository.md): Discover a structured due-diligence checklist for evaluating open-source GitHub repositories. Learn to assess relevance, track real tool usage, and make evidence-backed decisions.
- [Confidence and provenance in automated tool detection](https://starboard.codevetter.com/articles/confidence-and-provenance-in-automated-tool-detection.md): Explore the technical challenges of automated tool detection. Learn why tracing recommendations to exact repository evidence and transparent confidence levels matter.
- [Designing public repository discovery before sign-in](https://starboard.codevetter.com/articles/designing-public-repository-discovery-before-sign-in.md): How Starboard enables open-source repository discovery and tool intelligence for developers before requiring GitHub authentication.
- [Detecting tools from manifests without overstating certainty](https://starboard.codevetter.com/articles/detecting-tools-from-manifests-without-overstating-certainty.md): Learn how Starboard detects tools across repositories by using manifests and SBOMs while clearly defining confidence levels to avoid overstating certainty.
- [How Project Context Improves Open-Source Recommendations](https://starboard.codevetter.com/articles/how-project-context-improves-open-source-recommendations.md): Generic trending lists fail to consider what you're actually building. Learn how starting with your own GitHub project context leads to more relevant open-source tool discovery.
- [How Semantic Search Changes Repository Discovery](https://starboard.codevetter.com/articles/how-semantic-search-changes-repository-discovery.md): Learn how semantic search is transforming open-source repository discovery by moving beyond lexical matching to context-aware, evidence-backed tool recommendations.
- [How to compare GitHub repositories beyond stars and forks](https://starboard.codevetter.com/articles/how-to-compare-github-repositories-beyond-stars-and-forks.md): Learn how to evaluate open source projects by analyzing tool evidence, project context, and semantic similarity instead of just GitHub stars and forks.
- [How to Make Open-Source Tool Recommendations Explainable](https://starboard.codevetter.com/articles/how-to-make-open-source-tool-recommendations-explainable.md): Discover how to build explainable open-source tool recommendations by grounding suggestions in project context, semantic discovery, and visible source evidence.
- [Popularity vs relevance when choosing an open-source dependency](https://starboard.codevetter.com/articles/popularity-vs-relevance-when-choosing-an-open-source-dependency.md): When selecting an open-source dependency, GitHub stars only tell part of the story. Learn why relevance, evidence, and project context matter more than popularity.
- [Turning GitHub Stars into a Useful Personal Technical Library](https://starboard.codevetter.com/articles/turning-github-stars-into-a-useful-personal-technical-library.md): Learn how to organize your GitHub stars into a searchable, categorized personal technical library using tags, collections, semantic search, and project-aware discovery.
- [Using Similar Repositories as Evidence for Tool Recommendations](https://starboard.codevetter.com/articles/using-similar-repositories-as-evidence-for-tool-recommendations.md): Discover how analyzing similar open-source projects provides concrete, evidence-backed recommendations for your tech stack, moving beyond generic popularity metrics.
- [What an SBOM can reveal about a repository's tools](https://starboard.codevetter.com/articles/what-an-sbom-can-reveal-about-a-repository-s-tools.md): Discover how Software Bill of Materials (SBOMs) provide concrete evidence of the tools, frameworks, and dependencies used within open-source repositories.
- [Why connected-project discovery should request minimal GitHub permissions](https://starboard.codevetter.com/articles/why-connected-project-discovery-should-request-minimal-github-permissions.md): Learn why developer tools integrating with GitHub projects should request minimal OAuth permissions and how Starboard implements this principle for secure discovery.