Developer Tools · Review
ActiveTangled Review 2026: Federated Code Hosting
Tangled is an open, federated code forge built on the AT Protocol, with stacked code reviews and CI that can run on your own machines. Its flexibility is useful for developers who want control over hosting, but the hosted pricing and security assessment are not published.
By the DappsAtlas editorial team · Updated
DappsAtlas score
7.5/10
Good
Our verdict on Tangled
7.5/10Tangled is worth considering if you want a Git forge that can work across servers, supports stacked reviews and lets you run repository hosting or CI yourself. Its open-source, modular design gives teams more control than a single hosted service, and the AT Protocol approach supports federation. The main trade-offs are the extra setup and operational work of self-hosting, plus missing published details on hosted pricing and security assessments. Teams should verify those points against their needs before moving important projects.
Score breakdown
How Tangled scores
- Security
- n/a
- Ease of use
- 7.0/10
- Fees
- n/a
- Features
- 8.0/10
Scores run from 0 to 10 and are based only on facts we could verify. Where information was missing we mark the score n/a rather than guess.
What is Tangled?
Tangled is an open-source code forge for hosting repositories, reviewing changes and running continuous integration. It is built on the AT Protocol and can be used on Tangled-hosted instances or self-hosted in part or in full.
Its notable workflow is stacked code review: developers can divide a larger feature into smaller changes that build on each other. Tangled also offers CI through its spindles component and supports contributor vouching. Hosted-instance pricing, team details and a security audit are not published on the homepage.
How Tangled works
Tangled is a Git forge built on the AT Protocol. Instead of limiting collaboration to one centrally hosted server, its federated approach is designed to let people submit pull requests or bug reports to repositories hosted on different servers. You can use Tangled's hosted service or operate some or all of the system yourself.
6 features
Key features
01
Stacked code reviews
Review changes as smaller, dependent increments rather than one large pull request. Tangled says this workflow supports Jujutsu natively.
02
Federated repositories
Host repositories on Tangled's instances or operate repository infrastructure yourself using knots.
03
Flexible CI
Run CI in NixOS-powered microVMs, with support for container builds and services such as Postgres and Redis.
04
Agent-friendly records
The project says issues, pull requests and comments are JSON records signed by their authors, and that agents can interact through plain Git.
05
Contributor vouching
Vouching lets users signal trust in contributors within their circle, with a shield shown on a vouched-for profile.
06
Extensible components
Tangled says repository storage backends, CI services and clients can be extended to fit different setups.
Pros and cons
What we like
- Offers both hosted and self-hosted options for repository hosting and CI.
- Supports stacked reviews, including native support for Jujutsu.
- CI can run on user-operated machines as well as hosted infrastructure.
- Open-source components can be extended with custom storage backends, CI services and clients.
- Uses signed JSON records for issues, pull requests and comments, which the project says can be written by agents.
Watch out for
- Hosted-instance pricing and any paid-plan limits are not published.
- Tangled depends on the AT Protocol, which may add concepts and account choices for developers used to a single centralized forge.
- Self-hosting requires you to operate and maintain repository or CI infrastructure.
- The project does not publish an audit or a detailed security assessment.
Tangled fees
Tangled does not publish hosted-instance pricing or paid-plan limits on its homepage. Check the hosted service's terms or account pages for any charges before relying on it. Self-hosting also has infrastructure and maintenance costs, which depend on the setup you choose.
Is Tangled safe?
Tangled is software infrastructure rather than a custodial crypto service, so users choosing self-hosting control their own deployment and repository data. Hosted users depend on Tangled's service and operational practices. The project does not publish an audit or detailed security assessment on its homepage; evaluate the code, hosting arrangements and backups before storing important repositories. No licensing or regulatory status is stated, and this is not a gambling product.
6 steps
How to get started with Tangled
- 1
Choose whether to use a Tangled-hosted instance or bring your own AT Protocol account.
- 2
Create or sign in to the account you plan to use.
- 3
Explore repositories or create one for your project.
- 4
Use Git to work with your repository and submit changes for review.
- 5
For stacked reviews, organize related changes into a sequence of smaller, dependent changes.
- 6
If you want to self-host, select the Tangled components you need and deploy them using the project's NixOS modules or Docker images.
Who Tangled is for
Tangled is aimed at software developers and teams who want an open-source Git forge, stacked code reviews or more control over where repositories and CI run. It is a better fit for users comfortable with Git and, for self-hosting, maintaining infrastructure; teams seeking a fully managed service with clearly published pricing may prefer to compare alternatives.
Tangled FAQs
What is Tangled?
Tangled is a code forge for hosting repositories, reviewing changes and running CI. It is open source and uses the AT Protocol for federated collaboration.
Can I self-host Tangled?
Yes. Tangled says you can self-host repository services called knots, CI services called spindles, or custom clients. It offers NixOS modules and Docker images for running components.
How do stacked pull requests work on Tangled?
Tangled supports stacked pull requests, letting developers split a larger change into smaller reviews that build on one another. The project says this workflow natively supports Jujutsu.
Does Tangled include CI?
Tangled says CI runs in NixOS-powered microVMs and can build containers or run services such as Postgres and Redis. CI can run on Tangled's hosted instances or on infrastructure you operate.
Is Tangled free to use?
Tangled describes its software as open source and says repositories can be hosted on its instances or self-hosted. Hosted-instance prices and plan limits are not published on the homepage.
Is Tangled safe to use?
Tangled is a developer tool, not a crypto casino or financial service. It does not publish a security audit on its homepage; review the project's security information and assess the risks of your chosen hosting setup before relying on it.
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How we checked
Sources
No public sources were recorded for this review.
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