github

name	github
description	Master GitHub workflow skill: auth, repos, issues, PRs, and code review.
version	1.0.0
author	Hermes Agent
license	MIT
platforms	["linux","macos","windows"]
metadata	{"hermes":{"tags":["GitHub","Git","Auth","Issues","Pull-Requests","Code-Review","Repository"],"related_skills":["codebase-inspection","requesting-code-review","test-driven-development"]}}

GitHub Master Workflows

This master skill governs all repository interactions, authentication setups, issue tracking, pull request lifecycles, and code review workflows. Each section is designed to use the GitHub CLI (gh) when available, falling back to pure git + curl API calls.

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1. Authentication Setup

Use this section to configure authentication to allow full programmatic or command-line interaction with GitHub.

Quick Verification & Detection

# Check what is installed and current state
git --version
gh --version 2>/dev/null || echo "gh not installed"
gh auth status 2>/dev/null || echo "gh not authenticated"

Method A: Git-Only HTTPS with Personal Access Token (PAT)

For environments without gh CLI or sudo access, configure git to cache personal access tokens:

1. Generate Classic Token: Go to https://github.com/settings/tokens and select repo, workflow, and read:org scopes.
2. Store Credentials:

# Configure credential helper to persist token on disk
git config --global credential.helper store

# Trigger a remote check to prompt for credential input
# Username: <GitHub Username>
# Password: <Paste the Personal Access Token, NOT password>
git ls-remote https://github.com/<username>/<repo>.git

3. Embed Token in URL (Alternative):

git remote set-url origin https://<username>:<token>@github.com/<owner>/<repo>.git

Method B: GitHub CLI (gh) Login

If gh is installed, perform authentication via interactive login or token injection:

# Non-interactive login using token
echo "$GITHUB_TOKEN" | gh auth login --with-token

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2. Repository Management

Create, clone, fork, configure, and manage GitHub repositories.

# 1. Cloning Shorthand
gh repo clone owner/repo-name ./local-dir

# 2. Creating a new repo and cloning it
gh repo create my-new-project --private --clone --description "An amazing utility" --license MIT

# 3. From an existing local directory
cd /path/to/project
git init
gh repo create my-org/my-new-project --private --source=. --remote=origin --push

Fallback API equivalent (curl):

# Create private repository
curl -s -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/user/repos \
  -d '{"name":"my-new-project", "private":true, "description":"An amazing utility"}'

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2b. Claude Tag Organization Access Limitation

For issues regarding personal repository 403 access errors inside Claude Tag (Slack), see references/claude-tag-repo-access.md.

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3. GitHub Issues

Create, search, triage, and manage GitHub issues.

Viewing Issues

# gh CLI
gh issue list --state open --label "bug"
gh issue view 42

# curl API
curl -s -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.github.com/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/issues?state=open" \
  | jq -r '.[] | "#\(.number) \(.title) [\(.labels[].name)]"'

Creating & Managing Issues

# gh CLI
gh issue create --title "fix: database connection leak" --body "Leak found in connection pool." --label "bug"

# curl API
curl -s -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/issues \
  -d '{"title":"fix: database connection leak", "body":"Leak found in pool.", "labels":["bug"]}'

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4. Pull Request (PR) Lifecycle

From branching to automated merges.

1. Branch and Commits

git fetch origin
git checkout main && git pull origin main
git checkout -b feat/user-auth

# Commit changes using Conventional Commits
git commit -m "feat: add JWT user authentication"
git push -u origin HEAD

2. Creating the PR

# gh CLI
gh pr create --title "feat: add user auth" --body-file .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md --draft

# curl API
curl -s -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/pulls \
  -d '{"title":"feat: add user auth", "body":"Adds JWT auth", "head":"feat/user-auth", "base":"main"}'

3. Monitoring CI and Merging

# Monitor CI checks
gh pr checks --watch

# Merge PR (Squash and Delete Branch)
gh pr merge --squash --delete-branch

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5. Code Review Workflows

Review local changes before pushing or review open pull requests.

Reviewing Local Changes (Pre-Push)

# Show insertions/deletions statistics per file
git diff main...HEAD --stat

# Look for left-over debugger calls, console logs, or TODOs
git diff main...HEAD | grep -n "print(\|console\.log\|TODO\|debugger"

# Check for accidental hardcoded secrets or credentials
git diff main...HEAD | grep -in "password\|secret\|api_key\|token"

Reviewing Open PRs (PR Level)

# List reviews and view PR diff
gh pr diff 42

# Add single or inline comment review on a PR
gh pr comment 42 --body "LGTM! Ready to merge."