Gentoo Linux abandons GitHub for Codeberg over AI coding assistant concerns

The Linux distribution Gentoo has begun migrating its repositories from Microsoft-owned GitHub to Codeberg, citing concerns over the forced integration of GitHub Copilot and the proliferation of low-quality AI-generated code contributions.

The Migration Begins

Gentoo announced on February 16 that it has established a presence on Codeberg, a non-profit code hosting platform based in Berlin, Germany. The migration follows a pledge made last month to move repository mirrors and pull request contributions away from GitHub.

"Eventually also other git repositories will become available under the Codeberg Gentoo organization," the project stated in its announcement.

Copilot Pushback

The decision stems from what Gentoo describes as "continuous attempts to force Copilot usage for our repositories." GitHub has increasingly integrated Copilot into its platform, making it difficult for users to avoid the AI coding assistant.

Last week, GitHub added a controversial setting that allows repository maintainers to disable pull requests entirely, preventing anyone from viewing existing pull requests or opening new ones. This move came after Microsoft-owned GitHub initiated discussions about "the increasing volume of low-quality contributions that is creating significant operational challenges for maintainers."

AI Code Quality Concerns

Open source advocate Jeff Geerling recently highlighted the growing problem of AI-generated code submissions. "AI slop generation is getting easier, but it's not getting smarter," Geerling wrote in a blog post. "From what I've seen, models have hit a plateau where code generation is pretty good... But it's not improving like it did the past few years."

Gentoo has been particularly vocal about its opposition to AI-assisted coding. In 2024, the project published a policy explicitly forbidding contributions created with the assistance of natural language processing AI tools. The ban was implemented due to copyright concerns, quality issues, and ethical considerations.

Codeberg as Alternative

Codeberg operates on Forgejo, a community-driven software forge, and is maintained by a non-profit organization. Unlike GitHub, Codeberg does not promote AI coding assistants and maintains a focus on traditional open-source collaboration.

Gentoo emphasized that it will continue hosting its primary infrastructure independently, stating, "Gentoo continues to host its own primary git, bugs, etc infrastructure and has no plans to change that." The GitHub migration affects only mirror repositories.

Industry-Wide Concerns

The move reflects broader unease within the open-source community about AI coding tools. Many maintainers report being overwhelmed by low-quality pull requests generated by AI assistants, while others worry about the copyright implications of training models on open-source code.

As AI coding tools become more prevalent, the tension between innovation and maintaining code quality standards continues to grow. Gentoo's migration represents one of the most significant moves away from GitHub over these concerns, potentially signaling a shift in how open-source projects approach code hosting platforms.

The Register has reached out to GitHub for comment on Gentoo's migration and will update this story if a response is received.