How it works
The output score for a PR is the answer to the question: “how long would this PR take an expert engineer to complete?” The result is a standard unit to quantify output. It’s consistent and comparable across individuals, teams, languages, and organizations. Unlike flawed metrics like lines of code or number of PRs, our algorithm analyzes source code changes. It understands the meaning and impact of every change.Video explanation
Understanding code output
Examples
What does that look like in practice? Here are some example PRs from open source teams:PostHog/posthog#25056
Adds backend, frontend, and tests for a new feature62 commits across 2 weeks
Output: 15.3
Output: 15.3
microsoft/vscode#222315
Refactors code to use a new service and adds new tests6 commits across 3 days
Output: 8.4
Output: 8.4
facebook/react#27977
Small change with extensive, high effort testsApproximately 1 day of work for expert engineer
Output: 5.8
Output: 5.8
Technical details
How does it work?
How does it work?
Weave’s code output algorithm combines the world knowledge of an LLM with
static analysis and a custom ML model.
How was the model trained?
How was the model trained?
It was trained on a large proprietary data set of PRs, hand labelled by the
expert engineers that wrote them.
Why does my PR have a score of 0?
Why does my PR have a score of 0?
Some PRs receive a score of 0 because the changes don’t register as meaningful
code output. Common reasons include: the PR was flagged as an ignored PR,
all files match your ignored paths (documentation, config, lock files,
generated code), or all changes are file moves or renames.
How output is attributed
Does squashing or rewriting commits change output?
Does squashing or rewriting commits change output?
No. Weave estimates output from the final diff of the merged PR (or GitLab MR), so squashing,
rebasing, or rewriting commits doesn’t change its score. Individual commits only decide how a
PR’s output is split between its contributors, such as commit authors, co-authors, and AI tools.
Which date is output counted on?
Which date is output counted on?
Output is dated by the PR’s merge date, not by when the commits were written. If you open or merge
a PR weeks after doing the work, its output appears in the period it was merged.
Is code pushed without a PR counted?
Is code pushed without a PR counted?
Not by default. Commits pushed directly to a branch without a PR don’t count toward output. For
teams that work without PRs, Weave staff can enable commit mode on a repository, which estimates
output from commits instead. Contact support to discuss commit mode.
How far back does output go?
How far back does output go?
When you connect a code platform, Weave imports PRs from about the last 6 months by default. Older
PRs aren’t included unless Weave support sets an earlier start date.
1 Source: Weave research, 2026