github-repository

name	github-repository
description	Configure a GitHub repository's metadata (description, homepage, topics) and solo-developer settings via `gh`, derived from the codebase. Use when setting up or tidying a repo's GitHub settings.
metadata	{"author":"Médéric HURIER (Fmind)","source":"github.com/fmind/dotfiles/tree/main/skills/github-repository","created":"2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z","updated":"2026-07-06T00:00:00.000Z"}

Configure GitHub Repository

Inspect a GitHub repository and configure its metadata (description, homepage, topics) and solo-developer settings via gh — clean merge history, secure defaults, and a decluttered UI.

Workflow

Follow these steps to inspect the codebase and apply the configurations:

1. Extract Repository Metadata

Inspect the codebase files to discover or derive the repository metadata:

• Primary Source (Manifests): Check project manifest files:
  • Go: go.mod (under module path for the package/project name).
  • Python: pyproject.toml (under [project] fields for name, description, homepage/urls).
• Secondary Source (README): Read the README.md first few paragraphs to extract a concise, high-level description (under ~140 characters).
• Homepage URL: Derive from hosting setups (e.g., https://<username>.github.io/<repo> for GitHub Pages).
• Topics/Tags: Select 3 to 6 descriptive tags representing the main programming language, frameworks, tools, or domain (e.g., agent, python, cli).
  • Constraint: Topics must be lowercase letters, numbers, or hyphens, 50 characters or less, and start with a letter or number (max 20 per repo).

2. Verify GitHub CLI & Inspect Current State

Ensure the GitHub CLI (gh) is authenticated, and fetch the repository's current settings to make changes idempotent:

# Check authentication status
gh auth status

# Get the origin remote URL
git config --get remote.origin.url

# Inspect existing metadata and settings
gh repo view --json description,homepageUrl,repositoryTopics,deleteBranchOnMerge,squashMergeAllowed,mergeCommitAllowed,rebaseMergeAllowed,hasIssuesEnabled,hasProjectsEnabled,hasWikiEnabled,hasDiscussionsEnabled

If the repository does not have an active GitHub remote or gh is not authenticated, report this and halt.

3. Apply Consolidated Configurations

Combine metadata updates and solo developer optimizations into a single consolidated gh repo edit command to maximize speed and efficiency:

gh repo edit \
  --description "<description>" \
  --homepage "<homepage-url>" \
  --add-topic "tag1,tag2,tag3" \
  --delete-branch-on-merge \
  --enable-squash-merge \
  --squash-merge-commit-message pr-title-description \
  --enable-merge-commit=false \
  --enable-rebase-merge=false \
  --allow-update-branch \
  --enable-secret-scanning \
  --enable-secret-scanning-push-protection \
  --enable-wiki=false \
  --enable-projects=false \
  --enable-discussions=false

Note: If you manage project issues externally or locally in a task.md file, you can also append --enable-issues=false to fully declutter the sidebar.

Gotchas

• Truncation: Description strings must be single-line and concise (under ~140 characters) to avoid GitHub UI truncation.
• Advanced Security: Secret scanning push protection is free for public repositories and personal private repositories, but may require a GitHub Advanced Security subscription for organization-owned private repositories.
• Visibility Changes: Changing visibility can have severe consequences. Avoid passing --visibility or --accept-visibility-change-consequences unless explicitly instructed by the user.

Documentation

• GitHub CLI Manual - gh repo edit
• Companion skills:
  • github-pull-request — Manage pull requests with clean title/description standards.
  • project-license — Set up the correct LICENSE for the repository.