If you mostly use chat-style AI and you're starting to follow new tools, this is the trap that wastes time fast. You see a hot repo, the star count looks huge, and you assume the creator already cracked monetization. That is exactly how time, budget, and attention get spent on the wrong signal.
Headroom is the clean example. On June 16, 2026, the public repo showed 37.5k stars, 2.6k forks, and 156 releases, while chopratejas' public GitHub Sponsors page showed 1 current sponsor and 1 past sponsor. In other words: 37.5k stars can still sit next to 1 listed sponsor on the public page.
That is the part worth remembering. Stars are applause, not income. Start with sponsor conversion. Public sponsor counts can miss one-time gifts, so this is not a full income estimate. But it is a clear warning against treating attention like revenue.
A project update is worth your time not because of how many features it lists, but because it changes your next decision. If you evaluate open source tools, stop using stars as a money proxy. Check the sponsor page, look for the conversion path, and share this with anyone who still reads star count as revenue.