Anonymous Comments

Overview

Post comments anonymously on GitHub issues and pull requests using the @gitgost-anonymous bot account. Maintain a consistent anonymous identity using user tokens, build karma, and participate in discussions without revealing who you are.

Endpoints

Issue Comments

POST /v1/gh/:owner/:repo/issues/:number/comments/anonymous

Pull Request Comments

POST /v1/gh/:owner/:repo/pulls/:number/comments/anonymous

Both endpoints use identical request/response formats. PR comments use the same GitHub API as issue comments.

Path Parameters

owner

string

required

GitHub repository owner (user or organization)

repo

string

required

Repository name

number

required

Issue or pull request number (must be positive integer)

Authentication

No authentication required. No API keys, tokens, or GitHub accounts needed. Anonymous participation is the core feature.

Request Body

body

string

required

Comment text in Markdown format (must not be empty after trimming whitespace)

user_token

string

default:"auto-generated"

Your anonymous identity token. Omit to generate a new identity, or provide an existing token to maintain consistency across comments.

Show Token Details

Format: 10-byte base32-encoded string (e.g., XYZABC123456789)
Received from initial issue/comment creation
Use same token to appear as same anonymous user
Cannot be recovered if lost

Response

comment_url

string

required

Full GitHub URL of the posted commentExample: https://github.com/owner/repo/issues/42#issuecomment-123456789

hash

string

required

8-character identity hash visible in the comment footer

karma

number

required

Your karma score for this issue/PR (increments with each comment)

user_token

string

required

Your user token (newly generated if not provided in request). Save this to maintain identity.

Examples

Post Comment on Issue

curl -X POST https://gitgost.leapcell.app/v1/gh/owner/repo/issues/42/comments/anonymous \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "body": "I can confirm this bug. It also occurs on macOS 14.2 with Go 1.21.5."
  }'

Post Comment on Pull Request

curl -X POST https://gitgost.leapcell.app/v1/gh/owner/repo/pulls/123/comments/anonymous \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "user_token": "XYZABC123456789",
    "body": "This looks good to me. I tested it on my production workload and it resolves the memory leak."
  }'

Response Examples

Success (200 OK)

{
  "comment_url": "https://github.com/owner/repo/issues/42#issuecomment-123456789",
  "hash": "a1b2c3d4",
  "karma": 3,
  "user_token": "XYZABC123456789"
}

Validation Errors (400 Bad Request)

{
  "error": "body is required"
}

{
  "error": "invalid issue number"
}

{
  "error": "invalid payload"
}

Moderation Errors

Hash Blocked (403 Forbidden)

{
  "error": "hash bloqueado por reportes"
}

Cooldown Active (429 Too Many Requests)

{
  "error": "cooldown activo por reportes"
}

Comment Format

Your comment body is automatically appended with a footer: Your Input:

I can confirm this bug. It also occurs on macOS 14.2.

Posted Comment:

I can confirm this bug. It also occurs on macOS 14.2.

---
goster-a1b2c3d4 · karma (3) · [report](https://gitgost.leapcell.app/v1/moderation/report?hash=a1b2c3d4)

hash

string

Your 8-character identity hash for this issue/PR

karma

number

Your current karma score (reputation)

report

url

Link for others to report abusive content

Karma System

Karma represents your reputation as an anonymous contributor per issue/PR. Each issue/PR has a separate karma score.

How Karma Works

Initial karma

Starts at 0 when you first comment

Increment per comment

Each comment increases karma by +1

Report impact

If you receive 3+ reports, karma resets to 0

Display

Karma shows in every comment footer

Karma Benefits

Reputation: Higher karma shows you’re a consistent contributor
Trust: Demonstrates good-faith participation
Visibility: Makes your comments more credible

Karma Calculation

// New comment
currentKarma := getKarma(hash)  // e.g., 2
karma := currentKarma + 1       // Now 3

// If flagged (3+ reports)
if reports > 2 {
    karma = 0  // Reset to 0
    markFlaggedAction(hash)  // 6-hour cooldown
}

updateKarma(hash, karma)

Source Reference: internal/http/handlers.go:1064-1075, 1136-1147

Hash System

Hash Generation

Your hash is a deterministic HMAC-SHA256 derived from:

input := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s#%d|%s", owner, repo, number, userToken)
h := hmac.New(sha256.New, secretKey)
h.Write([]byte(input))
hash := hex.EncodeToString(h.Sum(nil))[:8]

Key Properties:

Deterministic: Same token = same hash per issue/PR
Unique: Different hash for each issue/PR
Anonymous: Not linked to any personal information
Cryptographic: Cannot be forged or impersonated

Source Reference: internal/http/handlers.go:1359-1364

Hash Use Cases

Identity Tracking

Identify your comments across the issue/PR

Karma Association

Track reputation for this specific issue/PR

Moderation

Enable reporting and blocking of abusive users

Consistency

Same hash for all your comments on this thread

Moderation System

GitGost includes a community-driven moderation system to prevent abuse while maintaining anonymity.

Reporting Content

Anyone can report a hash by clicking the [report] link in comment footers or visiting:

https://gitgost.leapcell.app/v1/moderation/report?hash=a1b2c3d4

Report Thresholds

0-2 reports: Logged only

No action taken
Internal monitoring only
User can continue posting

3-5 reports: Flagged

Hash flagged as problematic
6-hour cooldown applied
Karma reset to 0
All existing comments updated to show karma=0
Cannot post during cooldown

6+ reports: Blocked

Hash permanently blocked
All comments by this hash automatically deleted
Cannot post new comments
Error 403 on future attempts

Source Reference: internal/http/handlers.go:1053-1075, 1125-1147, 1253-1260

Report Window

Reports expire after 30 days:

const reportWindow = 30 * 24 * time.Hour

Old reports are automatically pruned, giving flagged users a fresh start. Source Reference: internal/http/handlers.go:609-612

Anti-Spam Measures

Per-IP deduplication: Same IP can only report a hash once
Time-based windows: Reports older than 30 days don’t count
Automatic deletion: Comments from blocked hashes are removed
Cooldown periods: Prevent rapid re-offending

User Token Management

Critical: User tokens cannot be recovered if lost. Save them immediately.

Best Practices

Local Storage
Environment Variable
Browser LocalStorage
Password Manager

# Save to file
echo "XYZABC123456789" > ~/.gitgost/token-repo-issue42.txt

# Use later
TOKEN=$(cat ~/.gitgost/token-repo-issue42.txt)
curl -X POST ... -d "{\"user_token\": \"$TOKEN\", ...}"

# Export to environment
export GITGOST_TOKEN="XYZABC123456789"

# Use in scripts
curl -X POST ... -d "{\"user_token\": \"$GITGOST_TOKEN\", ...}"

// Save token
localStorage.setItem('gitgost-token-42', data.user_token);

// Retrieve later
const token = localStorage.getItem('gitgost-token-42');

Store tokens in your password manager:

Title: gitGost - owner/repo#42
Username: anonymous
Password: XYZABC123456789
URL: Issue/PR URL

Token Naming Convention

Organize tokens by repository and issue/PR:

gitgost-token-{owner}-{repo}-{type}{number}

Examples:
- gitgost-token-facebook-react-issue42
- gitgost-token-golang-go-pr12345
- gitgost-token-microsoft-vscode-issue7890

Rate Limiting

No explicit per-endpoint rate limits, but service-wide abuse detection applies.

Global Monitoring

GitGost monitors for:

Rapid comment posting patterns
Coordinated abuse across multiple IPs
Spam content
Mass reporting

Suspicious activity may trigger:

Automatic hash flagging
Service-wide panic mode
Temporary IP blocks

Implementation Details

Comment Footer Injection

The server appends the footer to your body:

reportURL := fmt.Sprintf("%s://%s/v1/moderation/report?hash=%s", 
    getScheme(c.Request), c.Request.Host, hash)

legend := fmt.Sprintf(
    "\n\n---\ngoster-%s · karma (%d) · [report](%s)", 
    hash, karma, reportURL)

bodyWithLegend := req.Body + legend

Source Reference: internal/http/handlers.go:1076-1079, 1148-1151

Karma Persistence

Karma is stored in-memory with Supabase fallback:

Check in-memory cache
If not found, query Supabase
Cache result in-memory
Update both on changes

Source Reference: internal/http/handlers.go:1375-1405

Report Tracking

Reports stored per-hash with IP and timestamp:

// Database structure
type Report struct {
    Hash      string
    IP        string
    Timestamp time.Time
}

Prevents duplicate reports from same IP within 30-day window. Source Reference: internal/http/handlers.go:1210-1263

Limitations

Cannot edit comments

Posted comments cannot be edited via the API. GitHub’s edit functionality is not available to anonymous users.

Cannot delete comments

Comments cannot be manually deleted. Only automatic deletion occurs when a hash is blocked (6+ reports).

No inline PR reviews

This endpoint only supports general PR comments, not inline code review comments on specific lines.

No rich media uploads

Images, files, and attachments not supported. Use external hosting and Markdown links.

Token recovery impossible

Lost tokens cannot be recovered. You’ll need to create a new identity.

Separate karma per issue/PR

Karma doesn’t carry across different issues/PRs. Each thread has independent karma tracking.

Security Considerations

Identity Protection

No IP logging
No user tracking
Cryptographic hash isolation
Open source and auditable

Abuse Prevention

Community-driven reporting
Automatic moderation thresholds
Time-based cooldowns
Permanent blocking for severe abuse

Privacy by Design

No analytics or telemetry
No request logging
No user profiling
Anonymous by default

Cryptographic Integrity

HMAC-based hashing
Unforgeable identities
No token reuse across issues
Secure random generation

Best Practices

Writing Effective Anonymous Comments

Technical Contributions
Bug Reports
Review Feedback

I can reproduce this on:
- OS: Ubuntu 22.04
- Go version: 1.21.5
- Architecture: arm64

Stack trace:

panic: runtime error: invalid memory address goroutine 42 [running]: main.worker() /app/main.go:123 +0x45


Potential fix: Adding nil check at line 120 resolves the panic.

## Reproduction Steps
1. Start server with `go run main.go`
2. Send 100 concurrent requests to `/api/data`
3. Monitor memory usage with `top`
4. Observe memory increases but never decreases

## Expected
Memory should stabilize after requests complete.

## Actual
Memory grows continuously, reaching 2GB after 1000 requests.

This approach looks solid. A few suggestions:

1. Consider adding a context timeout at line 45 to prevent goroutine leaks
2. The error handling at line 78 could be more specific
3. Might be worth adding a test case for concurrent access

Overall the logic is sound. Tested on my production workload (1M req/day) without issues.

Maintaining Consistent Identity

Save token immediately

Store the user_token as soon as you receive it

Use consistent naming

Name saved tokens by repo and issue/PR number

Build karma gradually

Post thoughtful comments to increase karma over time

Avoid flagging

Follow community guidelines to prevent reports

Anonymous Issues

Create anonymous issues to start new discussions

Anonymous PRs

Submit anonymous code contributions via Git push

Troubleshooting

”body is required”

Ensure the body field contains non-whitespace content:

// ❌ Invalid
{"body": ""}
{"body": "   "}

// ✅ Valid
{"body": "This looks great!"}

“invalid issue number”

The issue/PR number must be a positive integer:

# ❌ Invalid
/v1/gh/owner/repo/issues/abc/comments/anonymous
/v1/gh/owner/repo/issues/-1/comments/anonymous

# ✅ Valid
/v1/gh/owner/repo/issues/42/comments/anonymous

“hash bloqueado por reportes”

Your hash has been permanently blocked (6+ reports). This means:

Your user token is no longer valid for this issue/PR
Past comments have been deleted
You must create a new identity (don’t reuse the token)

“cooldown activo por reportes”

Your hash is flagged (3-5 reports) with a 6-hour cooldown:

Wait 6 hours before posting again
Your karma has been reset to 0
Consider whether your previous comments violated guidelines

Token doesn’t maintain identity

Ensure you’re sending the exact token:

Copy-paste without modifications
Include in user_token field
Use same token for same issue/PR
Don’t add quotes, spaces, or formatting

Comment not appearing

Check for:

Issue/PR number is correct
Repository exists and is public
Bot has access to the repository
You’re not in cooldown period
Hash is not blocked

Git Protocol

Anonymous Operations

Public Endpoints

Admin

​Overview

​Endpoints

​Issue Comments

​Pull Request Comments

​Path Parameters

​Authentication

​Request Body

​Response

​Examples

​Post Comment on Issue

​Post Comment on Pull Request

​Response Examples

​Success (200 OK)

​Validation Errors (400 Bad Request)

​Moderation Errors

​Comment Format

​Footer Components

​Karma System

​How Karma Works

​Karma Benefits

​Karma Calculation

​Hash System

​Hash Generation

​Hash Use Cases

Identity Tracking

Karma Association

Moderation

Consistency

​Moderation System

​Reporting Content

​Report Thresholds

​Report Window

​Anti-Spam Measures

​User Token Management

​Best Practices

​Token Naming Convention

​Rate Limiting

​Global Monitoring

​Recommended Posting Frequency

​Implementation Details

​Comment Footer Injection

​Karma Persistence

​Report Tracking

​Limitations

​Security Considerations

Identity Protection

Abuse Prevention

Privacy by Design

Cryptographic Integrity

​Best Practices

​Writing Effective Anonymous Comments

​Maintaining Consistent Identity

​Related Endpoints

Anonymous Issues

Anonymous PRs

​Troubleshooting

​”body is required”

​“invalid issue number”

​“hash bloqueado por reportes”

​“cooldown activo por reportes”

​Token doesn’t maintain identity

​Comment not appearing

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Endpoints

Issue Comments

Pull Request Comments

Path Parameters

Authentication

Request Body

Response

Examples

Post Comment on Issue

Post Comment on Pull Request

Response Examples

Success (200 OK)

Validation Errors (400 Bad Request)

Moderation Errors

Comment Format

Footer Components

Karma System

How Karma Works

Karma Benefits

Karma Calculation

Hash System

Hash Generation

Hash Use Cases

Moderation System

Reporting Content

Report Thresholds

Report Window

Anti-Spam Measures

User Token Management

Best Practices

Token Naming Convention

Rate Limiting

Global Monitoring

Recommended Posting Frequency

Implementation Details

Comment Footer Injection

Karma Persistence

Report Tracking

Limitations

Security Considerations

Best Practices

Writing Effective Anonymous Comments

Maintaining Consistent Identity

Related Endpoints

Troubleshooting

”body is required”

“invalid issue number”

“hash bloqueado por reportes”

“cooldown activo por reportes”

Token doesn’t maintain identity

Comment not appearing