gh-init-push

name	gh-init-push
description	Initialize a local directory as a Git repo and push it to a new GitHub repository. Use when the user asks to "push to GitHub", "create a repo and push", "init and publish", or similar. Handles .gitignore, missing git config, and one-command gh repo create.

Git Init + GitHub Push

One-shot workflow: local directory → Git repo → GitHub.

Steps

# 1. Enter the target directory
cd <dir>

# 2. Ensure git identity exists (check first, set if missing)
git config user.name || git config user.name "<gh-username>"
git config user.email || git config user.email "<gh-username>@users.noreply.github.com"
# Get gh username: gh api user --jq '.login'

# 3. Create .gitignore if absent (common patterns)
# Python: __pycache__/ *.pyc venv/ .pytest_cache/ *.egg-info/
# Node:  node_modules/ dist/ .env
# General: .DS_Store *.log

# 4. Stage and commit
git add .
git status  # verify no unwanted files
git commit -m "feat: initial commit"

# 5. Create GitHub repo and push in one command
gh repo create <repo-name> --public --source=. --push
# For private: gh repo create <repo-name> --private --source=. --push

Gotchas

• git config missing: WSL / fresh installs often lack user.name/email. Always check before commit.
• Staged junk: If .pyc, node_modules/, etc. get staged, git rm -r --cached <path> then re-add after fixing .gitignore.
• Symlinks on Windows: Git may warn about symlink permissions. Usually safe to ignore for cloned repos.
• Default branch: gh repo create uses the local branch name. Rename to main first if desired: git branch -m main.