Repository Analysis

HandBrake/HandBrake

HandBrake's development repository

2.3 Likely human-written View on GitHub

Analysis Overview

This report presents the forensic synthetic code analysis of HandBrake/HandBrake, a C project with 23,759 GitHub stars. SynthScan v2.0 examined 279,135 lines of code across 1033 source files, recording 570 pattern matches distributed across 12 syntactic categories. The overall adjusted score of 2.3 places this repository in the Likely human-written band.

The scanner applied 160+ deterministic lexical heuristics, multi-line block detectors, abstract syntax tree depth profilers, and a cross-file Jaccard similarity matrix to construct a statistically normalised synthetic code estimate. All matches are individually weighted by severity coefficient and contextual multiplier before summation, and the resulting headline score is temporally discounted to account for the repository's development history relative to the commercial emergence of large language model coding tooling (November 2022 onward).

2.3
Adjusted Score
2.3
Raw Score
100%
Time Factor
2026-07-10
Last Push
23.8K
Stars
C
Language
279.1K
Lines of Code
1.0K
Files
570
Pattern Hits
2026-07-14
Scan Date
0.01
HC Hit Rate

What These Metrics Mean

Adjusted Score
Primary synthetic code indicator. Raw score normalised per 1,000 lines of code and multiplied by the temporal discount factor. This is the definitive comparative metric — use it to rank repositories by AI authorship density.
Raw Score
The unmodified sum of all severity-weighted, context-multiplied pattern match scores before temporal discounting. Reflects the absolute signal strength independent of when the repository was last active.
Time Factor
The temporal discount multiplier (0–100%) applied to the raw score. Repositories last updated before ChatGPT's launch (Nov 2022) receive a 5% factor. Full signal is only assigned to repositories active in the post-adoption era (Jan 2024+).
Pattern Hits
Total count of individual pattern matches across all files and categories. A high hit count with a low score may indicate a very large codebase with isolated AI snippets; a low count with a high score indicates dense, concentrated AI signatures.
HC Hit Rate
High+Critical pattern hits per file, averaged across the repository. This orthogonal signal catches repositories where a few files are densely packed with high-severity AI tells — a strong indicator even when the normalised score appears moderate due to codebase size.
Lines of Code / Files
Total lines and files analysed. The scanner examines 94 file extensions. These denominators are used to normalise the score, enabling fair comparison between repositories of vastly different sizes.

Score History

This chart maps the temporal evolution of the adjusted synthetic code score across successive scan runs. An upward trajectory indicates ongoing incorporation of AI-generated code or expanding LLM-assisted scaffolding; a stable or declining trajectory may reflect active human refactoring, code removal, or the adoption of stricter authorship policies. The dashed secondary line (right axis) independently tracks total raw pattern hit count, which can diverge from the normalised score when codebase size changes significantly between scans.

Severity Breakdown

Classifies detected patterns by their diagnostic confidence and structural impact. CRITICAL patterns (coefficient 10) represent definitive synthetic signatures — hallucinated imports, explicit LLM attribution metadata — virtually never produced by human authors. HIGH (5) indicates strong structural tells such as cross-file repetition or cross-linguistic idioms. MEDIUM (2) covers recognisable conversational padding and AI-specific vocabulary. LOW (1) captures subtle indicators like tautological comments and generic boilerplate that require density to carry independent signal.

CRITICAL 0HIGH 6MEDIUM 18LOW 546

Directory Score Breakdown

This horizontal bar chart decomposes the repository's raw synthetic code score by top-level directory, allowing you to pinpoint precisely which modules or components carry the highest AI authorship density. Directories with disproportionately high scores relative to their size warrant targeted manual review: concentrated AI signatures often trace back to mass-generated configuration layers, auto-ported test suites, LLM-scaffolded boilerplate classes, or entire subsystems authored under heavy copilot assistance. Use this view to prioritise your human code-review effort.

Pattern Findings

The scanner identified 570 distinct pattern matches across 12 syntactic categories. Each entry below represents a discrete location in the source code where the engine recorded a statistically significant AI authorship indicator. Expand any category row to inspect the individual file paths, line numbers, code snippets, and the lexical context (CODE, COMMENT, or STRING) in which each match was detected.

Reading the findings table: The Severity column indicates the diagnostic confidence level (CRITICAL / HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW). The Context column identifies whether the match occurred inside executable code, an inline comment, or a string literal — comment-context matches receive a ×1.5 weight because LLMs systematically over-annotate. The ⚡ bolt icon marks clustered matches: three or more patterns within a 10-line window, each receiving an additional ×1.5 density multiplier as dense clusters constitute far stronger evidence of synthetic authorship than isolated hits.

Over-Commented Block514 hits · 514 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWtest/test.c21#include <strings.h>COMMENT
LOWtest/test.c41#if defined( __APPLE_CC__ )COMMENT
LOWtest/test.c2501}COMMENT
LOWtest/test.c2521 #define NATIVE_DUB 269COMMENT
LOWtest/test.c2541 #define ENCODER_LEVEL 290COMMENT
LOWtest/test.c2561 #define QUEUE_IMPORT 312COMMENT
LOW…ake.App.Core/Exceptions/GeneralApplicationException.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…ake.App.Core/Exceptions/GeneralApplicationException.cs21 /// </summary>COMMENT
LOW…ake.App.Core/Exceptions/GeneralApplicationException.cs41 /// <param name="error">COMMENT
LOW…n/CS/HandBrake.App.Core/Extensions/StringExtensions.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrake.App.Core/Utilities/TimeSpanHelper.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrake.App.Core/Utilities/EnumHelper.cs21COMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrake.App.Core/Utilities/EnumHelper.cs81 /// <summary>COMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrake.App.Core/Utilities/EnumHelper.cs161 }COMMENT
LOW…/CS/HandBrake.App.Core/Utilities/DirectoryUtilities.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…/CS/HandBrake.App.Core/Utilities/DirectoryUtilities.cs41 /// <summary>COMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrake.App.Core/Utilities/Validate.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…HandBrake.App.Core/Utilities/DelayedActionProcessor.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…HandBrake.App.Core/Utilities/DelayedActionProcessor.cs21 /// The task.COMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrake.App.Core/Model/DriveInformation.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrake.App.Core/Model/DriveInformation.cs21COMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/AudioViewModel.cs241COMMENT
LOW…n/CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/TitleSpecificViewModel.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…/CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/QueueSelectionViewModel.cs221 this.TitleList.Clear();COMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/SubtitlesViewModel.cs81 /// <summary>COMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/SubtitlesViewModel.cs561 return true;COMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/ShellViewModel.cs21COMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/ShellViewModel.cs41 /// </summary>COMMENT
LOW…/CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/CountdownAlertViewModel.cs21 /// <summary>COMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/MetaDataViewModel.cs181 /// Setup the window after a scan.COMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/ChaptersViewModel.cs261COMMENT
LOW…/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IAboutViewModel.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IVideoViewModel.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IErrorViewModel.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…andBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IFiltersViewModel.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…WPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IPictureSettingsViewModel.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…akeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IManagePresetViewModel.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…akeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IManagePresetViewModel.cs21 /// </summary>COMMENT
LOW…ndBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IChaptersViewModel.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…eWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IQueueSelectionViewModel.cs21 /// <summary>COMMENT
LOW…ndBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IMetaDataViewModel.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IAudioViewModel.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…eWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/ICountdownAlertViewModel.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…eWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/ICountdownAlertViewModel.cs21 /// </summary>COMMENT
LOW…dBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IAddPresetViewModel.cs21 {COMMENT
LOW…keWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/ITitleSpecificViewModel.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…andBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IOptionsViewModel.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/ILogViewModel.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…S/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IMainViewModel.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…S/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IMainViewModel.cs21 public interface IMainViewModelCOMMENT
LOW…S/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IMainViewModel.cs41 /// <summary>COMMENT
LOW…S/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IMainViewModel.cs61COMMENT
LOW…S/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IMainViewModel.cs81COMMENT
LOW…S/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IMainViewModel.cs101 /// A list of files to scanCOMMENT
LOW…S/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IMainViewModel.cs121 /// <summary>COMMENT
LOW…CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/ITabInterface.cs21 /// Common interface for all the main tab panelsCOMMENT
LOW…CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/ITabInterface.cs41 /// </param>COMMENT
LOW…/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IQueueViewModel.cs1// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
LOW…/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IQueueViewModel.cs21 /// The action.COMMENT
LOW…/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/Interfaces/IQueueViewModel.cs41COMMENT
454 more matches not shown…
Excessive Try-Catch Wrapping24 hits · 42 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWmake/df-fetch.py67 except Exception:CODE
LOWmake/df-fetch.py126 except Exception as x:CODE
LOWmake/df-fetch.py136 except Exception as x:CODE
LOWmake/configure.py133 except Exception as x:CODE
LOWmake/configure.py1125 except Exception as x:CODE
LOWmake/configure.py1265 except Exception as x:CODE
LOWmake/configure.py1268 except Exception as x:CODE
LOWmake/configure.py1274 except Exception as x:CODE
LOWmake/configure.py1300 except Exception as x:CODE
LOWmake/configure.py1303 except Exception as x:CODE
LOWmake/configure.py1309 except Exception as x:CODE
LOWmake/configure.py1511 except Exception as x:CODE
MEDIUMmake/configure.py608def _action( self ):CODE
LOWmake/df-verify.py94 except Exception as x:CODE
MEDIUMscripts/create_flatpak_manifest.py113 print("Error: only one archive source permitted")CODE
MEDIUMscripts/create_flatpak_manifest.py149 print("Error: Invalid option")CODE
LOWscripts/create_resources.py44 except Exception as err:CODE
MEDIUMscripts/create_resources.py45 print("Error: %s" % str(err), file=sys.stderr)CODE
MEDIUMscripts/create_resources.py47 print("Error: No such json file %s" % fbase, file=sys.stderr)CODE
MEDIUMscripts/create_resources.py56 print("Error: No such plist file %s" % fbase, file=sys.stderr)CODE
LOWscripts/create_resources.py66 except Exception as err:CODE
MEDIUMscripts/create_resources.py67 print("Error: %s" % str(err), file=sys.stderr)CODE
MEDIUMscripts/create_resources.py70 print("Error: No such string file %s" % fbase, file=sys.stderr)CODE
MEDIUMscripts/create_resources.py97 print("Error: %s" % str(err), file=sys.stderr)CODE
Synthetic Comment Markers3 hits · 22 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
HIGH…/HandBrakeWPF/Properties/ResourcesTooltips.Designer.cs3// This code was generated by a tool.COMMENT
HIGHwin/CS/HandBrakeWPF/Properties/Resources.Designer.cs3// This code was generated by a tool.COMMENT
HIGHwin/CS/Properties/Resources.Designer.cs3// This code was generated by a tool.COMMENT
Cross-Language Confusion3 hits · 18 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
HIGHmake/configure.py704 self.msg_end = self.mode.toString()CODE
HIGHmake/configure.py783 help='select %s%s: %s' % (self.descr,self.what,self.toString()),CODE
HIGHmake/configure.py1109 ## pipe and redirect stderr to dev/null; effects communicate resultCOMMENT
AI Slop Vocabulary4 hits · 12 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
MEDIUMlibhb/bd.c453 // But clips that have seamless transition are requiredCOMMENT
MEDIUMscripts/localization/translate_win.sh9# Click on the resource to delve into itCOMMENT
MEDIUMscripts/localization/translate_linux.sh14# Click on the resource to delve into itCOMMENT
MEDIUMscripts/localization/translate_mac.sh8# Click on the resource to delve into itCOMMENT
Self-Referential Comments4 hits · 12 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
MEDIUMscripts/manicure.rb4# This file is part of the HandBrake source code.COMMENT
MEDIUMscripts/localization/translate_win.sh34# Create a bit branch for the pull requestCOMMENT
MEDIUMscripts/localization/translate_linux.sh40# Create a bit branch for the pull requestCOMMENT
MEDIUMscripts/localization/translate_mac.sh34# Create a bit branch for the pull requestCOMMENT
Verbosity Indicators4 hits · 6 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWwin/CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/AudioViewModel.cs540 // Step 2: Check if the track list already contains this trackCOMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/AudioViewModel.cs576 // Step 2: Check if the track list already contains this trackCOMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/AudioViewModel.cs594 // Step 2: Check if the track list already contains this trackCOMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/SubtitlesViewModel.cs218 // Step 2: Check if the track list already contains this trackCOMMENT
Structural Annotation Overuse4 hits · 6 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWwin/CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/AudioViewModel.cs540 // Step 2: Check if the track list already contains this trackCOMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/AudioViewModel.cs576 // Step 2: Check if the track list already contains this trackCOMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/AudioViewModel.cs594 // Step 2: Check if the track list already contains this trackCOMMENT
LOWwin/CS/HandBrakeWPF/ViewModels/SubtitlesViewModel.cs218 // Step 2: Check if the track list already contains this trackCOMMENT
Deep Nesting5 hits · 5 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWmake/configure.py680CODE
LOWmake/configure.py841CODE
LOWscripts/create_flatpak_manifest.py44CODE
LOWscripts/create_resources.py25CODE
LOWgtk/data/version.py25CODE
Redundant / Tautological Comments2 hits · 3 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWscripts/tag-release.sh37 # Check if there is a valid git repo hereCOMMENT
LOWscripts/repo-info.sh29 # Check if there is a valid git repo hereCOMMENT
Slop Phrases1 hit · 3 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
MEDIUMscripts/localization/translate_linux.sh8# If you want to remove a translator from the files if Transifex erroneously adds it, you can add:COMMENT
Unused Imports2 hits · 2 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWscripts/create_flatpak_manifest.py3CODE
LOWscripts/create_resources.py4CODE