Sharing MATLAB Content

Share MATLAB content by uploading to GitHub, MATLAB Drive, or File Exchange, then generating "Open in MATLAB Online" URLs that let recipients open the content directly in a browser.

When to Use

• User has local MATLAB files and wants to open them in MATLAB Online
• User wants to share MATLAB code via a link that opens in MATLAB Online
• AI agent generated MATLAB code locally and user wants to run/open it in MATLAB Online
• User asks for an "Open in MATLAB Online" link, button, or badge
• User has content on GitHub/MATLAB Drive/File Exchange and wants the direct-open URL

When NOT to Use

• User wants to try out MATLAB code without needing to upload anywhere
• User is asking about MATLAB Online features, licensing, or account setup
• User wants to run MATLAB code interactively in MATLAB Online without generating a shareable link

Workflow

1. Identify the starting point

Ask what the user has:

• Local files only → they need to upload first, then generate the URL
• Already on GitHub → skip to URL generation (GitHub path)
• Already on MATLAB Drive with a share link → skip to URL generation (Drive path)
• Already on File Exchange → skip to URL generation (File Exchange path)

2. Help choose a path

If the user hasn't uploaded yet, recommend based on their goal:

Goal	Recommended Path	Why
Quick sharing or personal use	GitHub	Fully automated via CLI; works for public repos
Share with specific people (private)	MATLAB Drive	Supports access control; no public repo needed
Share with the MATLAB community	File Exchange	Discoverable by all MATLAB users; includes ratings/reviews
Embed in documentation/README	GitHub	Supports badge images in markdown

3. Guide the upload

Follow the appropriate path below.

4. Generate the URL

Use the exact templates in the URL Templates section. Present the final URL to the user.

If the user has multiple files, generate a separate URL for each file they want to open. To open all files at once:

• GitHub: omit the file param — clones the entire repo without opening a specific file
• MATLAB Drive: set file=/ — opens the shared folder
• File Exchange: omit the file param — opens the full submission

5. Optionally generate a badge (GitHub path only)

If the user wants a clickable button for a README:

[![Open in MATLAB Online](https://www.mathworks.com/images/responsive/global/open-in-matlab-online.svg)](URL_HERE)

URL Templates

GitHub

https://matlab.mathworks.com/open/github/v1?repo=<owner>/<repo>&file=<relative-path>

Parameter	Required	Description
repo	Yes	owner/reponame (no https://github.com/ prefix)
host	No	GitHub host (default: github.com). Required for GitHub Enterprise (e.g., github.mathworks.com)
file	No	Specific file to open after clone
project	No	MATLAB project file to open (e.g., myProject.prj)
line	No	Line number to navigate to
focus	No	Set to true to open in focused editor view

There is NO branch or tag parameter. The URL always clones the default branch.

URL generator tool: Users can also generate these URLs interactively at https://www.mathworks.com/products/matlab-online/git.html

MATLAB Drive

https://matlab.mathworks.com/open/matlabdrive/v1?namespace=SHARED&id=<share-uuid>&file=<filename>

Parameter	Required	Description
namespace	Yes	Always SHARED for shared content
id	Yes	UUID from the share link
file	Yes	Filename from the share link

The host parameter is optional — it defaults to gds.mathworks.com if omitted.

File Exchange

https://matlab.mathworks.com/open/fileexchange/v1?id=<submission-id>

Parameter	Required	Description
id	Yes	Numeric submission ID from the File Exchange URL
file	No	Specific file to open after download
project	No	MATLAB project file to open
version	No	Specific version of the submission
line	No	Line number to navigate to
focus	No	Set to true to open in focused editor view

GitHub Path: Step-by-Step

This is the only path with full CLI automation.

Before running any commands, verify the gh CLI is installed and authenticated:

1. Check installation: gh --version
2. Check authentication: gh auth status

If gh is not installed, guide the user to install it (e.g., brew install gh on macOS, or visit https://cli.github.com). If not authenticated, have the user run gh auth login before proceeding.

If the user has local files not yet on GitHub, run these commands for them:

# 1. Initialize and commit
git init my-project
cd my-project
cp /path/to/your/file.m .
git add .
git commit -m "Add MATLAB code"

# 2. Create public repo and push
gh repo create my-project --public --source=. --push

Before running step 2, warn the user explicitly: creating a --public repo makes the code visible to anyone on the internet. Ask them to confirm they are comfortable making the code public and to review the files being pushed. Only proceed with their explicit permission.

Once the repo exists (either just created or already on GitHub), construct the Open in MATLAB Online URL using the repo name and file path:

https://matlab.mathworks.com/open/github/v1?repo=<owner>/<repo>&file=<filename>

Present this final URL to the user.

MATLAB Drive Path: Step-by-Step

There is no CLI for MATLAB Drive. MATLAB Drive sharing only works at the folder level — individual files cannot be shared directly. The user uploads all files into a folder, shares the folder, and the resulting share link targets a specific file within that folder.

Give the user these instructions:

1. Go to https://drive.mathworks.com/
2. Create a folder in MATLAB Drive
3. Upload all file(s) into that folder
4. Right-click the folder → Share → Create Link
5. Copy the share link and provide it back

Once the user provides the share link, extract the UUID and filename from it. The share link format is:

https://drive.matlab.com/sharing/<uuid>/<filename>

Then construct the Open in MATLAB Online URL:

https://matlab.mathworks.com/open/matlabdrive/v1?namespace=SHARED&id=<uuid>&file=<filename>

The same UUID can be used to open other files in the shared folder — just change the file parameter. To open the entire folder, set file=/.

Present this final URL to the user.

File Exchange Path: Step-by-Step

There is no CLI for File Exchange.

Give the user these instructions:

1. Go to https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/
2. Sign in and publish the submission
3. After publishing, provide the submission ID or the File Exchange page URL

Once the user provides the submission ID or URL, extract the numeric ID. The File Exchange URL format is:

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/<ID>-<title-slug>

Then construct the Open in MATLAB Online URL:

https://matlab.mathworks.com/open/fileexchange/v1?id=<ID>

To open a specific file within the submission, add the file parameter:

https://matlab.mathworks.com/open/fileexchange/v1?id=<ID>&file=<filename>

Omitting file opens the full submission.

Present this final URL to the user.

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Why It's Wrong	Correct Approach
Adding &branch=main to GitHub URL	Parameter doesn't exist; URL always clones default branch	Omit branch — only repo, file, and project are valid
Using /open/drive/v1 for MATLAB Drive	Wrong path segment	Use /open/matlabdrive/v1
Using ?sharing=<uuid> for MATLAB Drive	Wrong parameter format	Use ?namespace=SHARED&id=<uuid>&file=...
Omitting namespace for Drive URLs	URL won't resolve without it	Always include namespace=SHARED
Including https://github.com/ in the repo param	Format is owner/repo only	Strip the domain: aanithap/my-project not https://github.com/aanithap/my-project
Suggesting email or cloud storage	Doesn't give an "Open in MATLAB Online" experience	Use one of the 3 supported paths

Conventions

• Always present all 3 options when the user hasn't decided on an upload path
• Always use the exact URL templates — do not guess or interpolate URL patterns
• For GitHub: recommend --public for shareable links (private repos require auth)
• Never suggest a branch or tag parameter for GitHub URLs
• URL-encode file paths that contain spaces or special characters (e.g., My File.m → My%20File.m)

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