Repository Analysis

zerotier/ZeroTierOne

A Smart Ethernet Switch for Earth

3.4 Likely human-written View on GitHub

Analysis Overview

This report presents the forensic synthetic code analysis of zerotier/ZeroTierOne, a C++ project with 16,919 GitHub stars. SynthScan v2.0 examined 371,038 lines of code across 1198 source files, recording 1417 pattern matches distributed across 10 syntactic categories. The overall adjusted score of 3.4 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).

3.4
Adjusted Score
3.4
Raw Score
100%
Time Factor
2026-07-02
Last Push
16.9K
Stars
C++
Language
371.0K
Lines of Code
1.2K
Files
1.4K
Pattern Hits
2026-07-14
Scan Date
0.00
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 0MEDIUM 99LOW 1318

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 1417 distinct pattern matches across 10 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 Block1291 hits · 996 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWversion.h41#endifCOMMENT
LOWCMakeLists.txt41# ZT_BUILD_ARCHITECTURE (read by one.cpp via version.h).COMMENT
LOWselftest.cpp1/* This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla PublicCOMMENT
LOWselftest.cpp21#include "node/Packet.hpp"COMMENT
LOWselftest.cpp41#include <vector>COMMENT
LOWone.cpp21#include <time.h>COMMENT
LOWone.cpp41#include <dirent.h>COMMENT
LOWone.cpp61#include <linux/capability.h>COMMENT
LOWone.cpp81#include <algorithm>COMMENT
LOWone.cpp1721COMMENT
LOWnonfree/controller/BigTableStatusWriter.cpp1/* (c) ZeroTier, Inc.COMMENT
LOWnonfree/controller/BigTableStatusWriter.cpp121 const uint64_t keyHash = hasher(row_key);COMMENT
LOWnonfree/controller/EmbeddedNetworkController.hpp1/* (c) ZeroTier, Inc.COMMENT
LOWnonfree/controller/EmbeddedNetworkController.hpp21#include <atomic>COMMENT
LOWnonfree/controller/CtlUtil.hpp41// Prefix every controller log line with the controller (node) ID. A single atomic fprintf;COMMENT
LOWnonfree/controller/RedisListener.hpp1/* (c) ZeroTier, Inc.COMMENT
LOWnonfree/controller/PubSubListener.hpp1/* (c) ZeroTier, Inc.COMMENT
LOWnonfree/controller/PubSubWriter.cpp1/* (c) ZeroTier, Inc.COMMENT
LOWnonfree/controller/CentralDB.cpp1/* (c) ZeroTier, Inc.COMMENT
LOWnonfree/controller/CentralDB.cpp21#include "Redis.hpp"COMMENT
LOWnonfree/controller/DB.hpp1/* (c) ZeroTier, Inc.COMMENT
LOWnonfree/controller/PostgreSQL.hpp1/* (c) ZeroTier, Inc.COMMENT
LOWnonfree/controller/CentralDB.hpp1/* (c) ZeroTier, Inc.COMMENT
LOWnonfree/controller/ConnectionPool.hpp1/* (c) ZeroTier, Inc.COMMENT
LOWnonfree/controller/EmbeddedNetworkController.cpp1/* (c) ZeroTier, Inc.COMMENT
LOWnonfree/controller/EmbeddedNetworkController.cpp21#include <map>COMMENT
LOWnonfree/controller/CtlUtil.cpp21COMMENT
LOWnonfree/controller/PubSubListener.cpp1/* (c) ZeroTier, Inc.COMMENT
LOWinclude/ZeroTierDebug.h21#include <unistd.h>COMMENT
LOWinclude/ZeroTierDebug.h41#define ZT_RESET "\x1B[0m"COMMENT
LOWinclude/ZeroTierDebug.h61#ifdef __FreeBSD__COMMENT
LOWinclude/ZeroTierDebug.h81#endifCOMMENT
LOWinclude/ZeroTierOne.h21// clang-format offCOMMENT
LOWinclude/ZeroTierOne.h41#pragma comment(lib, "ZeroTierOne_x64d.lib")COMMENT
LOWinclude/ZeroTierOne.h281 * Packet characteristics flag: TCP SYN flagCOMMENT
LOWinclude/ZeroTierOne.h301#define ZT_REMOTE_TRACE_FIELD__LOCAL_PHYADDR "localPhyAddr"COMMENT
LOWinclude/ZeroTierOne.h321#define ZT_REMOTE_TRACE_FIELD__CREDENTIAL_TIMESTAMP "credTs"COMMENT
LOWinclude/ZeroTierOne.h341#define ZT_REMOTE_TRACE_EVENT__NETWORK_CONFIG_REQUEST_SENT 0x2005COMMENT
LOWext/arm32-neon-salsa2012-asm/salsa2012.h1#ifndef ZT_SALSA2012_ARM32NEON_ASMCOMMENT
LOWext/hiredis-0.14.1/win32.h1#ifndef _WIN32_HELPER_INCLUDECOMMENT
LOWext/hiredis-0.14.1/win32.h41#endifCOMMENT
LOWext/hiredis-0.14.1/sdsalloc.h41#define s_realloc reallocCOMMENT
LOWext/hiredis-0.14.1/net.c41#include <netinet/tcp.h>COMMENT
LOWext/hiredis-0.14.1/test.c1#include "fmacros.h"COMMENT
LOWext/hiredis-0.14.1/test.c741 }COMMENT
LOWext/hiredis-0.14.1/test.c761// __test_callback_flags <<= 8;COMMENT
LOWext/hiredis-0.14.1/test.c781// redisFree(c);COMMENT
LOWext/hiredis-0.14.1/test.c801//COMMENT
LOWext/hiredis-0.14.1/test.c821// redisCommandWithCallback(c,__test_reply_callback,(void*)3,"PING");COMMENT
LOWext/hiredis-0.14.1/fmacros.h1#ifndef __HIREDIS_FMACRO_HCOMMENT
LOWext/hiredis-0.14.1/read.h41 * error that occurred. REDIS_ERR_IO means there was an I/O error and youCOMMENT
LOWext/hiredis-0.14.1/include/hiredis/win32.h1#ifndef _WIN32_HELPER_INCLUDECOMMENT
LOWext/hiredis-0.14.1/include/hiredis/win32.h41#endifCOMMENT
LOWext/hiredis-0.14.1/include/hiredis/sdsalloc.h41#define s_realloc reallocCOMMENT
LOWext/hiredis-0.14.1/include/hiredis/fmacros.h1#ifndef __HIREDIS_FMACRO_HCOMMENT
LOWext/hiredis-0.14.1/include/hiredis/read.h41 * error that occurred. REDIS_ERR_IO means there was an I/O error and youCOMMENT
LOWext/inja/inja.hpp41#endifCOMMENT
LOWext/inja/inja.hpp61#include <sstream>COMMENT
LOWext/inja/inja.hpp81// #include "node.hpp"COMMENT
LOWext/inja/inja.hpp901#include <string>COMMENT
1231 more matches not shown…
Decorative Section Separators81 hits · 192 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt273# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt279# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt284# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt286# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt568# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt570# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt580# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt582# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt6# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt8# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt34# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt48# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt327# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt334# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt409# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt411# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt487# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt489# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt649# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMCMakeLists.txt651# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh169# ----------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh178# --------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh480# -------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh529# ---------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh575# ----------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh598# --------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh622# ------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh646# ------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh679# -------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh691# --------------------------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh712# ----------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh731# --------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh740# ------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh776# -----------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh789# -----------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh801# -----------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh812# ---------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh838# ---------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh886# -------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh924# ------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1014# --------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1030# --------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1095# --------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1147# -------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1177# ---------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1207# -----------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1232# ------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1261# ----------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1282# -------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1295# -----------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1308# ----------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1333# -----------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1350# ---------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1483# -----------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1495# ---------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1512# ------------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1523# ---------------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1646# ----------------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1663# ---------------------COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1697# --------------------------COMMENT
21 more matches not shown…
Self-Referential Comments11 hits · 18 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/tools/template2mak.py83 # This file is generated automatically by libpqxx's {script} script, andCOMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1402# This file is a library for parsing options in your shell scripts alongCOMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh2594# This function is only a basic sanity check; it will hardly flush outCOMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh2604# This function implements the same check as func_lalib_p withoutCOMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh2627# This function is only a basic sanity check; it will hardly flush outCOMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh2637# This function is only a basic sanity check; it will hardly flush outCOMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh2662# This function is only a basic sanity check; it will hardly flush outCOMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh2802# Create a libtool object file (analogous to a ".la" file),COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh7570 # Create the object directory.COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh10249 # Create the old-style object.COMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh10269 # Create an invalid libtool object if no PIC, so that we don'tCOMMENT
AI Slop Vocabulary6 hits · 15 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh331# Sed substitution that helps us do robust quoting. It backslashifiesCOMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh5319# Sed substitution that helps us do robust quoting. It backslashifiesCOMMENT
MEDIUMext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh9271 # This code stresses the "libraries are programs" paradigm to itsCOMMENT
MEDIUM…i-only/include/opentelemetry/trace/span_startoptions.h45 // more nuanced parent identification:COMMENT
MEDIUM…de/opentelemetry/nostd/internal/absl/base/attributes.h41// are not defined as such in any file). To utilize the followingCOMMENT
MEDIUM…clude/opentelemetry/nostd/internal/absl/base/options.h42// Diamond dependency problems can be avoided if all packages utilize the sameCOMMENT
Example Usage Blocks6 hits · 9 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOW…rometheus-cpp-lite-1.0/core/include/prometheus/gauge.h113 /// Example usage:COMMENT
LOW…metheus-cpp-lite-1.0/core/include/prometheus/counter.h98 /// Example usage:COMMENT
LOW…ometheus-cpp-lite-1.0/core/include/prometheus/family.h329 /// Example usage:COMMENT
LOW…theus-cpp-lite-1.0/core/include/prometheus/histogram.h128 /// Example usage:COMMENT
LOW…metheus-cpp-lite-1.0/core/include/prometheus/summary.h128 /// Example usage:COMMENT
LOWscripts/bootstrap-deps.sh19# Usage:COMMENT
Unused Imports7 hits · 7 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWext/libpqxx-7.7.3/tools/template2mak.py19CODE
LOWext/libpqxx-7.7.3/tools/template2mak.py19CODE
LOWext/libpqxx-7.7.3/tools/template2mak.py19CODE
LOWext/libpqxx-7.7.3/tools/test_all.py12CODE
LOWext/libpqxx-7.7.3/tools/m4esc.py10CODE
LOWext/libpqxx-7.7.3/tools/m4esc.py10CODE
LOWext/libpqxx-7.7.3/tools/m4esc.py10CODE
Structural Annotation Overuse4 hits · 6 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOW…ubuntu22.04/amd64/include/sw/redis++/connection_pool.h145// NOTE: This class is similar to `SafeConnection`.COMMENT
LOW…ubuntu22.04/arm64/include/sw/redis++/connection_pool.h145// NOTE: This class is similar to `SafeConnection`.COMMENT
LOW…redis-plus-plus-1.3.3/src/sw/redis++/connection_pool.h145// NOTE: This class is similar to `SafeConnection`.COMMENT
LOW…edis-plus-plus-1.3.3/src/sw/redis++/async_connection.h361// NOTE: This class is similar to `SafeAsyncConnection`.COMMENT
Redundant / Tautological Comments7 hits · 6 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh623# Set func_arith_result to the result of evaluating TERMs.COMMENT
LOWext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh647# Set func_basename_result to FILE with everything up to and includingCOMMENT
LOWext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh813# Set func_len_result to the length of STRING. STRING may notCOMMENT
LOWext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh1031# Set func_relative_path_result to the relative path from SRCDIR to DSTDIR.COMMENT
LOWext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh4003 # Check if any of the arguments is a wrapper script.COMMENT
LOWext/libpqxx-7.7.3/config/ltmain.sh9972 # Loop over the list of objects to be linked.COMMENT
LOWpkg/qnap/zerotier/qpkg.cfg46# Set value to 1 means to open the QPKG's Web UI inside QTS desktop instead of new window.COMMENT
Excessive Try-Catch Wrapping3 hits · 3 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWext/libpqxx-7.7.3/tools/test_all.py261 except Exception as error:CODE
LOWext/libpqxx-7.7.3/tools/test_all.py416 except Exception as error:CODE
LOWext/libpqxx-7.7.3/tools/test_all.py437 except Exception as error:CODE
Modern AI Meta-Vocabulary1 hit · 2 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
MEDIUM…lude/opentelemetry/semconv/incubating/aws_attributes.h24 href="https://docs.aws.amazon.com/bedrock/latest/userguide/guardrails.html">guardrail</a> helpsCODE