Deadhand: Code Is Cheap. Ownership Is a Subscription.

Description and use

Deadhand is an offline Rust CLI that scans JavaScript/TypeScript repos to score maintainability metrics, enabling teams to own code without relying on paid LLMs.

Problem

Developers face hidden costs of AI model lock‑in: code is cheap to write but ownership depends on expensive, subscription‑based LLMs that control understanding and modification.

Outcome

Deadhand scans a repo in under a second, scoring metrics such as Readability, Cognitive Load, Entanglement, Context Depth, Blast Radius, Pattern Drift, and Orphaned Code, producing a MAINTAINABILITY score out of 100 with file‑level receipts.

Workflow

• 1. Install Deadhand via shell or PowerShell script.
• 2. Run deadhand scan inside the repo to generate a maintainability report.
• 3. Use deadhand map to visualize the codebase offline.
• 4. Run deadhand diff main --fail-on-drop 5 to enforce PR quality thresholds.

Evidence

Deadhand is a CLI that scans a JavaScript/TypeScript repo and answers that question with numbers.

Source

Written in Rust. It scans VS Code — 3.4 million lines — in under a second.

Source

No LLM inside. It runs offline, on your machine, free, forever.

Source

$ deadhand scan gives you the report.

Source