Open-source software development has a spam problem, and it’s wearing a trench coat made of AI-generated code. GitHub has rolled out new repository-level controls that let project maintainers disable pull requests entirely, restrict submissions to existing collaborators, or cap the number of concurrent open PRs from outside contributors.
The changes, which went live on August 27, 2026, are GitHub’s most aggressive response yet to a flood of low-quality, often AI-generated contributions that drain maintainer time and pollute project histories.
The anatomy of AI slop
GitHub’s own data tells the story in stark terms. Between early 2023 and March 2026, the platform’s monthly merged PR volume surged from roughly 25 million to 90 million. That’s a 260% increase in three years, and a meaningful chunk of it appears to be machine-generated noise rather than genuine contribution.
The submissions in question tend to share a few telltale traits. They ignore project contribution guidelines. They introduce changes that are cosmetically different but functionally identical to existing code. They fix “problems” that don’t exist. And when maintainers leave review comments asking for revisions, the PRs are often abandoned entirely.
