diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 27acb62..799e520 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 The curated list of [goblog](https://github.com/goblogplatform/goblog) plugins behind [goblog.live/plugins](https://goblog.live/plugins).
 
 - `registry.yaml` — the list. Add your repository in a PR; see [docs/CONTRACT.md](docs/CONTRACT.md).
-- `https://goblogplatform.github.io/plugins/index.json` — the machine-readable index (latest release of each plugin, with `download_url` and `sha256`); `plugins/<name>.json` adds the rendered README, changelog and release history.
+- `https://goblogplatform.github.io/plugins/index.json` — the machine-readable index (latest release of each plugin, with `download_url` and `sha256`) and `stars` (GitHub stargazers, the directory's default ordering); `plugins/<name>.json` adds the rendered README, changelog and release history.
 - `cmd/registry` — the tool CI runs: `validate` on pull requests, `build` on merge and every six hours.
 
 ```bash
diff --git a/cmd/registry/main_test.go b/cmd/registry/main_test.go
index b7f32bb..62af1b3 100644
--- a/cmd/registry/main_test.go
+++ b/cmd/registry/main_test.go
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ func (m *memSource) File(_ context.Context, owner, repo, ref, path string) ([]by
 func (m *memSource) RenderMarkdown(_ context.Context, _, md string) (string, error) {
 	return "<p>" + md + "</p>", nil
 }
+func (m *memSource) RepoStars(context.Context, string, string) (int, error) { return 3, nil }
 
 type okValidator struct{}
 
diff --git a/docs/CONTRACT.md b/docs/CONTRACT.md
index e714e44..3ebc097 100644
--- a/docs/CONTRACT.md
+++ b/docs/CONTRACT.md
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 The directory at [goblog.live/plugins](https://goblog.live/plugins) lists plugins from this registry. A plugin is a GitHub repository; each GitHub release is a version. Submitting means adding your repository to `registry.yaml` in a pull request — CI validates it and, once merged, the index is rebuilt (on every merge and every six hours).
 
+## What the directory publishes
+
+The index entry for your plugin is built from the manifest, the latest release, and your repository's GitHub star count (`stars`), which the directory uses for its default ordering. Stars are best-effort: if GitHub cannot be reached for them, the entry is published with `0`.
+
 ## What the repository must contain
 
 At the root of the repository, at the release tag being published (the tool checks the latest release):
diff --git a/internal/registry/build.go b/internal/registry/build.go
index b7f6ef0..9c6412a 100644
--- a/internal/registry/build.go
+++ b/internal/registry/build.go
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ type IndexEntry struct {
 	InstallType      string `json:"install_type"`
 	ReleasedAt       string `json:"released_at"`
 	DetailURL        string `json:"detail_url"`
+	Stars            int    `json:"stars"`
 }
 
 // ReleaseDoc is one release in a plugin's history.
@@ -142,6 +143,14 @@ func buildDetail(ctx context.Context, src Source, v *Validated, baseURL string)
 		DetailURL:        fmt.Sprintf("%s/plugins/%s.json", baseURL, v.Manifest.Name),
 	}
 
+	// Stars only order the directory; a failed lookup must not drop an
+	// otherwise valid plugin from the index.
+	if stars, err := src.RepoStars(ctx, v.Owner, v.Name); err != nil {
+		log.Printf("%s: stars unavailable, using 0: %v", ownerRepo, err)
+	} else {
+		entry.Stars = stars
+	}
+
 	readme, err := src.File(ctx, v.Owner, v.Name, v.Release.Tag, "README.md")
 	if err != nil {
 		return DetailDoc{}, fmt.Errorf("README.md: %w", err)
diff --git a/internal/registry/build_test.go b/internal/registry/build_test.go
index d64d0af..65ee891 100644
--- a/internal/registry/build_test.go
+++ b/internal/registry/build_test.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package registry
 import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
@@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ func TestBuild_WritesIndexAndDetails(t *testing.T) {
 		License: "Apache-2.0", SourceURL: "https://github.com/o/hello",
 		DownloadURL: "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/o/hello/v1.1.0/plugin.go", SHA256: sum([]byte(helloSrc)),
 		MinGoblogVersion: "0.2.6", InstallType: "dynamic", ReleasedAt: "2026-09-15T00:00:00Z",
-		DetailURL: "https://example.test/plugins/plugins/hello.json",
+		DetailURL: "https://example.test/plugins/plugins/hello.json", Stars: 7,
 	}
 	if e != want {
 		t.Errorf("entry =\n%+v\nwant\n%+v", e, want)
@@ -51,6 +52,9 @@ func TestBuild_WritesIndexAndDetails(t *testing.T) {
 	if d.Name != "hello" || d.ReadmeHTML != "<p># Hello</p>" || d.ChangelogHTML != "<p>## 1.1.0\n- second</p>" {
 		t.Errorf("detail = %+v", d)
 	}
+	if d.Stars != 7 {
+		t.Errorf("detail stars = %d", d.Stars)
+	}
 	detailRaw, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(out, "plugins", "hello.json"))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
@@ -115,6 +119,26 @@ func TestBuild_SkipsBrokenEntriesAndDuplicates(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestBuild_StarsAreBestEffort: a failed star lookup must not drop a valid
+// plugin; the entry is published with stars 0.
+func TestBuild_StarsAreBestEffort(t *testing.T) {
+	src := helloSource()
+	src.starsErr = errors.New("rate limited")
+	out := t.TempDir()
+	res, err := Build(context.Background(), src, helloValidator(), []string{"o/hello"}, out, "https://example.test/plugins")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(res.Built) != 1 || len(res.Skipped) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("result = %+v", res)
+	}
+	var index []IndexEntry
+	mustJSON(t, filepath.Join(out, "index.json"), &index)
+	if len(index) != 1 || index[0].Stars != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("entry should be published with stars 0, got %+v", index)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestBuild_FailsWhenNothingBuilt(t *testing.T) {
 	src := helloSource()
 	if _, err := Build(context.Background(), src, helloValidator(), []string{"o/nope"}, t.TempDir(), "https://example.test/plugins"); err == nil {
diff --git a/internal/registry/source.go b/internal/registry/source.go
index 45e69b6..daf09be 100644
--- a/internal/registry/source.go
+++ b/internal/registry/source.go
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@ type Source interface {
 	// the context of ownerRepo (so `#123` and `@user` references resolve;
 	// relative links and images are left as-is).
 	RenderMarkdown(ctx context.Context, ownerRepo, markdown string) (string, error)
+	// RepoStars returns the repository's GitHub stargazer count (the
+	// directory's "top plugins" ordering).
+	RepoStars(ctx context.Context, owner, repo string) (stars int, err error)
 }
 
 // GitHubSource implements Source with the GitHub REST API.
@@ -110,6 +113,14 @@ func (g *GitHubSource) File(ctx context.Context, owner, repo, ref, path string)
 	return []byte(s), nil
 }
 
+func (g *GitHubSource) RepoStars(ctx context.Context, owner, repo string) (int, error) {
+	r, _, err := g.client.Repositories.Get(ctx, owner, repo)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("get repo %s/%s: %w", owner, repo, err)
+	}
+	return r.GetStargazersCount(), nil
+}
+
 func (g *GitHubSource) RenderMarkdown(ctx context.Context, ownerRepo, markdown string) (string, error) {
 	if markdown == "" {
 		return "", nil
diff --git a/internal/registry/source_test.go b/internal/registry/source_test.go
index 2c72a0e..c150269 100644
--- a/internal/registry/source_test.go
+++ b/internal/registry/source_test.go
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ func fakeGitHub(t *testing.T) *httptest.Server {
 		  {"tag_name":"v1.0.0","name":"v1.0.0","body":"First","draft":false,"prerelease":false,"published_at":"2026-09-14T00:00:00Z","html_url":"https://github.com/o/r/releases/tag/v1.0.0"}
 		]`))
 	})
+	mux.HandleFunc("GET /repos/o/r", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		w.Write([]byte(`{"full_name":"o/r","stargazers_count":42}`))
+	})
 	mux.HandleFunc("GET /repos/o/r/contents/plugin.go", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		if r.URL.Query().Get("ref") != "v1.1.0" {
 			http.NotFound(w, r)
@@ -84,6 +88,14 @@ func TestGitHubSource(t *testing.T) {
 	if html, err := src.RenderMarkdown(ctx, "o/r", ""); err != nil || html != "" {
 		t.Errorf("empty markdown should render to empty string without a request, got %q %v", html, err)
 	}
+
+	stars, err := src.RepoStars(ctx, "o", "r")
+	if err != nil || stars != 42 {
+		t.Errorf("RepoStars = %d, %v", stars, err)
+	}
+	if _, err := src.RepoStars(ctx, "o", "missing"); err == nil {
+		t.Error("RepoStars on an unknown repo should fail")
+	}
 }
 
 func jsonDecode(r *http.Request, v any) error { return json.NewDecoder(r.Body).Decode(v) }
diff --git a/internal/registry/validate_test.go b/internal/registry/validate_test.go
index 04d05e2..b91b6b4 100644
--- a/internal/registry/validate_test.go
+++ b/internal/registry/validate_test.go
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ type memSource struct {
 	releases map[string][]Release // "owner/repo" → releases
 	files    map[string]string    // "owner/repo@ref:path" → content
 	rendered int                  // RenderMarkdown call count
+	stars    map[string]int       // "owner/repo" → stargazers_count
+	starsErr error                // when set, RepoStars fails for every repo
 }
 
 func (m *memSource) Releases(_ context.Context, owner, repo string) ([]Release, error) {
@@ -38,6 +40,16 @@ func (m *memSource) RenderMarkdown(_ context.Context, ownerRepo, md string) (str
 	return "<p>" + md + "</p>", nil
 }
 
+func (m *memSource) RepoStars(_ context.Context, owner, repo string) (int, error) {
+	if m.starsErr != nil {
+		return 0, m.starsErr
+	}
+	if n, ok := m.stars[owner+"/"+repo]; ok {
+		return n, nil
+	}
+	return 0, nil
+}
+
 const helloSrc = "package main\n// hello plugin\n"
 
 func helloSource() *memSource {
@@ -56,6 +68,7 @@ func helloSource() *memSource {
 			"o/hello@v1.1.0:README.md":          "# Hello",
 			"o/hello@v1.1.0:CHANGELOG.md":       "## 1.1.0\n- second",
 		},
+		stars: map[string]int{"o/hello": 7},
 	}
 }