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Does Rapid Review review open-source repositories for free?

Yes. A public repository under a license the Open Source Initiative approves can get free reviews. An admin of the repository applies in the Rapid Review app, and Rapid Review approves each application. An approved repository’s reviews use its own free credits, never the account’s: 100 credits a month, renewed on the first of each month, unless Rapid Review gives it another amount when approving it, and at most 10 in any hour (fair use policy).

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Which repositories can get free reviews?

A repository can apply when all of these hold:
  • it is public, and not archived;
  • it has a license file that GitHub finds;
  • its license is one the Open Source Initiative approves.
GitHub names most licenses itself. Where it finds a license file but can’t name the license, for example because the text was changed, Rapid Review reads the license’s text before it decides. A private repository can’t apply.

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How do I apply for free reviews?

1

Open the Repositories tab

Sign in to the app at https://app.rapidreview.dev, open the account, and go to its Repositories tab.
2

Apply for the repository

On the repository’s row, choose “Apply for free open-source reviews”. Only an admin of the repository sees this button. You can add a note about the project for Rapid Review.
3

Wait for the decision

The row shows “Applied” until Rapid Review decides. An approved repository shows “Free open-source reviews”, and its reviews switch on in the mode its admin picked.
Each repository applies on its own. A repository has at most one application waiting or approved at a time.

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How is an application decided?

Rapid Review approves or declines each application. A declined application says why on the repository’s row, and an admin can apply again. Every application, decision and withdrawal is in the account’s audit log.

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How many credits do free reviews use?

A review uses its mode’s credits, as any review does: 1 in standard mode and 3 in advanced mode. They come from the repository’s free credits:
  • 100 free credits a month, unless Rapid Review gives the repository another amount when approving it. They renew on the first day of each month, UTC: the repository then has all of them again. Credits left over don’t carry into the next month.
  • At most 10 in any 60 minutes, the fair use policy.
The rapid-review check of each push says what its review used, for example “Cost: 1 credit, of this repository’s free open-source credits (37 of 100 used this month).” The account’s own credits are never used for an approved repository, and its trial doesn’t begin with one.

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What happens when the free credits run out?

A push past either limit isn’t reviewed, and the account’s credits aren’t used in its place. Its rapid-review check, titled “Not reviewed”, and a comment on the pull request say why and when the free credits renew. Pushes skipped one after another share one comment, which is updated for each.
  • The hour’s credits were used: they renew as the hour passes. Reviews start again once fewer credits were used in the 60 minutes before, an hour after the push at the latest.
  • The month’s free credits were used: they renew on the first day of the next month, UTC, and reviews start again then. To ask for more, write to support@rapidreview.dev. To have the repository reviewed on the account’s credits instead, withdraw its application.
The push isn’t reviewed later by itself. Once the credits renew, the next push is reviewed. To review the push that was left out, re-run its rapid-review check or comment @rapidreview-dev review on the pull request.

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Does the daily review budget apply to free reviews?

Yes. Each installation of the App has a review budget for each UTC day. Once it’s spent, free reviews stop for the rest of the day: a push isn’t reviewed, and its check and a comment on the pull request say so. Free reviews start again the next day, UTC. To review a push that was left out, re-run its check or comment @rapidreview-dev review once the new day has begun (A pull request wasn’t reviewed).

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What if the repository goes private or its license changes?

Rapid Review checks each push before it reviews it. A push isn’t reviewed when the repository is no longer public, or its license is no longer one the Open Source Initiative approves. Its check and a comment say why.

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How do I stop free reviews?

On the repository’s row, an admin chooses “Withdraw”. The repository’s free reviews end. If its reviews stay switched on, they then use the account’s credits, like any other repository’s. Rapid Review can also take an approval back. The repository’s reviews then switch off, and its row says why.

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Do free reviews record learnings?

Yes. A repository reviewed on its free credits records and uses learnings whatever its account’s plan, even when the account has none (How learnings work).