Imagine watching a project you’ve poured years into suddenly catch fire and cross the 1k-star milestone on GitHub. It’s an incredible feeling, but it didn't happen overnight.
This is the story of Hexabot, an AI workflow automation platform designed to democratize AI adoption for everyone. The idea originally evolved from a simple chatbot builder. Back then, we saw a massive opportunity to break down the barriers to entry for advanced AI tools, ensuring that powerful workflow automation wasn't just reserved for massive enterprises with unlimited budgets.
Our journey to 1k stars was a long game of evolution:
2018: We started building v1 behind closed doors as a proprietary, closed-source project.
September 10, 2024: We officially went public and open-source, publishing v2 as a streamlined chatbot builder.
November 19, 2025: We launched v3, with a fair-core license, pivotally transforming Hexabot into the full-fledged AI workflow automation platform it is today.
In this post, I’m going to pull back the curtain.
Things I Wished I Had Done Differently
Looking back at the road to 1,000 stars, it’s easy to focus only on what went right. But truth be told, the mistakes taught me just as much as the successes. If I could build a time machine and whisper some advice to my past self, here is exactly what I would say:
1. Build in Public (Instead of in the Dark)
It is incredibly easy to get trapped in the "developer bubble"—that cozy place where you're completely absorbed by coding, tweaking features, and chasing the perfect architecture. But building in isolation is a massive trap.
When you don't communicate early and often:
You lose crucial early feedback: You might spend months building a feature your users don't actually want or understand.
You lose valuable runway: Audience growth, SEO authority, and general visibility don't happen overnight. They compound over time. If you only start talking about your project on launch day, you're already months behind.
2. Reach Out to Your Audience Early
Your users hold the answers to questions you don't even know to ask yet. Actively reaching out to your target audience isn't just about promotion; it's about product validation.
Engaging with early adopters allows you to:
Identify and fix friction points before they become baked into your codebase.
Drastically enhance the overall user experience (UX), user interface (UI), and developer experience (DX) based on real-world usage rather than guesswork.
3. Treat Marketing as a Discipline, Step by Step
As developers, we often look at marketing as something "extra" or secondary. In reality, marketing is a discipline just like software engineering. It has its own design patterns, frameworks, and methodologies. You wouldn't push code to production without learning the language first, and you shouldn't approach communication without learning the rules of the platform.
A quick lesson in humility: Early on, I treated Twitter like a git repository where I could just force-push my project updates. Because I didn't take the time to learn how to communicate organically on the platform, I quickly got labeled as SPAM. It was a harsh but necessary wake-up call that learning how to talk to people is just as important as building a great product.
How to Promote Your Repo
Getting your project to 1,000 stars isn't about pulling off a single, massive marketing stunt. It’s about building momentum through small, consistent efforts across different channels. If you are wondering where to start, here is the playbook that worked for us:
1. Build a Killer README (With a Video Demo)
Your README is your landing page. If a developer lands on your repository and can’t figure out what your project does within 3 seconds, you’ve lost them.
Keep it simple and concise: Cut the fluff. State the problem you solve and show the solution immediately.
Include a video demo: A short, engaging video at the top of your README is worth a thousand lines of text. Show the product in action so users can visualize the value right away.
2. Leverage Visuals (Videos > Text)
Text-heavy updates are easy to scroll past. Visuals stop the scroll.
Use tools like Loom or ScreenCharm to record quick feature walkthroughs or micro-tutorials.
Whenever you post an update on social media, always attach a high-quality screenshot, a GIF, or a short video clip. Show, don't just tell.
3. Write Blog Posts Across Multiple Platforms
Don't just rely on your own website for traffic. Go where the developers already hang out. Write about your technical challenges, architecture decisions, and project milestones on platforms like:
- DEV.to
- Hashnode
- Medium
- Coderlegion
- Hacker News (if you have a strong, tech-focused angle)
4. Participate in Open-Source Events
Capitalize on established global developer movements. Participating in events like Hacktoberfest is a fantastic way to put your repository on the radar of thousands of developers. It helps you find passionate contributors who can improve your codebase while simultaneously driving organic traffic to your repo.
5. Connect and Collaborate Within Your Ecosystem
No project is an island. Find other open-source projects or tools that operate in the same ecosystem and look for ways to collaborate. Whether it's building an integration together, co-authoring a technical blog post, or doing a joint shout-out, tapping into adjacent communities expands your reach exponentially.
6. Be Patient (The Ultimate Secret)
The hard truth: Going viral is mostly just luck. You can't code an algorithm for virality, but you can code for consistency.
Consistency is the only thing you can truly control. Keep showing up, keep building, and keep talking about your work. Growth is a compounding interest game—be patient, and the stars will follow.
Conclusion: The Journey Continues
If you are currently grinding away on your own repository, keep going. Show your work, embrace the feedback (even the tough kind), and don't be afraid to put yourself out there.
Every single star helps boost our visibility, brings in new contributors, and keeps the project moving forward.
Star the Hexabot Github Repository ⭐
Thank you for reading, and happy coding! 🚀
Top comments (1)
Congrats ! 👏