Repository Analysis

jrnl-org/jrnl

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9.2 Low AI signal View on GitHub

Analysis Overview

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).

9.2
Adjusted Score
9.2
Raw Score
100%
Time Factor
2026-08-29
Last Push
7.3K
Stars
Python
Language
19.8K
Lines of Code
189
Files
162
Pattern Hits
2026-08-29
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 1MEDIUM 2LOW 159

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 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.

Hyper-Verbose Identifiers91 hits · 106 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWjrnl/color.py50def highlight_tags_with_background_color(CODE
LOWjrnl/controller.py107def _perform_actions_on_search_results(**kwargs):CODE
LOWjrnl/controller.py274def _print_entries_found_count(count: int, args: "Namespace") -> None:CODE
LOWjrnl/controller.py391def _change_time_search_results(CODE
LOWjrnl/config.py196def apply_config_updates_in_place(CODE
LOWjrnl/config.py213def flush_pending_config_updates(CODE
LOWjrnl/config.py249def cmd_requires_valid_journal_name(func: Callable) -> Callable:CODE
LOWjrnl/output.py121def _add_extra_style_args_if_needed(args: dict, msg: Message):CODE
LOWjrnl/override.py41def _get_key_and_value_from_pair(pairs: dict) -> tuple:CODE
LOWjrnl/encryption/__init__.py18def determine_encryption_method_for_writing(CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/util.py43def get_journal_frequency_nested(journal: "Journal") -> NestedDict:CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/util.py56def get_journal_frequency_one_level(journal: "Journal") -> Counter:CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/fancy_exporter.py108def check_provided_linewrap_viability(CODE
LOWjrnl/journals/Journal.py93 def _reconfigure_encryption_method(self, force_new_password: bool = False) -> None:CODE
LOWjrnl/journals/Journal.py505 def increment_change_counts_by_edit(self, mod_entries: Entry) -> None:CODE
LOWjrnl/journals/DayOneJournal.py183 def _get_and_remove_uuid_from_entry(self, entry: Entry) -> Entry:CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_time.py11def test_default_hour_is_added():CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_time.py17def test_default_minute_is_added():CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_config_file.py20def test_find_alt_config_not_exist(request):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_editor.py22def test_read_template_file_with_no_file_raises_exception(mock_open, mock_getcwd):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_editor.py32def test_read_template_file_with_valid_file_returns_text(mock_file, mock_getcwd):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_editor.py36def test_get_template_path_when_exists_returns_correct_path():CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_editor.py44def test_get_template_path_when_doesnt_exist_returns_correct_path(mock_absolute_paths):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_editor.py72def test_read_stdin_text_when_stdin_does_not_support_reconfigure():CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_journals_folder_journal.py44def test_get_day_files_expected_filtering(inputs_and_outputs):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_journals_folder_journal.py64def test_dateless_timeformat_preserves_same_day_entries(tmp_path):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_os_compat.py72def test_split_args_on_windows(args):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_os_compat.py88def test_split_args_on_not_windows(args):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_output.py12def test_print_msg_calls_print_msgs_as_list_with_style(print_msgs):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_output.py19def test_print_msg_calls_print_msgs_with_kwargs(print_msgs):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_jrnlv3_encryption.py31 def test_unique_salts_per_encrypt(self, encryption):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_jrnlv3_encryption.py38 def test_header_salt_is_correct_length(self, encryption):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_jrnlv3_encryption.py44 def test_wrong_password_returns_none(self, encryption):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_jrnlv3_encryption.py65 def test_oversized_header_raises(self, encryption, monkeypatch):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_jrnlv3_encryption.py91 def test_decrypt_supports_legacy_raw_json_header(self, encryption):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_parse_args.py163def test_limit_shorthand_alone():CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_parse_args.py195def test_today_in_history_alone():CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_parse_args.py297 def test_deserialize_multiword_strings(self, input_str):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_parse_args.py303 def test_deserialize_multiple_datatypes(self):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_jrnlv1_encryption.py53 def test_decrypt_correct_password(self):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_jrnlv1_encryption.py62 def test_decrypt_wrong_password_returns_none(self):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_jrnlv1_encryption.py69 def test_decrypt_ancient_space_padded(self):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_jrnlv1_encryption.py88 def test_encrypt_not_implemented(self):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_override.py61def test_override_dot_notation(minimal_config):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_override.py108 def test_sequential_delimiters(self):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_path.py43def test_expand_path_actually_expands_mac_linux(path):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_path.py53def test_expand_path_actually_expands_windows(path):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_path.py65def test_expand_path_expands_into_correct_value_mac_linux(paths):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_path.py78def test_expand_path_expands_into_correct_value_windows(paths):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_path.py85def test_expand_path_expands_into_random_env_value_mac_linux(_, random_test_var):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_path.py94def test_expand_path_expands_into_random_env_value_windows(_, random_test_var):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_path.py111def test_atomic_write_creates_new_file(tmp_path):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_path.py122def test_atomic_write_replaces_existing_file(tmp_path):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_path.py134def test_atomic_write_leaves_original_untouched_on_failure(tmp_path, monkeypatch):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_install.py13def test_initialize_autocomplete_runs_without_readline():CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_export.py37 def test_export_to_nonexisting_folder(self, mock_open):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_controller.py22 def test_similar_tag_detected(self):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_controller.py26 def test_exact_match_not_flagged(self):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_controller.py34 def test_dissimilar_tags_not_flagged(self):CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_controller.py38 def test_multiple_new_tags_checked(self):CODE
31 more matches not shown…
Unused Imports38 hits · 38 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWjrnl/exception.py9CODE
LOWjrnl/exception.py10CODE
LOWjrnl/color.py14CODE
LOWjrnl/controller.py31CODE
LOWjrnl/controller.py33CODE
LOWjrnl/controller.py34CODE
LOWjrnl/config.py27CODE
LOWjrnl/override.py10CODE
LOWjrnl/encryption/__init__.py8CODE
LOWjrnl/messages/Message.py11CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/jrnl_importer.py14CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/calendar_heatmap_exporter.py19CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/calendar_heatmap_exporter.py20CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/calendar_heatmap_exporter.py21CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/util.py8CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/text_exporter.py16CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/text_exporter.py17CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/json_exporter.py11CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/json_exporter.py12CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/dates_exporter.py10CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/dates_exporter.py11CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/fancy_exporter.py16CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/fancy_exporter.py17CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/yaml_exporter.py16CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/yaml_exporter.py17CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/xml_exporter.py11CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/xml_exporter.py12CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/tag_exporter.py10CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/tag_exporter.py11CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/markdown_exporter.py15CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/markdown_exporter.py16CODE
LOWjrnl/journals/__init__.py1CODE
LOWjrnl/journals/__init__.py2CODE
LOWjrnl/journals/__init__.py3CODE
LOWjrnl/journals/__init__.py4CODE
LOWjrnl/journals/__init__.py5CODE
LOWjrnl/journals/FolderJournal.py15CODE
LOWjrnl/journals/Entry.py16CODE
Fake / Example Data11 hits · 12 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWtests/unit/test_parse_args.py153 assert cli_as_dict("--file 'lorem ipsum.txt'") == expected_args(CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_parse_args.py154 filename="lorem ipsum.txt"CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_parse_args.py221 assert cli_as_dict("lorem ipsum dolor sit amet") == expected_args(CODE
LOWtests/unit/test_parse_args.py221 assert cli_as_dict("lorem ipsum dolor sit amet") == expected_args(CODE
LOWtests/data/journals/basic_folder/2020/08/29.txt2Lorem @ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Praesent malesuadaCODE
LOWtests/data/journals/basic_folder/2020/08/29.txt16Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam eu ligula egetCODE
LOWtests/data/journals/basic_folder/2020/08/29.txt16Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam eu ligula egetCODE
LOWtests/data/journals/basic_folder/2020/08/31.txt3vitae tempus. Donec eleifend nec mi non volutpat. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,CODE
LOWtests/data/journals/basic_folder/2020/08/31.txt3vitae tempus. Donec eleifend nec mi non volutpat. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,CODE
LOWdocs/formats.md13Any of these formats can be used with a search (e.g. `jrnl -contains "lorem ipsum"CODE
LOW.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_report.yaml59 placeholder: "example: `jrnl --debug lorem ipsum`"CODE
Deep Nesting10 hits · 9 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWjrnl/controller.py410CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/calendar_heatmap_exporter.py35CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/text_exporter.py60CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/yaml_exporter.py28CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/markdown_exporter.py26CODE
LOWjrnl/journals/DayOneJournal.py45CODE
LOWjrnl/journals/DayOneJournal.py194CODE
LOWtests/conftest.py18CODE
LOWtests/lib/then_steps.py379CODE
LOWtests/lib/then_steps.py407CODE
Self-Referential Comments2 hits · 6 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
MEDIUMjrnl/path.py48 # Create the directory if needed.COMMENT
MEDIUMjrnl/journals/FolderJournal.py62 # Create a list of dates of modified entries. Start with diff_entry_datesCOMMENT
AI Structural Patterns3 hits · 3 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWjrnl/plugins/dates_exporter.py29CODE
LOWjrnl/plugins/markdown_exporter.py96CODE
LOWjrnl/journals/Journal.py328CODE
Cross-Language Confusion1 hit · 2 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
HIGHtests/unit/test_jrnlv1_encryption.py26 """Produce a v1-format ciphertext: IV || AES-CBC(PKCS7(plaintext))."""STRING
Excessive Try-Catch Wrapping2 hits · 2 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWjrnl/time.py60 except Exception as e:CODE
LOWjrnl/main.py60 except Exception as e:CODE
Modern Structural Boilerplate2 hits · 2 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWjrnl/keyring.py21def set_keyring_password(password: str, journal_name: str = "default") -> None:CODE
LOWjrnl/journals/DayOneJournal.py175 def _update_old_entry(self, entry: Entry, new_entry: Entry) -> None:CODE
Redundant / Tautological Comments1 hit · 2 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWtests/lib/fixtures.py93 # Check if we need more mocksCOMMENT
Over-Commented Block1 hit · 1 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOW.github/lock.yml21 the conversation.COMMENT