Gentoo dumps GitHub over Copilot nagware

Gentoo Linux begins its move to Codeberg

Gentoo Linux is migrating its official repository mirrors and pull request workflows from GitHub to Codeberg. The organization confirmed the transition is now underway following a pledge to leave the Microsoft-owned platform over its aggressive push for AI integration.

The Linux distribution established its presence on Codeberg on February 16. Maintainers are currently moving repository mirrors and opening the new platform for community contributions. This move fulfills a promise made last month to distance the project from GitHub’s automated coding tools.

Gentoo developers cited "continuous attempts to force Copilot usage" as the primary driver for the exit. The project seeks to maintain a development environment free from mandatory artificial intelligence assistance. This migration marks a significant shift for one of the oldest and most technically demanding Linux distributions in existence.

A strict ban on AI contributions

Gentoo leadership established a firm policy against machine-generated code in 2024. The rules expressly forbid any content created with the assistance of Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools. This ban covers all aspects of the distribution, including ebuilds, patches, and documentation.

The organization identified three core reasons for the prohibition:

• Copyright integrity: Uncertainty surrounding the legal ownership of code generated by models trained on public repositories.
• Quality control: The risk of introducing subtle bugs or "hallucinations" that automated tools often produce.
• Ethical concerns: Opposition to the way AI companies scrape open-source code to train commercial products.

Gentoo maintainers argue that AI-assisted reviews and code generation undermine the manual scrutiny required for a source-based operating system. The project relies on Portage, a package management system that compiles software from source code on the user's machine. Maintaining the integrity of these build scripts is vital for system stability and security.

The move to Codeberg ensures that Gentoo’s secondary infrastructure aligns with these philosophical goals. While GitHub remains the dominant platform for open-source hosting, its pivot toward Copilot has alienated projects that prioritize human-authored code.

The rise of AI slop

GitHub recently introduced a setting that allows maintainers to disable pull requests entirely. This feature arrived after several high-profile developers complained about a surge in low-quality contributions. Many maintainers refer to these low-effort, AI-generated submissions as "AI slop."

Microsoft acknowledged the issue earlier this year, noting that the volume of poor contributions creates "significant operational challenges." The sheer quantity of automated pull requests can overwhelm small teams of volunteers. For a project like Gentoo, which requires precise technical expertise, filtering through AI-generated patches is a waste of limited resources.

Tech commentator and developer Jeff Geerling recently highlighted this plateau in AI utility. Geerling noted that while generating code has become easier, the actual intelligence of the output has stalled. He observed that large language models are not improving at the same rate they did in previous years.

This stagnation makes AI-generated code particularly dangerous for complex systems. A model might produce code that looks correct but fails in specific, high-stakes environments. Gentoo users often run unique hardware configurations, making human-verified code a necessity rather than a luxury.

Codeberg offers a non-profit alternative

Codeberg provides a stark contrast to the corporate-owned structure of GitHub. The platform is based in Berlin, Germany, and is managed by a non-profit organization. It prioritizes privacy and free software principles over commercial monetization.

The platform runs on Forgejo, a community-driven fork of the Gitea software. Forgejo was created specifically to ensure that the development of the "forge" software remains independent and transparent. By moving to Codeberg, Gentoo is supporting a stack that mirrors its own commitment to open-source autonomy.

Gentoo will continue to manage its own primary infrastructure for core tasks. The project hosts its own Git servers, bug trackers, and mailing lists independently. The Codeberg migration specifically affects the mirrors and contribution channels that were previously hosted on GitHub.

Transitioning these services to Codeberg allows Gentoo to maintain a public-facing presence without subjecting contributors to Microsoft’s AI ecosystem. It also places the project's mirrors on a platform that does not use hosted code to train proprietary coding assistants.

The future of independent hosting

The Gentoo migration reflects a broader conversation within the Linux community regarding platform centralization. For years, GitHub has acted as the default home for open-source development. However, the integration of Copilot and OpenAI technologies has forced projects to reconsider that relationship.

Gentoo is not the only project looking for alternatives. Several major organizations have moved toward self-hosted GitLab instances or community-run forges like Codeberg. These moves are often driven by a desire to avoid "vendor lock-in" and to protect the project's intellectual property.

The migration process will occur in phases to ensure minimal disruption for users and contributors:

• Phase 1: Establishment of the Gentoo organization on Codeberg and mirror synchronization.
• Phase 2: Opening Codeberg for pull requests and community contributions.
• Phase 3: Gradual deprecation of GitHub-specific workflows.
• Phase 4: Migration of additional secondary Git repositories to the new home.

Gentoo developers confirmed that they have no plans to move their primary self-hosted infrastructure. The goal is to provide a "source shack" that respects the project's strict anti-AI policies. By choosing Codeberg, Gentoo is signaling that it values human expertise over automated convenience.

GitHub has not yet issued a formal response regarding Gentoo's departure. The loss of a high-profile, technical project like Gentoo highlights the growing friction between AI-driven platforms and the traditional open-source philosophy. As AI tools become more pervasive, more projects may follow Gentoo’s lead to preserve the quality of their codebases.