About GitTrek
What is GitTrek?
Find beginner-friendly GitHub issues where no one is already working — GitTrek checks for competing PRs so you don't waste setup hours. Track your GitHub badge progress. Free and open source. Smart filters, badge tracking, and free browsing keep contribution momentum high.
With AI coding tools, many hot issues collect competing PRs within hours. GitTrek shows what GitHub search doesn't: who's already working on it.
Many hiring teams review GitHub before interviews — make every merged PR count.
The core problem GitTrek solves: developers spend hours setting up a codebase and starting work on an issue, only to discover someone else has already opened a pull request. GitTrek checks for this before you start — by scanning issue timelines for active PRs, draft PRs, and linked branches in real-time.
How does GitTrek detect competing PRs on GitHub issues?
GitTrek uses the GitHub GraphQL API to scan the timelineItems of every issue in real-time. Specifically, we look for CrossReferencedEvent and ConnectedEvent entries. When a developer mentions an issue in a Pull Request, GitHub creates a cross-reference. GitTrek identifies these links to warn you if an active PR already exists — saving you from hours of wasted work.
The search pipeline uses a single GraphQL search fetch per request (with smart overfetch), then applies repository-quality filters server-side. This keeps results relevant while staying efficient with GitHub's rate limits.
What GitHub badges can GitTrek track?
GitTrek currently tracks several major GitHub Achievement badges with live tier calculations based on your public activity:
- Pull Shark — Merged public pull requests. Tiers: 2 / 16 / 128 / 1,024
- Starstruck — Stars on your highest-starred repo. Tiers: 16 / 128 / 512 / 4,096
- Galaxy Brain — Accepted answers in GitHub Discussions. Tiers: 1 / 8 / 16 / 32
- YOLO — Pull requests merged without a review event.
- Public Sponsor — Active GitHub Sponsorships you are sending.
- Quickdraw — Cannot be tracked via the API (noted honestly in the UI).
Is GitTrek free?
Yes. GitTrek is free to use. Guest users can browse issues using basic REST search. Signing in via GitHub OAuth unlocks:
- Real-time PR competition detection on every issue result
- Advanced repository quality filters (stars, forks, maintainer activity)
- Personal GitHub badge progress tracking with tier calculations
- Cursor-based pagination — 20 results per page (vs 10 for guests)
How is GitTrek different from goodfirstissue.dev?
While goodfirstissue.dev is a great static list of curated issues, GitTrek is a live search engine. We don't just show you "good first issues"; we show you currently availableones. GitTrek's unique advantage is real-time PR competition detection and the ability to filter by repository freshness, task completion status, and personal badge goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does GitTrek store my GitHub data?
No. GitTrek does not store your GitHub data on any server. Your OAuth token is stored in an HMAC-signed, httpOnly cookie on your browser only. Badge data is cached locally in your browser's localStorage for up to 1 hour. No database is involved.
Why do badge counts show lower numbers than my actual GitHub profile?
GitTrek can only access your public activity via the GitHub API. Contributions to private repositories are not counted. Your actual badge tier on GitHub may be higher than what GitTrek shows — this is noted in the UI on every badge.
How accurate is the PR competition detection?
GitTrek checks the last 5 timeline items on each issue (CrossReferencedEvent and ConnectedEvent) and also checks for linked branches. This catches the vast majority of active PR work. It will not catch developers who have a local branch but haven't pushed or opened a PR yet.
How many pull requests do I need to earn the Pull Shark badge?
The Pull Shark badge has four tiers: Bronze at 2 merged PRs, Silver at 16, Gold at 128, and Platinum at 1,024 merged public pull requests. GitTrek tracks your current count and shows exactly how many more you need for the next tier. Only public repository contributions count toward GitHub badges.
What is the Galaxy Brain badge on GitHub?
Galaxy Brain is earned by having answers accepted in GitHub Discussions. Tiers: 1 / 8 / 16 / 32 accepted answers for Bronze through Platinum. GitTrek's "Galaxy Brain Mission" helps you find unanswered questions in active repositories — the fastest path to earning this badge.
Can I check what GitHub badges someone else has?
Yes. GitTrek has a public badge tracker — go to gittrek.vercel.app/badges and enter any GitHub username. No sign-in required to view another user's public badge progress. You can share your badge profile URL with others too.
Why did I get sniped on a GitHub issue, and how do I avoid it?
Getting sniped means someone else opened a PR for the same issue while you were working on it — extremely common in popular repos like React, Next.js, or TypeScript. GitTrek solves this by showing a real-time ✅ Available or ⚠️ Being Claimed status on every issue before you start. Pick issues marked Available to avoid wasting your effort.
How do I find uncontested GitHub issues to contribute to?
GitTrek is built for exactly this. Use the Pull Shark Quick Mission to instantly filter for zero-comment, unassigned issues with no competing PRs. You can also combine "No assignee" + "Active maintainer" filters to find fresh issues in repos where your PR is likely to get reviewed quickly.
Is there a dedicated beginner guide?
Yes. Read the Beginner's Guide for prerequisites, how OSS communities work, first PR steps, communication etiquette, and common mistakes to avoid.