[Cthulhu_]

> Won’t actual fans be right back using and contributing?

Yes, but if "actual" fans are <1% of your existing user base then your reach and ranking is still far below what it used to be. I'm sure most people on GH don't even remember what repos they've starred, and httpie may be one of just thousands, of which many will disappear from their starred repos overnight without them even noticing.

[barrucadu]

If a user didn't care enough about the project to even remember that they starred it, why is that star being lost a problem? It was already the case that nobody was getting any value out of it.