| name | librarian |
| description | Cache and refresh remote git repositories under ~/.cache/checkouts/<host>/<org>/<repo> so future references can reuse a local copy. Use this skill when the user points you to a remote git repository as reference or you encountered a remote git repo through other means. |
Use this skill when the user points you to a remote git repository (GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket URLs, git@..., or owner/repo shorthand).
The goal is to keep a reusable local checkout that is:
- stable (predictable path)
- up to date (periodic fetch + fast-forward when safe)
- efficient (partial clone with
--filter=blob:none, no repeated full clones)
- SSH-based (clones and normalizes remotes to
git@<host>:<org>/<repo>.git)
Cache location
Repositories are stored at:
~/.cache/checkouts/<host>/<org>/<repo>
Example:
github.com/mitsuhiko/minijinja → ~/.cache/checkouts/github.com/mitsuhiko/minijinja
Command
bash checkout.sh <repo> --path-only
Examples:
bash checkout.sh mitsuhiko/minijinja --path-only
bash checkout.sh github.com/mitsuhiko/minijinja --path-only
bash checkout.sh https://github.com/mitsuhiko/minijinja --path-only
bash checkout.sh git@github.com:mitsuhiko/minijinja.git --path-only
The script will:
- Parse the repo reference into host/org/repo.
- Clone if missing using the canonical SSH URL (
git@<host>:<org>/<repo>.git).
- Reuse existing checkout if present.
- Normalize
origin to the canonical SSH URL.
- Fetch from
origin when stale (default interval: 300s).
- Attempt a fast-forward merge if the checkout is clean and has an upstream.
Update strategy
- Default behavior is throttled refresh (every 5 minutes) to avoid unnecessary network calls.
- Force immediate refresh with:
bash checkout.sh <repo> --force-update --path-only
Recommended workflow
- Resolve repository path via
checkout.sh --path-only.
- Use that path for searching, reading, and analysis.
- On later references to the same repo, call
checkout.sh again; it will find and update the cached checkout.
If edits are needed
Prefer not to edit directly in the shared cache. Create a separate worktree or copy from the cached checkout for task-specific modifications.
Notes
owner/repo defaults to github.com.
