BreakPoint
The second-chance platform for any project
Code, writing, art, music, home, business, learning. BreakPoint is where projects that you walked away from find a second life. In a 2019 study of 1,932 popular GitHub projects, 16% were abandoned. BreakPoint is the second chance for the rest.
Published July 13, 2026 · ~6 min read
The thesis
Every project management tool is built for the moment you start a project. None of them are built for the moment you walk away from one. BreakPoint is the second one. We don't help you organize your active projects — that's Notion, Trello, Linear, Obsidian. We help you revive the ones you already abandoned. Or hand them to someone else who'll take them on. Or, if nobody wants them, archive them with grace and move on.
The eight verticals
Each vertical is a real category of abandoned project with its own signals, community, and adoption pattern. Pick yours.
Code
Open source libraries, tools, frameworks. The original BreakPoint vertical.
The 16% of popular GitHub projects abandoned in a 2019 study.
Side projects
Personal projects, weekend hacks, MVPs that didn't ship. The Most side projects never finish.
The second most common type of abandoned project.
Writing
Novels, nonfiction books, articles, blog series. Most writing projects die before they're finished.
The unfinished novel is a universal experience.
Art
Drawing, design, illustration, photography projects. The works that exist only as sketches and WIPs.
The sketches that never became paintings.
Music
Albums, songs, compositions, sample packs. Most music projects never see release.
The demos that never became albums.
Home / DIY
Renovations, builds, garden projects, repairs. The half-painted room, the half-built shelf.
The garage that never got cleaned out.
Business
Startup ideas, MVPs, side hustles, products that never shipped. About half of new US establishments are closed by year five.
The startup idea that lived in a notebook.
Learning
MOOCs, courses, certifications, language studies. Most online learners never finish.
The course you signed up for and never completed.
The data behind the second-chance economy
These numbers are the reason BreakPoint exists. The pattern is the same across every vertical:
- 16% of popular GitHub projects had been abandoned (Avelino et al. 2019, ESEM; arXiv:1906.08058).
- 60% of OSS maintainers have quit or considered quitting (Tidelift 2024).
- Most New Year's resolutions are abandoned.
- Most writing projects (novels, nonfiction books) are abandoned before completion.
- About half of new US employer establishments are closed by year five (US Bureau of Labor Statistics) — a count that includes owners who retired, sold, or moved on, so "closed" overstates "failed."
- Most online learners never complete the course they enrolled in.
The pattern is the same: people start things, then walk away. BreakPoint is the platform that helps the walk-away be the start of a second chapter, not the end of the story.
The 41% revival rate
Per Avelino et al. (2019), 41% of abandoned open source projects come back to life when there's a handoff mechanism. The handoff mechanism is what BreakPoint provides. For OSS, it's the adopt-me topic, the maintainer handoff guide, the conversation thread, the 23-day median drop-to-first-PR. For other verticals, the mechanism is the same: a public place where the project is described, where a new owner can find it, and where the original owner can describe what's left to do.
Frequently asked questions
What is BreakPoint?
The second-chance platform for any project. Code, writing, art, music, home, business, learning.
What kinds of projects can I drop on BreakPoint?
Eight verticals: code, side projects, writing, art, music, home, business, learning.
Is BreakPoint just for open source?
Started that way. Expanded in 2026 to all projects.
How is BreakPoint different from Notion or Trello?
Notion is for starting projects. BreakPoint is for reviving the ones you walked away from.