GitHub Contributor Auto-Follow Script

follow_all_contributer.py

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import os, sys, time, argparse, requests
from urllib.parse import urlparse, parse_qs

API = "https://api.github.com"

def gh_headers(token):
    return {
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {token}",
        "Accept": "application/vnd.github+json",
        "X-GitHub-Api-Version": "2022-11-28",
        "User-Agent": "follow-contributors-script"
    }

def paged_get(url, headers, params=None):
    params = params or {}
    while url:
        r = requests.get(url, headers=headers, params=params)
        if r.status_code == 403 and r.headers.get("X-RateLimit-Remaining") == "0":
            reset = int(r.headers.get("X-RateLimit-Reset", "0"))
            sleep_for = max(0, reset - int(time.time()) + 2)
            print(f"[rate-limit] sleeping {sleep_for}s until reset…", flush=True)
            time.sleep(sleep_for)
            continue
        r.raise_for_status()
        yield r.json()
        # pagination
        link = r.headers.get("Link", "")
        next_url = None
        for part in link.split(","):
            if 'rel="next"' in part:
                next_url = part[part.find("<")+1:part.find(">")]
                break
        url, params = next_url, None  # after first page, GitHub encodes params in the URL

def list_contributors(owner, repo, headers):
    url = f"{API}/repos/{owner}/{repo}/contributors"
    for page in paged_get(url, headers, params={"per_page": 100, "anon": "false"}):
        for c in page:
            yield c

def list_i_follow(headers):
    url = f"{API}/user/following"
    following = set()
    for page in paged_get(url, headers, params={"per_page": 100}):
        for u in page:
            following.add(u["login"])
    return following

def is_bot(login, user_type):
    return user_type == "Bot" or login.endswith("[bot]") or login.lower().endswith("-bot")

def follow_user(login, headers, dry_run=False):
    if dry_run:
        return True, "dry-run"
    r = requests.put(f"{API}/user/following/{login}", headers=headers)
    if r.status_code in (204, 304):
        return True, r.status_code
    return False, f"{r.status_code}: {r.text}"

def main():
    ap = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Follow all contributors of a GitHub repo (safely).")
    ap.add_argument("--repo", required=True, help="Format: owner/repo")
    ap.add_argument("--min-commits", type=int, default=1, help="Only follow contributors with >= this many commits")
    ap.add_argument("--include-bots", action="store_true", help="Include bot accounts (default: skip)")
    ap.add_argument("--limit", type=int, default=50, help="Max follows to perform this run")
    ap.add_argument("--dry-run", action="store_true", help="Print who would be followed without doing it")
    args = ap.parse_args()

    token = "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
    if not token:
        print("ERROR: set GITHUB_TOKEN with scope user:follow", file=sys.stderr)
        sys.exit(1)
    headers = gh_headers(token)

    try:
        owner, repo = args.repo.split("/", 1)
    except ValueError:
        print("ERROR: --repo must be like owner/repo", file=sys.stderr)
        sys.exit(1)

    print(f"[info] fetching contributors for {owner}/{repo}…")
    existing = list_i_follow(headers)
    to_follow = []
    for c in list_contributors(owner, repo, headers):
        login = c.get("login")
        if not login:
            continue
        if not args.include_bots and is_bot(login, c.get("type", "")):
            continue
        if c.get("contributions", 0) < args.min_commits:
            continue
        if login in existing:
            continue
        to_follow.append((login, c.get("contributions", 0)))

    # Sort by contributions (desc) to prioritize meaningful accounts
    to_follow.sort(key=lambda x: x[1], reverse=True)
    if args.limit:
        to_follow = to_follow[: args.limit]

    print(f"[plan] {len(to_follow)} accounts to follow (limit applied).")
    success, fail = 0, 0
    for i, (login, contribs) in enumerate(to_follow, 1):
        ok, detail = follow_user(login, headers, args.dry_run)
        status = "OK" if ok else "FAIL"
        print(f"[{i}/{len(to_follow)}] {status} follow @{login} (commits={contribs}) -> {detail}")
        if ok: success += 1
        else: fail += 1
        # Gentle pacing to avoid secondary abuse detection
        time.sleep(0.4 if not args.dry_run else 0)

    print(f"[done] success={success} fail={fail} dry_run={args.dry_run}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

GitHub Contributor Auto-Follow Script

Description

A smart automation script that lets you instantly follow all contributors of any GitHub repository — safely, efficiently, and within API rate limits.
Designed for developers, recruiters, and open-source enthusiasts who want to connect with active contributors in their field.

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🚀 Key Features

• Contributor Discovery: Fetches all human contributors of any owner/repo using the GitHub API.
• Bot Filtering: Automatically skips bots and organization service accounts.
• Custom Filters: Set minimum commit thresholds, daily follow caps, or dry-run previews.
• Rate Limit Management: Smart sleep logic to comply with GitHub’s API limits.
• CLI Ready: Simple one-line command — just provide your repository name and token.
• Secure & Private: Works with your own personal access token; no external dependencies.

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Use Cases

• Build your professional GitHub network based on meaningful contribution activity.
• Discover potential collaborators or hire open-source developers.
• Automate community engagement for your organization’s repositories.

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Example Command

python follow_contributors.py --repo vercel/next.js --limit 25 --min-commits 3