Repository buyer for AI research teams
Price your
old repo.
We buy private code repositories for AI research. Five answers give you an honest range, and we never see your code.
- About a minute, no signup
- Paid per repository, $50–$150 today
- You deliver to the buyer, never to us
Add a pull request count to update this.
What moved the number +
From your first estimate to the day you’re paid.
One buyer, under NDA
What we buy ↗
Old code.
Real history.
Private application code a real team built over months: the kind that sits unused after a pivot or a shutdown. One AI research lab is buying right now, under NDA.
- More than 100 merged pull requestsReviewed history is what labs pay for. GitLab merge requests count too.
- At least two people wrote itA team’s code, not a solo weekend project.
- No single author did nearly everythingIf one person wrote over 90% of the commits, it doesn’t qualify.
- Mostly written by people, not botsDependabot and Renovate commits don’t count as engineering.
- 5,000 lines or more of your own codeVendored, generated and lock files are left out of the count.
- No live keys or customer data insideRotate any committed keys before you sell; history keeps deleted files.
Many hands, one workshop.
$50–$150
per repository, exclusive
Paid per accepted repository. Exclusive means once it’s sold, it’s sold: one repo, one buyer.
We weigh code the way an assayer weighs metal: history, team and size. Never the contents.
Five steps.
Your call at each.
You see every step before it happens, and you can stop at any of them until you sign.
01Estimate in a minute
Five answers here, no account. You see a range and exactly what moved it.
02We check the numbers
On a call, or with read-only access you choose and can revoke. Confirmed numbers usually raise the price, because the estimate is anchored low on purpose.
03You sign, or walk away
A short agreement: you own the code, it holds no personal data or live secrets, and the buyer gets exclusive rights. Nothing is owed until you sign.
04You hand it to the buyer
You transfer the repository straight to the buyer. Forge never receives, stores or clones it.
05Paid when they confirm
Payment follows the buyer’s confirmation that they received it. We show every step and a realistic date, never an instant balance.
We price it
without seeing it.
The estimate is worked out on this page, in your browser. Nothing is sent to us unless you choose to get in touch.
It uses
- Main language
- Merged pull request count
- Age, as a range
- Team size, as a range
- Size, as a range
It never asks for
- The repository’s name or URL
- Any source code
- Your GitHub or GitLab login
- Commit messages or history
- Passwords, keys or tokens
Fair questions.
Who buys the code?
AI research labs that train and test models on real, team-built software. The current buyer’s name is under NDA; you’ll always know the type of buyer before you sign anything.
Why would anyone pay for old code?
Public code has already been used by everyone. Private projects with years of real review history are scarce, and that history is what labs are paying for.
I built it for a client. Can I sell it?
Usually not. The client normally owns code an agency writes, and employment contracts usually assign it to the employer. We need written consent from whoever owns it, so tell us early.
Why is the range so low?
We can’t check self-reported answers, so the estimate is cautious on purpose. Once the real numbers are confirmed, the price usually goes up, not down.
What if there are secrets in the history?
Rotate them before anything else. Deleting a file doesn’t remove it from git history, and a repository with live credentials can’t be sold.
Is it exclusive?
Yes, for our current buyer. Once a repository is sold you can’t sell it again, and we check that the same repository isn’t offered twice.
Do you need my GitHub login?
No. Never to get a price, and never your password. If you decide to sell, you choose how we confirm the numbers, and you can revoke it.
When do I get paid?
After the buyer confirms they received the repository. We show you each step and a realistic date.
How does Forge make money?
We pay you, then sell rights to the buyer for more. The difference is our margin. We’d rather say it than have you guess.
Let’s see what
it’s worth.
A minute of your time, five answers, no access to anything. If the number works for you, we take it from there.
Email Forge ↗