Ross ROSS = Recommend OSS · open-source software intelligence for agents

ankane/pretender

Log in as another user in Rails observed · 2026-08-28

github.com/ankane/pretender · Ruby · MIT (permissive) observed · 2026-08-28

Health v2 · maintenance only

66/100

  • Activity 75
  • Release rhythm 35
  • Longevity 100

Flags: no_releases

How is this computed?

round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10) — computed 2026-09-02. Adoption (stars, forks) is never an input.

  • gap_med: n/a
  • age_days: 4929
  • days_rel: n/a
  • days_push: 153
  • n_releases_24m: 0

Full methodology

Adoption not part of the score

1427 stars · 56 forks observed · 2026-08-28

What it is AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, 2026-08-30, confidence not recorded

Pretender is a lightweight Ruby gem that lets admins log in as (impersonate) another user in Rails applications. It works with any authentication system like Devise, Authlogic, or Sorcery, and integrates with Action Cable and auditing tools.

Use cases

  • impersonate a user to debug their reported issue
  • see exactly what another user sees as an admin
  • switch between user accounts during support sessions
  • keep audit logs attributed to the true user while impersonating
  • add sign-in-as-user functionality to a Rails admin panel

When to choose

  • you run a Rails app and admins need to view the app as another user
  • you want minimal code changes and compatibility with any auth library
  • you need impersonation that works with Action Cable and audit tools

When to avoid

  • you are not using Ruby on Rails
  • you need impersonation with built-in admin UI or authorization controls
  • your framework is not Ruby-based

Facets

library · maturity stable

auth middleware web-development security developer-tools ruby rails user-impersonation authentication admin-tools web-server

1 source

Member repositories

RepositoryRoleHealth v2
ankane/pretendermain66

For agents

markdown · JSON · MCP: product_card(name="ankane/pretender")

Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00 · Report a problem