Status: Elixpo is applying to be a mentoring organisation for Google Summer of Code 2027. Google announces accepted organisations after the application period.

ElixpoGSoC 2027

Google Summer of Code 2027 · mentoring organisation application

Elixpo is applying to mentor in Google Summer of Code 2027.

Elixpo builds open-source software for writing, drawing, agent tooling, community programmes and open hardware. We have prepared six project ideas across five codebases. In 2027 we plan to mentor one contributor, with a primary and a backup mentor on every project. This site sets out the ideas, how to prepare an application and how we select contributors.

See the 6 project ideasHow to applyWhy Elixpo for GSoC

Getting started

  1. Read about Google Summer of Code

    How the programme works and the rules Google sets for contributors.

  2. Browse the project ideas

    Choose one or two that match your skills and interests.

  3. Set up a project without keys

    Run its tests, complete a warm-up task, then follow the contributor guide to introduce yourself and make a small contribution.

  4. Prepare your proposal

    Use our template, and read the selection criteria.

What is Google Summer of Code?

Google Summer of Code (GSoC) is a global programme run by Google. Contributors who are new to open source work on an open-source project for several months with guidance from mentors, and receive a stipend from Google.

  • Google runs the programme and selects the participating organisations.
  • Mentoring organisations, such as Elixpo, publish project ideas and provide mentors.
  • Contributors choose an idea, write a proposal (a plan for the work) and, if selected, carry it out with their mentors.

Google sets the eligibility rules, stipends and dates each year. Read them on the official Google Summer of Code site.

Programme status

  • Elixpo is applying to be a mentoring organisation for Google Summer of Code 2027.
  • Google announces accepted organisations after the application period.
  • In 2027 we plan to mentor one contributor.

Prospective contributors can read the ideas, ask questions and contribute to the repositories now.

About Elixpo

Elixpo is an open-source organisation that builds software in public. Our code is on GitHub, and the organisation has been active since February 2024. The project ideas belong to five codebases, described in more detail on the projects page:

  • LixBlogs: a collaborative blogging platform that hosts many publications, with an API (an interface for other programs) and a CLI (a command-line tool).
  • LixSketch: a collaborative canvas for sketches, diagrams and documents.
  • Crumb: a self-hosted agent harness and natural-language terminal, written in Rust. An agent harness runs AI agents and controls what they may do.
  • Elixpo Open Source: a platform, in development, for running open-source contests and mentoring programmes.
  • Oreo: an open operating system and hardware design for an electronic badge built on the ESP32-S3 chip, written in MicroPython (a compact Python for microcontrollers).

Track record

Elixpo in open source

  • Hacktoberfest 2024: our first recorded participation. Maintainers opened the Chapter repository, reviewed submissions and merged three Hacktoberfest-labelled pull requests. View the pull requests.
  • Hacktoberfest 2025: 47 Hacktoberfest-labelled pull requests merged from 24 GitHub accounts, with every change prepared, reviewed and merged by maintainers. View the pull requests.

Mentor experience

Ayushman Bhattacharya, lead organisation administrator:

  • GitHub Maintainer Advisory: member of GitHub's Maintainer Advisory community.
  • Pollinations.ai: maintainer of the open-source generative AI platform pollinations/pollinations.
  • Hacktoberfest: project administrator and student coordinator since 2024, mentoring contributors through Hacktoberfest 2024 and 2025.
  • Google Developer Groups: GDG on Campus organiser at JIS University in 2025–26, running a season of 21 events for student developers.
  • Mentoring programmes: mentor in GirlScript Summer of Code 2025, Open Source Contribution Initiative (OSCI) 2025 and ESSOC 2026.

Google Summer of Code extends this work to one contributor, one project and a full programme. The community and mentoring record lists each step with its source.

Why we are applying

  • One contributor, done well. A newcomer learns a production codebase and ships one well-defined piece of it under review.
  • Mentorship, not just merges. Two mentors on every idea, human review and replies within 48 hours on weekdays.
  • Ownership after the summer. The contributor is invited to keep reviewing and maintaining what they built.
  • Open by default. Every idea lives in a public, open-source codebase you can set up without private keys.
  • Proven at a smaller scale. Our Hacktoberfest work shows we can prepare, review and merge newcomers' contributions; GSoC is the deeper version.

Read our agenda for what Elixpo is, what it ships in public and how it decides what to approve.

How the ideas are organised

  • Each idea addresses one problem in one codebase and states what is out of scope.
  • Each idea has two mentors: a primary mentor, who is the contributor's main contact, and a backup mentor, who can step in.
  • Each idea states how success is measured, for example with tests that anyone can run.
  • Each codebase can be set up locally without private Elixpo credentials.
  • Every page on this site is built from one set of Markdown files, so the facts on each page agree.

Project ideas

The six project ideas

Each idea is a defined piece of work in one Elixpo codebase, with stated outcomes and two mentors. Open an idea for its full description, or compare all ideas in one table.

  2. 02 Accessibility

    Accessible LixSketch canvas

    Make the LixSketch drawing canvas usable for people who use only a keyboard or a screen reader, and add tests that prove it.

    Size
    175 hours
    Difficulty
    Intermediate
    Mentors
    Vivek Yadav (primary), Divyanshu (backup)

  3. 03 Rust, agent security

    Crumb connector contract and offline conformance kit

    Design a safe, standard way for Crumb to connect to outside accounts such as GitHub, and build tests that prove each connection only does what it is allowed to do.

    Size
    175 hours
    Difficulty
    Hard
    Mentors
    Ayushman Bhattacharya (primary), Vivek Yadav (backup)

  4. 04 Community, data

    Explainable contest-scoring engine for Elixpo Open Source

    Build the part of Elixpo Open Source that turns GitHub activity into contest points, in a way anyone can check and that is hard to cheat.

    Size
    90 hours
    Difficulty
    Intermediate
    Mentors
    Divyanshu (primary), Ayushman Bhattacharya (backup)

  5. 05 Embedded, open hardware

    Oreo badge desktop simulator

    Build a program that runs the Oreo badge's software on an ordinary computer, so people can build and test badge apps without the hardware.

    Size
    175 hours
    Difficulty
    Intermediate
    Mentors
    Ayushman Bhattacharya (primary), Vivek Yadav (backup)

  6. 06 Developer tools

    LixBlogs CLI automation contract v1

    Write down and test exactly what the LixBlogs command-line tool prints, so scripts and AI tools that depend on it don't break without warning.

    Size
    90 hours
    Difficulty
    Easy
    Mentors
    Divyanshu (primary), Ayushman Bhattacharya (backup)