| name | github-research |
| description | Find reputable GitHub repositories with quality filters (stars, recency, license). Use this skill when the user needs to find code samples, reference implementations, libraries, or templates on GitHub. Triggers on requests like "find GitHub repos for X", "search GitHub for Y examples", "find a good library for Z", or any request to discover quality open-source code. Requires gh CLI (version 2.14+). |
GitHub Research
Find reputable GitHub repositories using quality filters. Prioritize curated Awesome Lists, then search with star thresholds to ensure code quality.
Workflow
Step 1: Check for Awesome Lists First
Awesome Lists are community-curated collections of quality resources. Search them first:
gh search repos "awesome <topic>" --stars=">=5000" --limit=5 --json name,stargazersCount,url,description
If a relevant Awesome List exists (e.g., awesome-python, awesome-react), recommend it as the primary source.
Step 2: Search Repositories with Quality Filters
gh search repos "<query>" \
--language=<lang> \
--stars=">=1000" \
--archived=false \
--limit=10 \
--json name,url,stargazersCount,license,description,pushedAt
Default quality threshold: 1000+ stars. Adjust based on user needs:
- Production code:
--stars=">=1000"
- Learning/examples:
--stars=">=500"
- Exploration:
--stars=">=100"
Step 3: Additional Filters (as needed)
| Filter | Flag | Example |
|---|
| Topic | --topic | --topic=cli |
| Recency | --updated | --updated=">2024-01-01" |
| License | --license | --license=mit |
| Owner | --owner | --owner=microsoft |
| Sort | --sort | --sort=stars |
Step 4: Validate Top Results
For the top 3-5 candidates, check quality indicators:
gh api "repos/<owner>/<repo>" --jq '{
stars: .stargazers_count,
forks: .forks_count,
issues: .open_issues_count,
updated: .pushed_at,
license: .license.spdx_id
}'
Quality indicators:
- Recent activity (updated within 6 months)
- Active issues/PRs (maintained)
- Multiple contributors
- Clear license (MIT, Apache-2.0 preferred)
Step 5: Save Results
Save research to docs/research/ as Markdown:
docs/research/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-github-repos.md
Include: repo name, stars, license, URL, and brief description.
Examples
Find FastAPI templates:
gh search repos "fastapi template" --language=python --stars=">=500" --archived=false --limit=10
Find CLI tools in Go:
gh search repos --topic=cli --language=go --stars=">=1000" --limit=10
Find React component libraries:
gh search repos "react component library" --language=typescript --stars=">=1000" --updated=">2024-01-01"
Rate Limits
- Search API: 30 requests/minute (authenticated)
- Check remaining:
gh api rate_limit --jq '.resources.search.remaining'
Prerequisites
Requires GitHub CLI version 2.14+ with gh search repos command.
Check version: gh version
