You have looked at your README so often that you no longer see it. The Profile Doctor looks at it like a visitor: does it say who you are, do the images load, does it work in dark mode? It scores the README out of 100 and builds a fixed version you can compare with the original.
Run the doctor
Click Profile Doctor in the top bar of Profile README Studio. Type a GitHub username and click Check profile. The doctor reads that profile's README from raw.githubusercontent.com and api.github.com, from your browser. Nothing is stored anywhere else.
You can check any public profile, not only yours, or paste a README instead with Or paste a README instead.
Read the score
Nine rules share the 100 points:
| Rule | Points |
|---|---|
| Says who you are | 15 |
| No broken widget hosts | 15 |
| Pictures load, from GitHub | 15 |
| Looks right in dark mode | 10 |
| No badge wall | 10 |
| Easy to reach | 10 |
| Shows your work | 10 |
| Short enough to read | 10 |
| Images have alt text | 5 |
Pictures on GitHub (in your repository, your avatar, your achievements) are loaded in your browser and timed. Pictures from other servers are counted but never loaded, and each costs half its share, because it breaks whenever that server does.
Each rule shows what it found. Read those notes even for a good score: they are the quickest list of what to improve.
Open the fixed version
Click Open the fixed version. The doctor loads a repaired README into the studio. It:
- Redraws every widget it knows with the studio, so none of them depends on another server any more
- Gives cards a light and a dark version
- Turns walls of technology badges into one row of icons
- Adds alt text to images
- Where your README is missing them, fills in your bio, links and top repositories from your public GitHub profile
Everything else is kept as you wrote it.
Compare before and after
Above the preview, Compare shows the original and the new version side by side: Before on one side, After on the other. Check that nothing you care about was lost, then carry on editing the fixed version like any other layout.
Use the score as a checklist
Aim for these, in this order:
- No broken widget hosts and Pictures load, from GitHub: 30 points, and the most visible to visitors
- Says who you are: one clear line at the top
- Looks right in dark mode: half your visitors see it
- Easy to reach: one working contact link
The rest usually follows from a lean README.
Share a result
The doctor's Share button gives a link to the result, useful when you help a friend or a team with their profile. How the score works explains each rule, and Suggest a change goes to the issue tracker if you think a rule is wrong or missing.
The next lesson covers the format underneath: the markers that make a README editable again, importing, sharing and publishing.