Lazarus

Analyze health status of single repo.
Get detailed list of missing elements for turning dead project into MVP.
Get quick status overview of repos per profile.

Inspiration

We all have multiple dead repos that have been haunting us. There are so many projects I started, got 70% done, then forgot about or just moved on. Every time I look at my GitHub, I feel like I wasted that time. I kept telling myself "I'll finish them eventually" but never did. Lazarus was born from wanting that time back.

What it does

Chrome extension that detects your abandoned GitHub projects as you browse. Shows a death score, analyzes what's missing to reach MVP using AI, then generates the code to close the gap and creates a PR. Turns your graveyard into a portfolio.

How we built it

Chrome extension (Manifest V3) injecting buttons directly into GitHub's UI Node.js backend with Express Gemini API for code analysis and generation with structured JSON outputs MongoDB Atlas for caching analyses and tracking resurrections

Challenges we ran into

Finding a good algorithm for "is this repo dead?" was surprisingly hard. Last commit date isn't enough—some repos are just stable. Had to balance multiple signals: commit age, WIP indicators, README promises vs actual code. Also struggled with the tradeoff between good code generation (thorough analysis) vs fast code generation (snappy UX).

Accomplishments that we're proud of

The whole thing actually works—no faking. You can point it at any dead repo and it genuinely analyzes and generates useful code. Also: first Chrome extension I've ever built. Always wanted to learn, finally did it.

What we learned

Chrome extension development from scratch. How to get structured outputs from Gemini. That death detection is more nuanced than it sounds.

What's next for Lazarus

Refining the death detection algorithm, polishing UI and performance, then releasing it publicly. I genuinely think every developer should have this to reclaim time lost in buried projects.