GitHub topics describe the repository
Topics are repository classifications managed by repository administrators. Better Stars can read them, but your personal tags do not edit or replace them.
Read GitHub’s topics documentationPERSONAL TAXONOMY
Create a Personal Tag System for GitHub Stars
Use Better Stars to tag GitHub starred repositories with a personal vocabulary that reflects why you saved them. Your tags stay separate from the GitHub topics maintained by repository owners.
THREE DIFFERENT LAYERS
Custom tags, GitHub topics, and Lists serve different purposes
All three can help classify repositories, but they belong to different people and live in different places. Better Stars adds a personal annotation layer without changing repository-owned metadata.
GitHub Lists are native public collections
Lists group starred repositories through GitHub’s own interface. GitHub currently documents Lists as a public preview that is subject to change.
Read GitHub’s Stars and Lists guideBetter Stars tags express your own system
Add terms such as a project purpose, review state, or future use. Tags belong to your Better Stars annotation layer and stay in the current browser by default.
MANUAL TAGS
Add custom tags where you review a repository
Create manual tags for the distinctions that matter to you, then add or remove them as your library changes. On a GitHub repository page, Better Stars lets you view and edit the repository’s personal tags through its tag filter, so taxonomy work can happen in the context of the project you are reviewing.
Private notes and favorites sit beside tags as separate forms of context. A tag can group reusable themes; a note can preserve a one-off reason for saving a repository; a favorite can mark an item you want close at hand. None of these actions changes the repository’s GitHub topics.
Name the reusable idea
Create a custom tag for a purpose, workflow, or review state that applies across repositories.
Assign it in context
Apply tags while working in the Stars workspace or edit them from the tag filter on a repository page.
Use the tag as a working view
Return to the tag filter whenever you want to review the repositories grouped under that term.
A LOCAL STARTING POINT
Start from GitHub topics with local Auto Tags
Better Stars can generate Auto Tags in bulk from the GitHub topics already attached to repositories. The conversion happens locally and gives you an initial vocabulary that you can continue to maintain with manual tags.
TAGGED AND UNTAGGED VIEWS
Find repositories by tag—and find the ones still waiting for one
Use a tag filter to focus on a category, or use the untagged-state filter as an inbox for repositories that still need classification. Tags can be combined with supported language, favorite, archived, and owner filters to narrow the working set without inventing a separate query language.
For the complete retrieval model, see how to search names, descriptions, topics, and notes, then filter by tags.
EDITORIAL ADVICE, NOT AUTOMATION
Keep the taxonomy small enough to remember
The following is organizational advice rather than automated Better Stars behavior. A useful taxonomy is one you can apply consistently and revisit without decoding it each time.
Prefer reusable intent tags
Tag by why a repository matters to you instead of copying every topic that its maintainers provide.
Review the untagged view
Treat untagged repositories as a small classification queue rather than trying to perfect everything at once.
Put one-off detail in notes
Use a private note for a specific reason, reminder, or comparison that would make a poor reusable tag.
OPTIONAL CUBBY ORGANIZE
Review a full-library tag proposal before selected changes are applied
Cubby is optional. Its full-library Organize workflow freezes the current scope, analyzes repository evidence without writing tags, and presents the complete proposal for review.
Analyze without tag writes
Cubby works through the frozen library scope and records its evidence-backed suggestions.
Review the complete proposal
You choose the rows you want to apply; no tag changes occur during the Review stage.
Apply only the selected rows
Writes begin only after Apply, and only for the rows selected during Review.
LOCAL BY DEFAULT
Where tags live and what optional sync includes
Tags, notes, favorites, and tag metadata are stored in the extension’s local IndexedDB database. The core annotation workflow stays in the current browser unless you start a connected action.
User-started Secret Gist Push and Pull can transport that annotation layer through a secret Gist in your GitHub account. This is not automatic sync, a generic export service, or a copy of all Better Stars state. Repository metadata is rebuilt from GitHub, while Watch, Following, For You, Cubby conversations, and Organize records do not enter the annotation Gist.
If a later rescan reconciles a repository you unstarred, Better Stars retains its existing tags and notes rather than deleting those annotations.
- Default location
- Local IndexedDB in the current browser
- Optional transport
- User-started Secret Gist Push or Pull
- Gist annotation scope
- Tags, notes, favorites, and tag metadata
- Not included
- Repository metadata and the rest of the product’s stored state
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions about tagging GitHub starred repositories
Are Better Stars tags the same as GitHub topics?
No. Repository administrators manage GitHub topics. Better Stars tags are your separate personal annotation layer and do not edit those topics.
Can I find repositories that have no tags yet?
Yes. Use the untagged-state filter to create a working view of repositories that still need classification.
Can Better Stars create tags from GitHub topics?
Yes. Local bulk Auto Tags derive tags from existing GitHub topics. They are not AI-generated and do not change the source topics.
Where are my tags stored?
Tags and related annotations are stored locally in IndexedDB. They reach a Secret Gist only when you start an optional Push or Pull.
Can tags sync between browsers?
Optional Secret Gist Push and Pull can carry the documented annotation layer. The transport is user-started and does not sync all Better Stars state.
What happens to tags after I unstar a repository?
A rescan that reconciles an unstarred repository retains its existing tags and notes.
Does Cubby apply a full-library proposal automatically?
No. Full-library Organize analyzes without tag writes, presents a Review, and applies only selected rows after you choose Apply.
BETTER STARS
Give the repositories you saved a vocabulary of your own
Add Better Stars to your GitHub Stars page, create a small personal taxonomy, and return to tagged or untagged repositories when it is time to review them.