I was a developer since 1975...
we’ve all seen those custom contribution graphs on github, but i wanted to show how easily it can actually be done under the hood using git's native mechanics.
most people don't realize that git doesn't validate commit times. if you set the GIT_AUTHOR_DATE and GIT_COMMITTER_DATE environment variables to any date in the past, git just accepts it.
i wanted to make this trick visual and accessible, so i spent the weekend building a free, open-source web editor.
you literally just draw whatever you want (like a heart, a wave, or custom text) on a visual contribution grid for a recent year (like 2023, 2024, or 2025), and the tool generates a self-contained node.js script for you.
how it works technically:
🛠️ it uses git commit --allow-empty so it doesn’t spam or alter any real project files.
📦 it compiles all the dates into a git fast-import stream so the script imports all commits locally in a fraction of a second.
🔒 it is 100% client-side and safe — the generated script runs locally on your own machine so you never share your credentials or tokens with any server.
it is a super fun, simple sandbox to customize your profile and add some creative pixel art.
i made the entire web app and generator completely free and open-source.If you want to learn more about it and try it out do let me know...