Skip to main content Home Creators kayforkind skill-slice github-presence
github-presence Improves GitHub discoverability: README anatomy and badges, username profile README, topics, awesome-list submissions, FUNDING.yml, and traffic/star signals. Use for making a repo findable via README, topics, profile page, or awesome-list PRs. Not for Actions log debugging, PR merge mechanics, or application feature work.
Jump to install Skills Marketplace Discover and explore AI skills built by the community.
Install with Codex or Claude Copy this prompt, paste it into Codex, Claude, or another assistant, and let it review the skill page and install it for you.
Show prompt details A direct command skips the review prompt. Inspect the source before running it.
npx skills add https://github.com/Kayforkind/skill-slice --skill github-presenceThe command stays on one line. Scroll horizontally to inspect it before copying.
Prefer a local copy? Download the files currently available to SkillsMP.
Download Zip Downloading... More from this repository
Open a creative mind on the current context and invent a leap the user did not know to ask for — a feature, protocol, CLI, demo, architecture, product move, prose, experiment, or visual. Use when they run /awe-me or /inspire-me, say “awe me” or “inspire me”, want surprise, adjacent possible, make-strange, or are stuck recognizing instead of seeing. Not a brainstorm list. Not /better (quality pass). Not a feasibility grill.
ab-testing-design-and-analysis Design, power, run, and analyze statistically valid A/B/N product experiments (sample size, duration, SRM, sequential monitoring, multiple comparisons). Use when pre-registering a test or reading out a controlled split. Not for event instrumentation, funnel diagnosis, wandb ML tracking (weights-and-biases), MVP smoke tests (mvp-scoping-and-risk-test), or RICE scoring (feature-prioritization-frameworks).
name github-presence description Improves GitHub discoverability: README anatomy and badges, username profile README, topics, awesome-list submissions, FUNDING.yml, and traffic/star signals. Use for making a repo findable via README, topics, profile page, or awesome-list PRs. Not for Actions log debugging, PR merge mechanics, or application feature work. version 1.0.1 risk unknown source https://github.com/jonathimer/devmarketing-skills/tree/main/skills/github-presence source_repo jonathimer/devmarketing-skills source_type community date_added 2026-07-01T00:00:00.000Z license MIT license_source https://github.com/jonathimer/devmarketing-skills/blob/main/LICENSE
GitHub Presence
Overview
GitHub is where developers evaluate your project before trying it. This skill covers README optimization, profile READMEs, discoverability through topics and awesome lists, and using GitHub features for marketing. Treat your GitHub presence as the first technical evaluation a developer performs — optimize accordingly.
When to Use
Use this skill when the user wants to optimize their GitHub profile, README, or project discoverability. Trigger phrases include:
"GitHub README"
"README optimization"
"GitHub profile"
"GitHub stars"
"GitHub discoverability"
"awesome lists"
"GitHub marketing"
Prerequisites
Read .agents/developer-audience-context.md if it exists — this file provides context about who evaluates the repository.Audit your current GitHub presence (profile, pinned repos, READMEs) before making changes.
Confirm you have push access to the target repository or profile README repo.
Procedure
1. Audit Current Presence
Open the target repository on GitHub.
Review the existing README for structure, badges, quick start, and license.
Check repository settings for topics (up to 20 allowed).
Review the profile README if one exists (repo named exactly after the username).
Check Insights → Traffic for current views, clones, and referrers.
2. README Structure
A great README follows this anatomy:
Section Purpose Required? Logo/Banner Brand recognition, visual appeal Recommended Badges Quick trust signals, status Recommended One-liner What it does in one sentence Required Hero example Immediate "what does it look like?" Highly recommended Features Why use this over alternatives Required Quick start Get running in < 2 minutes Required Installation
Usage Core usage examples Required
Documentation Link to full docs Required
Contributing How to contribute Recommended
License Legal clarity Required
3. Apply the README Template Use this template as a starting point. Replace placeholders with project-specific content:
<div align ="center" > <img src ="logo.svg" alt ="Project Name" width ="200" > <h1 > </h1 > <p > <strong > </strong > </p > <a href ="https://github.com/org/repo/actions" > <img src ="https://github.com/org/repo/workflows/CI/badge.svg" alt ="CI" > </a > <a href ="https://www.npmjs.com/package/name" > <img src ="https://img.shields.io/npm/v/name.svg" alt ="npm version" > </a > <a href ="https://github.com/org/repo/blob/main/LICENSE" > <img src ="https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue.svg" alt ="License" > </a > <a href ="https://discord.gg/invite" > <img src ="https://img.shields.io/discord/123456789" alt ="Discord" > </a > <br > <br > <a href ="https://docs.example.com" > </a > <a href ="https://example.com" > </a > <a href ="https://discord.gg/invite" > </a > </div > ## Why Project Name?
- **Feature 1** — Brief explanation
- **Feature 2** — Brief explanation
- **Feature 3** — Brief explanation
## Quick Start
```bash
npm install project-name
import { thing } from 'project-name' ;
const result = thing.doSomething ();
console .log (result);
Installation
npm
yarn
pnpm
Usage
Basic Example
Advanced Example
Documentation
Contributing
License
### 4. Add Trust Signal Badges
| Badge | What it shows | When to use |
|-------|--------------|-------------|
| CI/Build status | Code quality | Always |
| Version | Latest release | Always for packages |
| License | Legal clarity | Always |
| Downloads/installs | Adoption | When impressive |
| Coverage | Test quality | If > 70% |
| Security | Audit status | If you have it |
Community badges:
| Badge | Source | Purpose |
|-------|--------|---------|
| Discord members | shields.io | Show active community |
| GitHub stars | shields.io | Social proof |
| Contributors | shields.io | Open source health |
| Last commit | shields.io | Project activity |
Badge services:
| Service | URL | Best for |
|---------|-----|----------|
| Shields.io | shields.io | Most badges |
| Badgen | badgen.net | Fast, minimal |
| GitHub badges | Native | Actions, issues |
Badge examples:
```markdown
<!-- Build status -->
<!-- npm version -->
[](https://www.npmjs.com/package/package-name)
<!-- Downloads -->
[](https://www.npmjs.com/package/package-name)
<!-- License -->
[](LICENSE)
<!-- Discord -->
[](https://discord.gg/invite)
<!-- Stars -->
[](https://github.com/org/repo)
5. Set Up or Update Profile README
Create a repository with your exact GitHub username (e.g., github.com/yourname/yourname).
Add a README.md file — it will display on your profile page.
Use this structure:
# Hi, I'm [Name] 👋
[One sentence about what you do]
## What I'm Working On
- 🔭 Building [project] — [brief description]
- 🌱 Learning [technology]
- 💬 Ask me about [expertise areas]
## Projects
| Project | Description | Stars |
|---------|-------------|-------|
| [Project 1 ](https://github.com/yourname/project1 ) | Brief description |  |
| [Project 2 ](https://github.com/yourname/project2 ) | Brief description |  |
## Recent Blog Posts
<!-- BLOG-POST-LIST:START -->
<!-- Automated with GitHub Actions -->
<!-- BLOG-POST-LIST:END -->
## Connect
[](https://twitter.com/handle )
[](https://linkedin.com/in/handle )
## GitHub Stats
Profile README best practices:
Do Don't Keep it scannable Write paragraphs Show your best projects List everything Include current work Let it get stale Add contact methods Make it hard to reach you Show personality Be generic
6. Optimize Discoverability
GitHub Topics Topics are how people find repositories. Add up to 20 via Repository settings → Topics.
Topic strategy Example Technology javascript, rust, pythonFramework react, nextjs, djangoUse case cli, api, testingCategory developer-tools, devopsProblem authentication, caching
Search Optimization GitHub search considers, in order of impact:
Repository name — Include main keyword.Description — 350 chars max, keyword-rich.README content — Full text indexed.Topics — Category matching.Language — Auto-detected.
Awesome Lists Getting on awesome lists drives traffic and credibility.
Find relevant awesome lists (search "awesome + [topic]").
Check list requirements (quality, activity, docs).
Ensure your project meets criteria.
Submit a PR following the list's guidelines.
Be patient — curation takes time.
Popular awesome lists for dev tools:
awesome-cli-appsawesome-selfhostedawesome-nodejsawesome-pythonawesome-goawesome-rustawesome-devops
7. Automate with GitHub Actions
Automated README Updates (Blog Posts)
name: Update README
on:
schedule:
- cron: '0 0 * * *'
workflow_dispatch:
jobs:
update:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- uses: gautamkrishnar/blog-post-workflow@master
with:
feed_list: "https://yourblog.com/feed"
- name: Commit changes
run: |
git config --local user.email "action@github.com"
git config --local user.name "GitHub Action"
git add -A
git diff --quiet && git diff --staged --quiet || git commit -m "Update README"
git push
Metrics and Stats
- uses: lowlighter/metrics@latest
with:
token: ${{ secrets.METRICS_TOKEN }}
filename: github-metrics.svg
Release Announcements
name: Release Announcement
on:
release:
types: [published ]
jobs:
announce:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- name: Tweet
uses: ethomson/send-tweet-action@v1
with:
status: "🚀 ${{ github.repository }} ${{ github.event.release.tag_name }} released! ${{ github.event.release.html_url }} "
consumer-key: ${{ secrets.TWITTER_CONSUMER_KEY }}
Never commit live secrets. Use GitHub repository secrets (Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions) and reference them as ${{ secrets.YOUR_KEY }}. Example placeholders above are not real credentials.
8. Set Up GitHub Sponsors
Join GitHub Sponsors at github.com/sponsors.
Create compelling tier descriptions.
Add a .github/FUNDING.yml file to repos:
github: [yourusername ]
patreon: yourpatreon
open_collective: yourproject
ko_fi: yourkofi
custom: ["https://buymeacoffee.com/you" ]
Tier Price Offer Supporter $5/mo Thanks + name in README Backer $15/mo Logo in README + Discord role Sponsor $50/mo Priority support + feature voting Enterprise $200+/mo Dedicated support + consultation
9. Measure Success Track these metrics via Repository → Insights → Traffic:
Metric What it tells you Goal Stars Interest/bookmarks Growth over time Forks Active usage Quality > quantity Clones People trying it Pre-install interest Traffic Profile/repo views Awareness Referrers Where traffic comes from Channel effectiveness Contributors Community health Sustainable project
10. Use Supporting Tools Tool Use case Octolens Monitor GitHub for mentions of your project, competitors, and relevant discussions. Get alerts when people talk about problems you solve. Shields.io Generate status badges GitHub Readme Stats Dynamic stats for profile Carbon Beautiful code screenshots readme.so README generator Metrics Advanced profile stats
Pitfalls
Neglecting the README — it is your landing page; a weak README kills adoption.Too many badges — cluttered headers reduce scannability. Keep to 4–6 high-signal badges.Letting issues and PRs pile up unanswered — signals an abandoned project.Missing license file — legal ambiguity discourages adoption and contribution.Low-quality or broken images — broken logo/banner links look unprofessional.Walls of text without structure — developers scan, they don't read paragraphs.Missing contribution guidelines — potential contributors bounce without a CONTRIBUTING.md.Stale profile README — outdated "what I'm working on" sections signal inactivity.No topics set — repositories without topics are nearly invisible in GitHub search.Submitting to awesome lists before meeting criteria — rejected PRs waste time and burn goodwill with maintainers.Committing secrets to workflows — always use GitHub repository secrets, never hardcode tokens or API keys.
Verification Run through this README audit checklist after making changes:
Checkable commands (PowerShell, Windows host):
# Verify README exists and has key sections
Test-Path .\README.md
Select-String -Path .\README.md -Pattern "Quick Start","Installation","Usage","License" | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Line
# Verify LICENSE file exists
Test-Path .\LICENSE
# Verify CONTRIBUTING.md exists
Test-Path .\CONTRIBUTING.md
# Verify FUNDING.yml exists if sponsors are set up
Test-Path .\.github\FUNDING.yml
# Check for accidentally committed secrets (should return nothing)
Select-String -Path .\README.md -Pattern "YOUR_KEY","xoxb-","sk-" -AllMatches
Navigate to the repository page — README renders correctly with badges and images.
Check Repository → Insights → Traffic for view/clone data.
Confirm topics appear under the repo title.
Open the profile page — profile README renders if the username-matched repo exists.
Related Skills
developer-audience-context — Know who evaluates your repohacker-news-strategy — HN users check GitHub before upvotingreddit-engagement — Redditors evaluate via GitHubdev-to-hashnode — Link from README to content
Limitations
Use this skill only when the task clearly matches its upstream source and local project context.
Verify commands, generated code, dependencies, credentials, and external service behavior before applying changes.
Do not treat examples as a substitute for environment-specific tests, security review, or user approval for destructive or costly actions.
