Outside-in audits for open source and developer communities
Built for maintainers, DevRel teams, and open source stewards who seek honest feedback.
Commit Confidential is a covert field team for community health. We move through your docs, forums, chat, and repos like first-time contributors, logging every point of friction along the way. You receive a classified-style report with specific fixes across access, interaction, process, recognition, and safety.
- Friction audits
- Onboarding reviews
- Tone checks
- Doc clarity
- Path-to-PR maps
- Recognition loops
- Safety and moderation review
- Playbook advice
Why communities stall
Invisible friction
Docs, templates, and labels drift away from reality, forcing newcomers to guess your real process.
Slow reciprocity
Contributors ship a fix but never hear back or get named, so they do not return for round two.
Safety debt
Moderation paths, escalation options, and expectations exist in people’s heads, not in writing.
Program drift
Community teams run hard, but metrics hide the places where trust and predictability are leaking.
How a confidential audit works
A three-step playbook that stays light on your team’s time while giving you precise fixes.
Recon & targeting
Define the surfaces that matter most (docs, repos, chat, onboarding, events). You approve scope and timeline.
Field run
Agents move through your ecosystem like a new contributor. We open issues or PRs when appropriate, logging screenshots and timing.
Dossier & handoff
You receive anchored scores, a prioritized backlog, and optional readout so your team can ship improvements immediately.
What every audit delivers
Anchored scores
Ratings across access, interaction, process, recognition, and safety with plain-language anchors.
Actionable backlog
Prioritized fixes with screenshots and copy you can paste, ready for the next sprint.
First-pass narrative
Step-by-step account of how a newcomer experiences your ecosystem, free of hype.
Optional readout
Team briefing with your leads to clarify impact and sequence work without drama.
Service tiers for different depths
All tiers run on the same field playbook, with different depth. Each mission is outside-in, scored across five pillars, and delivered as a private report you can act on.
Quick Signal audit
$550 USD, flat
Fast signal when you need a quick read, not a full dossier.
- One surface, one repo or one docs or onboarding path.
- 60 to 90 minute outside-in pass.
- 2 to 3 page brief.
- Top 5 friction points.
- Top 3 "fix these now" recommendations.
Secret Shopper audit
$1,500 USD
Full journey from discovery to first contribution or engagement across your core ecosystem.
- Up to 3 surfaces in one ecosystem, for example repo, docs, primary community channel.
- Complete secret shopper journey from discovery to first contribution or first engagement.
- Scored across 5 pillars with anchored ratings.
- 10 to 15 page classified-style report.
- Prioritized backlog of fixes with screenshots and example copy.
Optional, 45 minute readout call for your team, plus $300 USD.
Program deep dive
Custom, starts at $3,000 USD
When you need to look at the whole program, not just one project.
- Multi repo and multi surface audits.
- Stakeholder interviews with maintainers and staff.
- Program level findings and recommendations.
- Workshop style readout with your team.
Proof you can share upward
Recent outcomes
- Cut onboarding time from 45 to 18 minutes for a docs-heavy OSS tool.
- Tripled “good first issue” conversions after rewriting labels and templates.
- Stabilized moderation by clarifying escalation in under two weeks.
Trusted process
Every finding is tied to a real action we took in your ecosystem. Screenshots, timestamps, and steps are included so you can replay the journey.
Open the sample dossierWho brings us in
Developer relations leads, open source program offices, maintainers under load, and funders who need a neutral read before investing.
Your name and context stay confidential unless you ask for a public story.
How we work together
Book a 20–30 minute intro
We align on goals, scope, and surfaces in play. No sales script—just enough detail to run the mission.
Book an intro callWe run the audit quietly
You get check-ins at key milestones without needing to shepherd us. Expect honest notes—not press releases.
Decide your rollout
Ship quick wins, share a sanitized readout, or engage us for a deeper program review. You stay in control of visibility.
Ask about follow-on supportOur ethics, in short
- We do not reveal personal details or name individuals.
- We describe experiences and avoid blame.
- We provide insights for improvements, free of slant.
Most wanted - targets for insight
These are active communities where feedback agents can make a difference. Approach each with curiosity and respect. We study to strengthen, not to shame.
- LibreOffice onboarding clarity mission
- Kubernetes Docs tone and accessibility review
- Blender Dev Forums recognition pathways
- Add your candidate report@commit-confidential.org
Ready for a quiet read on your community?
Send the surfaces you care about most. We’ll confirm scope, schedule, and start the mission.