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This report presents the forensic synthetic code analysis of jrnl-org/jrnl, a Python project with 7,304 GitHub stars. SynthScan v2.0 examined 19,769 lines of code across 189 source files, recording 162 pattern matches distributed across 11 syntactic categories. The overall adjusted score of 9.2 places this repository in the Low AI signal 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).
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.
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.
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.
The scanner identified 162 distinct pattern matches across 11 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.
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | jrnl/color.py | 50 | def highlight_tags_with_background_color( | CODE |
| LOW | jrnl/controller.py | 107 | def _perform_actions_on_search_results(**kwargs): | CODE |
| LOW | jrnl/controller.py | 274 | def _print_entries_found_count(count: int, args: "Namespace") -> None: | CODE |
| LOW | jrnl/controller.py | 391 | def _change_time_search_results( | CODE |
| LOW | jrnl/config.py | 196 | def apply_config_updates_in_place( | CODE |
| LOW | jrnl/config.py | 213 | def flush_pending_config_updates( | CODE |
| LOW | jrnl/config.py | 249 | def cmd_requires_valid_journal_name(func: Callable) -> Callable: | CODE |
| LOW | jrnl/output.py | 121 | def _add_extra_style_args_if_needed(args: dict, msg: Message): | CODE |
| LOW | jrnl/override.py | 41 | def _get_key_and_value_from_pair(pairs: dict) -> tuple: | CODE |
| LOW | jrnl/encryption/__init__.py | 18 | def determine_encryption_method_for_writing( | CODE |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/util.py | 43 | def get_journal_frequency_nested(journal: "Journal") -> NestedDict: | CODE |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/util.py | 56 | def get_journal_frequency_one_level(journal: "Journal") -> Counter: | CODE |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/fancy_exporter.py | 108 | def check_provided_linewrap_viability( | CODE |
| LOW | jrnl/journals/Journal.py | 93 | def _reconfigure_encryption_method(self, force_new_password: bool = False) -> None: | CODE |
| LOW | jrnl/journals/Journal.py | 505 | def increment_change_counts_by_edit(self, mod_entries: Entry) -> None: | CODE |
| LOW | jrnl/journals/DayOneJournal.py | 183 | def _get_and_remove_uuid_from_entry(self, entry: Entry) -> Entry: | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_time.py | 11 | def test_default_hour_is_added(): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_time.py | 17 | def test_default_minute_is_added(): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_config_file.py | 20 | def test_find_alt_config_not_exist(request): | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_editor.py | 22 | def test_read_template_file_with_no_file_raises_exception(mock_open, mock_getcwd): | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_editor.py | 32 | def test_read_template_file_with_valid_file_returns_text(mock_file, mock_getcwd): | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_editor.py | 36 | def test_get_template_path_when_exists_returns_correct_path(): | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_editor.py | 44 | def test_get_template_path_when_doesnt_exist_returns_correct_path(mock_absolute_paths): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_editor.py | 72 | def test_read_stdin_text_when_stdin_does_not_support_reconfigure(): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_journals_folder_journal.py | 44 | def test_get_day_files_expected_filtering(inputs_and_outputs): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_journals_folder_journal.py | 64 | def test_dateless_timeformat_preserves_same_day_entries(tmp_path): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_os_compat.py | 72 | def test_split_args_on_windows(args): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_os_compat.py | 88 | def test_split_args_on_not_windows(args): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_output.py | 12 | def test_print_msg_calls_print_msgs_as_list_with_style(print_msgs): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_output.py | 19 | def test_print_msg_calls_print_msgs_with_kwargs(print_msgs): | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_jrnlv3_encryption.py | 31 | def test_unique_salts_per_encrypt(self, encryption): | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_jrnlv3_encryption.py | 38 | def test_header_salt_is_correct_length(self, encryption): | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_jrnlv3_encryption.py | 44 | def test_wrong_password_returns_none(self, encryption): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_jrnlv3_encryption.py | 65 | def test_oversized_header_raises(self, encryption, monkeypatch): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_jrnlv3_encryption.py | 91 | def test_decrypt_supports_legacy_raw_json_header(self, encryption): | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_parse_args.py | 163 | def test_limit_shorthand_alone(): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_parse_args.py | 195 | def test_today_in_history_alone(): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_parse_args.py | 297 | def test_deserialize_multiword_strings(self, input_str): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_parse_args.py | 303 | def test_deserialize_multiple_datatypes(self): | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_jrnlv1_encryption.py | 53 | def test_decrypt_correct_password(self): | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_jrnlv1_encryption.py | 62 | def test_decrypt_wrong_password_returns_none(self): | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_jrnlv1_encryption.py | 69 | def test_decrypt_ancient_space_padded(self): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_jrnlv1_encryption.py | 88 | def test_encrypt_not_implemented(self): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_override.py | 61 | def test_override_dot_notation(minimal_config): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_override.py | 108 | def test_sequential_delimiters(self): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_path.py | 43 | def test_expand_path_actually_expands_mac_linux(path): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_path.py | 53 | def test_expand_path_actually_expands_windows(path): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_path.py | 65 | def test_expand_path_expands_into_correct_value_mac_linux(paths): | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_path.py | 78 | def test_expand_path_expands_into_correct_value_windows(paths): | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_path.py | 85 | def test_expand_path_expands_into_random_env_value_mac_linux(_, random_test_var): | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_path.py | 94 | def test_expand_path_expands_into_random_env_value_windows(_, random_test_var): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_path.py | 111 | def test_atomic_write_creates_new_file(tmp_path): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_path.py | 122 | def test_atomic_write_replaces_existing_file(tmp_path): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_path.py | 134 | def test_atomic_write_leaves_original_untouched_on_failure(tmp_path, monkeypatch): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_install.py | 13 | def test_initialize_autocomplete_runs_without_readline(): | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_export.py | 37 | def test_export_to_nonexisting_folder(self, mock_open): | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_controller.py | 22 | def test_similar_tag_detected(self): | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_controller.py | 26 | def test_exact_match_not_flagged(self): | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_controller.py | 34 | def test_dissimilar_tags_not_flagged(self): | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_controller.py | 38 | def test_multiple_new_tags_checked(self): | CODE |
| 31 more matches not shown… | ||||
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | jrnl/exception.py | 9 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/exception.py | 10 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/color.py | 14 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/controller.py | 31 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/controller.py | 33 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/controller.py | 34 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/config.py | 27 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/override.py | 10 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/encryption/__init__.py | 8 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/messages/Message.py | 11 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/jrnl_importer.py | 14 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/calendar_heatmap_exporter.py | 19 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/calendar_heatmap_exporter.py | 20 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/calendar_heatmap_exporter.py | 21 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/util.py | 8 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/text_exporter.py | 16 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/text_exporter.py | 17 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/json_exporter.py | 11 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/json_exporter.py | 12 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/dates_exporter.py | 10 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/dates_exporter.py | 11 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/fancy_exporter.py | 16 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/fancy_exporter.py | 17 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/yaml_exporter.py | 16 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/yaml_exporter.py | 17 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/xml_exporter.py | 11 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/xml_exporter.py | 12 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/tag_exporter.py | 10 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/tag_exporter.py | 11 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/markdown_exporter.py | 15 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/markdown_exporter.py | 16 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/journals/__init__.py | 1 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/journals/__init__.py | 2 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/journals/__init__.py | 3 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/journals/__init__.py | 4 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/journals/__init__.py | 5 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/journals/FolderJournal.py | 15 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/journals/Entry.py | 16 | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_parse_args.py | 153 | assert cli_as_dict("--file 'lorem ipsum.txt'") == expected_args( | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | tests/unit/test_parse_args.py | 154 | filename="lorem ipsum.txt" | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_parse_args.py | 221 | assert cli_as_dict("lorem ipsum dolor sit amet") == expected_args( | CODE |
| LOW | tests/unit/test_parse_args.py | 221 | assert cli_as_dict("lorem ipsum dolor sit amet") == expected_args( | CODE |
| LOW | tests/data/journals/basic_folder/2020/08/29.txt | 2 | Lorem @ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Praesent malesuada | CODE |
| LOW | tests/data/journals/basic_folder/2020/08/29.txt | 16 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam eu ligula eget | CODE |
| LOW | tests/data/journals/basic_folder/2020/08/29.txt | 16 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam eu ligula eget | CODE |
| LOW | tests/data/journals/basic_folder/2020/08/31.txt | 3 | vitae tempus. Donec eleifend nec mi non volutpat. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, | CODE |
| LOW | tests/data/journals/basic_folder/2020/08/31.txt | 3 | vitae tempus. Donec eleifend nec mi non volutpat. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, | CODE |
| LOW | docs/formats.md | 13 | Any of these formats can be used with a search (e.g. `jrnl -contains "lorem ipsum" | CODE |
| LOW | .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_report.yaml | 59 | placeholder: "example: `jrnl --debug lorem ipsum`" | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | jrnl/controller.py | 410 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/calendar_heatmap_exporter.py | 35 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/text_exporter.py | 60 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/yaml_exporter.py | 28 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/markdown_exporter.py | 26 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/journals/DayOneJournal.py | 45 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/journals/DayOneJournal.py | 194 | CODE | |
| LOW | tests/conftest.py | 18 | CODE | |
| LOW | tests/lib/then_steps.py | 379 | CODE | |
| LOW | tests/lib/then_steps.py | 407 | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEDIUM | jrnl/path.py | 48 | # Create the directory if needed. | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | jrnl/journals/FolderJournal.py | 62 | # Create a list of dates of modified entries. Start with diff_entry_dates | COMMENT |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/dates_exporter.py | 29 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/plugins/markdown_exporter.py | 96 | CODE | |
| LOW | jrnl/journals/Journal.py | 328 | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIGH | tests/unit/test_jrnlv1_encryption.py | 26 | """Produce a v1-format ciphertext: IV || AES-CBC(PKCS7(plaintext)).""" | STRING |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | jrnl/time.py | 60 | except Exception as e: | CODE |
| LOW | jrnl/main.py | 60 | except Exception as e: | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | jrnl/keyring.py | 21 | def set_keyring_password(password: str, journal_name: str = "default") -> None: | CODE |
| LOW | jrnl/journals/DayOneJournal.py | 175 | def _update_old_entry(self, entry: Entry, new_entry: Entry) -> None: | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | tests/lib/fixtures.py | 93 | # Check if we need more mocks | COMMENT |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | .github/lock.yml | 21 | the conversation. | COMMENT |