Did You Get a Vague GitHub Shakedown Notice About Code Quality?
Anyone else get a vague GitHub shakedown notice?
I received a confusing email from GitHub threatening to start billing me for their new Code Quality service, despite never signing up for a paid plan or providing billing information. The message claims I am part of an organization using the preview, yet I am not enrolled in GitHub Sponsors and have left most organizations months ago. I am now investigating if my association with QGIS triggered this error or if this is a deliberate attempt to generate surprise charges.
I got an email from GitHub threatening to start billing me, and have eliminated most reasons why it would have arrived, and my QGIS association is next.
- Aurornis
I'm a GitHub admin. Did not receive this e-mail. We don't have the GitHub Code Quality feature enabled anywhere, though.
The e-mail seems clear: Someone enabled the feature in the organization. The feature was in free preview, but the free preview is ending. If they leave it enabled, it will be billed at the new rate.
It's pretty clear that "organization" is being used throughout the e-mail, so they're not referring to this person's free personal GitHub account.
- carogalvin
Hi, I'm the PM who sent out this email! This email only went out to enterprise admins where there's an org somewhere that has Code Quality enabled on some repository. It's very possible that, due to what you mentioned about adjusting roles and organization membership recently, that it no longer applies to you and we didn't update our filter in time.
To be super sure that you turn it off everywhere if you don't want to pay for it, go to any organizations you're the admin for, and go to Settings > Code Quality (it'll be in the left side bar), say "No repos" for the "Repo Access" dropdown, and turn on enforcement - it'll then turn it off everywhere in the org and stop it from being turned back on (in very large orgs, this can take a few minutes to propagate).
- andai
This links to this, which says
https://docs.github.com/en/code-security/concepts/about-code...
> GitHub Code Quality is currently in public preview and will become generally available on July 20, 2026. During public preview, Code Quality scans will consume GitHub Actions minutes but you will not be billed for other usage. From July 20, 2026, usage will incur additional charges. See GitHub Code Quality billing.
>If you want to avoid charges, disable Code Quality before July 20, 2026. See Disabling GitHub Code Quality.
https://docs.github.com/en/code-security/how-tos/maintain-qu...
>( Repo > Settings > Code Quality)
I don't see that tab, so either the docs are out of date, and it's called something else now, or it's not on all accounts/all repos. (Due to being in preview?) I don't know.
- dumbfoundded
It sounds like they gave you a feature for free you didn't want, and now are trying to charge for it. Very much a dark pattern.
- dewey
What about this email is a "shakedown"?