Getting set up takes about a day. You request access in minutes, sign and connect Git read-only, and a real per-repo estimate appears within minutes of connecting. The first payment takes longer and has no fixed date, because your code is taken to AI labs in batches and a license closes when a buyer takes it. After that, you are paid within 15 days of each license closing and the buyer paying.
That timeline is for licensing, which is how most idle code is sold today. AI labs license real source code and git history to train coding models. The license is non-exclusive, so you keep ownership and the same repo can be licensed and paid for again. A traditional sale through an acquisition marketplace wants revenue and users, and usually means a listing, buyer calls and due diligence.
How long does each stage take?
Most of the waiting happens after you have done your part. Your own work fits into a day.
| Stage | What happens | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Request access | You say who you are on the valuation form and get set up. | Minutes |
| Sign and connect | Read the agreement, sign once, connect GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket read-only and pick repos. | Same day, or the next |
| Estimate | A real per-repo estimate appears for each repo you selected. | Minutes after connecting Git |
| Scrub and grade | Secrets and personal data are stripped from a review copy, and the code is graded. | Handled for you, before any buyer sees it |
| Taken to buyers | Repos go to AI labs in batches. | Depends on demand, no fixed date |
| Payment | The license closes and the buyer pays. | Within 15 days |
| Re-licensing | The same repo is licensed again. | Repeats with demand, paid within 15 days each time |
How long does it take to get a valuation for my code?
Minutes, once Git is connected. Request access through get a valuation, read and sign the agreement, then give read-only access to your Git host and select the repos. The estimate is per repo and based on the code’s source and history tokens. Source pays $100 per million tokens and history pays $40 per million.
Before you connect, you can get a rough idea from the bands. A typical repo earns about $1,000 to $1,500 per license. For the method, read how much is my code worth.
Why does the first license take longer?
Because licenses close in batches. The licensing program collects code from many owners, checks it and takes it to labs together. Your repo closes when a buyer takes the batch it is in. That depends on what labs want at the time, so nobody can promise a date for your first license.
This is the honest part of the timeline. Setup and the estimate are fast and predictable. The first payment is neither. Some owners see a license close soon after joining. Others wait longer. Treat the first payment as found money with an open date, and do not plan around it.
Nothing on your side slows this down once you have connected. You do not answer buyer questions, write a listing or negotiate. Buyers only ever see the scrubbed review copy.
When do I get paid after a license closes?
Within 15 days of the license closing and the buyer paying. Each license is paid on its own, so a repo licensed three times is paid three times, each on the same terms. Licensing income is usually taxable, so ask an accountant where you live.
Can the same code be licensed again?
Yes. The license is non-exclusive, so the stage from “taken to buyers” to “payment” can repeat for the same repo. How often depends on demand. You keep full ownership and full use of the code throughout, and you can withdraw a codebase at any time.
How can I make the process faster?
You control the first day. These steps keep it short:
- Check you hold the rights first. Only submit code you or your company own. Client work usually belongs to the client.
- Gather every repo before you connect. Old projects are often spread across several GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket accounts. Connect them in one sitting.
- Give the second email on the form. The email linked to your repos helps match them to you.
- Skip the clean-up. Secrets are stripped for you, and the code does not need to build or run. Leave the history as it is, because history carries most of the value.
- Submit the small repos too. Each is estimated and licensed on its own, so more repos means more chances to close.
The full process, step by step, is on how to sell source code. For why labs pay for code at all, read sell code for AI training.
Start the clock. Request access.
Free to join. No public listing. A real estimate in minutes once Git is connected.