git-standup, the CLI tool that scans repositories for recent commits to generate standup reports, is seeing sharp usage decline. Homebrew analytics show 8 installs in the past 30 days, down from 41 in the prior 90-day period, an 80% drop in velocity.
Created by Kamran Ahmed as a bash script and expanded to support npm, Homebrew, and curl installation, the tool was designed to eliminate manual Jira and GitHub checks during daily standups. It scans current directories and sub-repos for commits since the last working day, assuming developers write quality commit messages.
The decline tracks broader shifts in how distributed teams run standups. Tools like Geekbot, Standuply, and DailyBot integrate directly into Slack or Microsoft Teams, collecting async updates without requiring local Git access or command-line familiarity. These platforms support non-engineering contributors and don't rely on commit hygiene, two gaps in git-standup's model.
For teams running monorepos or multi-repo setups, git-standup can still extract productivity signals quickly. Options include diff stats, report file generation, and silencing no-activity messages. But it's limited to local Git data. Remote or hybrid teams need custom scripting to aggregate across developers, and the tool misses work that doesn't result in commits: code review, architecture discussions, incident response.
Users report mixed results. Some flag incomplete reporting, "only found 1 commit in 20 days" due to sparse activity or misconfigurations. The tool conflicts with the git-extras package and throws errors on detached branches. Alternatives like psss/did aggregate activity beyond Git.
The trade-off is clear: git-standup offers zero-cost, instant setup for CLI-comfortable teams with good commit practices. Slack bots require subscriptions but work for broader audiences and don't depend on local repositories. GitHub Actions can automate git-standup reports in CI/CD pipelines, but that requires engineering time most teams are spending elsewhere.
Worth noting: Ahmed's tool remains MIT-licensed with active GitHub issues discussing co-author inclusion and directory exclusions. For now, the usage data suggests enterprise teams are voting with their wallets, and Slack bots are winning.